Crime victim compensation

The compensation for a victim of a crime is intended for you if you have been the victim of a violent crime committed on the territory of the Republic of Estonia and have suffered serious health damage as a result. 

For whom?

You can apply for compensation if:

• the offence took place on the territory of Estonia;
• you are an Estonian citizen or an alien and you have legal grounds for your stay in Estonia;
• criminal proceedings have been initiated in respect of the case;
• you have suffered serious health damage that lasted for at least four (4) months and from which medical assistance was necessary for recovery (see § 118 of the Penal Code for more details);
• you have also suffered material damage as a result of this crime;
• you cooperate with the relevant law enforcement authority to establish the facts relating to the respective offence.

In the event of the death of the victim, compensation may be claimed by a person close to the victim and the person who has borne the costs of the funeral.

What is compensated

• the victim’s medical costs (visit fees, rehabilitation, medicinal products, travel to and from the medical institution, and other costs related to the restoration of physical health);
• spectacles, aids and other personal effects of the victim which have been destroyed or damaged in the course of the criminal offence;
• loss of income of the victim and the caregiver of the victim, who cares for the victim on the basis of a certificate for care leave;
• funeral expenses for the person who has incurred the costs.
• loss of maintenance for the victim’s dependant, if the victim has died.

Submission of an application

• You can apply for the compensation of a victim of a crime through the Social Insurance Board.
• The connection between serious health damage and the violent crime shall be assessed by an expert doctor of the Social Insurance Board.
• You can submit the application via self-service, customer service, by e-mail (digitally signed application and scanned additional documents can be sent to [email protected]), by post (signed application and additional documents can be sent to Pepleri 35, 51010, Tartu).
• Collect cheques for medicinal products, aids and rehabilitation costs, and attach them to the application Forms.
• If necessary, a local victim support employee will assist you in applying for compensation and filling in the application Contacts.

Exclusions

The compensation for victim of a crime does not cover:

• damage that has already been compensated by the offender, insurance company or other source;

• legal costs;

• state fees;

• moral damage (pain and suffering);

• grounds set out in § 37 of the Victim Support Act.