The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reopened the Estonian embassy in Budapest. The ministry announced the step on social media on Monday, saying that starting 5 November the embassy is offering consular services again.

The embassy is providing consular services and assistance starting 5 November. Anyone who would like their documents issued there can indicate so on the application form, the ministry said. Consular services are available by advance appointment.

The ministry previously closed the embassy in Budapest in July 2014 following the closing of the Hungarian embassy in Tallinn. The latter was replaced by a diplomatic representation at the Hungarian Culture Institute in Tallinn at the time.

Hungary reopened its embassy in Tallinn on 23 September this year. According to the Baltic News Service (BNS), Estonia decided to open the Budapest embassy again already in June.

Estonia bought its embassy building in Budapest in 2007. After the intermittent closing of the embassy, the state spent approximately €1,000 a month on maintaining the building, spokespeople for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BNS in June.

After the decision to reopen the embassy, further works in the amount of 'a couple hundred thousand euros' had to be carried out, as security requirements changed in the meanwhile.

'The reopening of the embassy will help promote Estonia's interests in Hungary and provide better opportunities to help our citizens through consular services. It will also give us the opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs interested in operating in the Hungarian market or in markets close by,' the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

In addition to Hungary, the embassy will cover Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and the Republic of Serbia. The Estonian ambassador to Hungary is Kristi Karelsohn, who was appointed to the position by President Kersti Kaljulaid in August 2018.