Estonia was a province of the Russian Empire. It is situated on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland in northern Europe. It is the smallest of the three Baltic States. The Gulf of Riga is on its north east coast, the Baltic Sea on its northwest coast and Latvia lies to the south. It was under Russian rule until 1918 and then became independent. It became part of the Soviet Union in 1940, was occupied briefly by Germany in 1941, and became independent again in 1991. Today the country has the highest standard of living of all the former Soviet Republics. Its capital is Tallinn.

The first Estonian stamps were made available from November 1918. The first issues were a trial with perforations on only 2 or 3 sides. This trial was not considered successful and the stamps were discontinued. These stamps, if not forgeries, are considered very rare. Between 1941 and 1991, the country used stamps of the old Soviet Union.