On November 14, 1918, admiral Johan Pitka organized a meeting to discuss the guarding of borders of the freshly established Republic of Estonia.

On November 18, 1918, the Border Guard government (Estonian: Piirivalvevalitsus) was established, with captain Leopold Tõnson leading it.

Lieutenant colonel Ants Kurvits was appointed to lead the organization on 1 November 1922, which is also considered the official formation date of the Estonian Border Guard.

On 1 December 1922, the Estonian government approved the structure of the agency, consisting of: a headquarters, departments, districts, and cordons.

Until the mid-1930s, the legal ground for the activities of the border guard was based on an old law, established under the Russian Empire.

On 20 September 1990, the Minister of State Raivo Vare formed a commission, which was tasked with establishing control over Estonian borders.

The restoration date of the Estonian Border Guard is considered to be November 1, 1990, when the government approved 27 permanent checkpoints.

On 15 September, Remniku Training Center began operating in Ida-Virumaa, with Johan Saar appointed to head it.

During that period, the situation on the southern border was tense because Riga's OMON continuously assaulted Estonian checkpoints.

On 15 November, border control was established on highway checkpoints, railway crossings, trains, harbours and airports.

During that time, employment of conscripts for border control duties ceased and the organization transitioned to a fully professional staff.