Tallinn

Estonia e-Residency Program

Estonia is a Baltic country and an EU member. The nation is creating a borderless digital society for global citizens as the first country to offer e-Residency. The program allows entrepreneurs to establish an Estonian company that is managed from abroad.

About Estonia

e-Residency

The Estonian e-Residency gives foreigners the ability to apply for a secure digital residency in Estonia, without having to live there. e-Residency is a transnational digital identity that foreigners can apply for to obtain access to a platform built on inclusion, legitimacy and transparency. E-residents then have access to the EU business environment and can use public e-services through their digital identity.

Estonia is one of the most tax-friendly countries in the EU. Tax rate are roughly half of other Western countries and foreign income is not taxed.

Estonia Crypto Environment

Estonia’s legal framework is built to attract investors from all around the world. The e-residency program is the most attractive feature for startups and investors. With the ability to launch a business online and get incorporated with less than €5,000 in total costs, small blockchain startups have found a new business home. The Estonian national digital identification system already started using a variation of blockchain in 2008. In 2016, the Estonian government was looking for new and innovative ways to secure the health records for its 1.3 million residents. It turned to blockchain. Now all of its health records, which have been fully digitized for quite a while now, are safely guarded by the same technology used by Bitcoin.

Country Overview

Program Overview

Location
Europe

Population
1,300,000

Currency
Euro

Language
Estonian

Capital
Tallinn

Program Overview

Legal Status
Digital Residency

Mobility
Mobility: EU (indefinitely),
US (90days)

Timeline
3-8 weeks

Min. Investment
None

Physical Presence
None

Factsheet Download

COB Factsheet cover

Download our free factsheet with more detailed information about this program.

Investment Requirements

The Estonia E-residency poses no minimum investment requirements. You will need to introduce your business reasons to apply to the program before approval. You don’t need to register your company beforehand. You are only required to register a company after approval. Global RCG will help you register your company in Estonia. Once your company is registered, the company will need to fulfill its legal obligations such as its annual tax declaration.

Benefits

  • Establish and manage a location-independent company online from anywhere in the world
  • A presence in the EU single market, as a trusted member of the European Union business community
  • A trusted and transparent business entity that’s been incorporated through a simplified setup process
  • Possibility to access a simple and fair tax system – 0% corporate income tax as long as you keep your profit earned in the company or reinvest it into growing your business.
  • Full remote control – secure access to your bank and company data via e-Residency, regardless of your location
  • Paperless administration

Family

As e-residency does grant actual residency privileges, e-Residency is only granted to the main applicants. Spouses or dependents would have to apply separately if they wished to receive Estonian e-Residency.

Requirements

There are no strict requirements to apply. Nevertheless, you will need to demonstrate the reason you are apply for E-Residency and background checks will be performed to assure your good character and intentions. Furthermore, your company will need to produce a tax declaration every year.

Estonia e-Residency Application Process

The application process can takes about 2 months. 

Day 0
Day 0
  • Verify eligibility
  • Start client onboarding process with Global RCG.
  • Global RCG helps you gather the required documentation.
  • Global RCG assists you in preparing application.
Day 0
Day 1
Day 1
Submit application.
Day 1
Week 3 - 8
Week 3 - 8
Estonian Police & Border Guard Board conducts background check and notifies approval of application.
Week 3 - 8
Week 8
Week 8
Verify identity at the nearest Estonian Embassy, receive starter kit which contains digital ID card and a smart card reader.
Week 8

Taxation

Receiving an Estonia E-Residency provides tax residence to the registered company at a tax rate of 20%. As an American, you are allowed up to an annually adjusted $107,600 of foreign income tax exclusion. The E-residency does not provide an individual tax residency in Estonia.

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