Estonia e-Residency Application – Become an e-Resident of Estonia

All Estonians, no matter where they happen to live, have a state-issued digital identity. This electronic identity system, called eID, has existed for 20 years and is the cornerstone of the country’s e-state. e-ID and the ecosystem around it is part of any citizen’s daily transactions in the public and private sectors.

People use their e-IDs to

• Pay bills,
• Vote online,
• Sign contracts,
• Shop,
• Access their health information, and
• Much more.

Estonians can use their e-ID via state-issued identity or ID-card, using Mobile-ID on their smartphones, or the application Smart-ID.

Holders of a digital identity need not be Estonian residents anymore however. Since 2014, Estonia has also offered a program called e-Residency for anyone who wishes to become an e-resident of Estonia and access its diverse digital services, regardless of citizenship or location.

What is e-Residency

Estonia is the first country to offer e-Residency, a government-issued digital identity and status that provides access to Estonia’s transparent business environment: a new digital nation for the world.

E-resident entrepreneurs from all over the world can start an EU-based company and manage business from anywhere, entirely online.

About Estonia E-Residency

In 2014, Estonia launched its e-Residency program to fulfill its ambition of creating a borderless digital society for global citizens.

The program provides holders of e-Residency with a transnational digital identity. This identity allows them access to a platform built on inclusion, legitimacy, and transparency.

E-residents also have access to the EU business environment and can use Estonian public e-services.

People from across the globe choose to become e-residents so that they can run a trustworthy, location-independent EU company online with all the tools needed to conduct business worldwide.

For example, e-residents can:

• Set up and manage a location-independent company online from anywhere in the world
• Establish a trusted EU company online in one day
• Manage the resulting company fully online
• Apply for a business bank account and conduct secure e-banking
• Access international payment service providers (Paypal, Braintree, etc.)
• Digitally sign and transmit documents
• Declare Estonian taxes online

Why open a company in Estonia?

• Join one of the most advanced digital societies
• Membership of the EU, NATO, OECD, and eurozone provides advantages and stability
• Low startup and maintenance costs
• Growth is incentivized with 0% corporate tax on reinvested profits
• Minimal bureaucracy and a clear tax framework
• Minimal corruption in a transparent business environment
• Trade in euros to mitigate the risk of currency fluctuations

Estonia e-residency Benefits

Estonia e-Residency Tax

E-Residency is also definitely not a way to avoid paying taxes. Fortunately that doesn’t actually disappoint many entrepreneurs who would rather have the opportunity to build a more successful and trusted company that can more easily conduct business globally.

That’s what e-Residency offers.

However, Estonian government emphasize that e-Residency is not tax residency (as well as not being citizenship or the right to physically reside in Estonia or the EU).

Not all e-residents contribute taxes to Estonia, but when they do it is based on what e-Residency has enabled them to do (by creating a company that is legitimately tax resident here under international rules) and not just because they are an e-resident.

Estonia e-Residency Cost

Is Estonia e-Residency Worth It?

Imagine being a e-resident of estonia and you are able to do the following:

Start an EU company

How to Apply for Estonia e-Residency