How to apply for Estonian e-Residency card and obtain it
E-Residency is a great program that allows people from all over the world to open and manage a company online with ease. It was launched in 2014 and became a highly successful government program with over 100.000 members. You can explore more about e-Residency in our article. But today, we will provide you with a guide on how you can apply for an e-Residency and obtain the card.
Before the start, we would like to note that e-Residency does not confer citizenship, tax residency, residence, or right of entry to Estonia or to the European Union. It is not a visa or residence permit. However, it will enable you to run your company in Estonia in a remote way and use a bunch of Estonian government services with ease.
Step 1. Collect Documents for Application
In order to submit an application, an applicant will need to prepare:
A scan of your government-issued ID (travel document issued in English)
Passport-size photo (.jpeg format)
Information about business activity and motivation statement
CV (or a link to social media like LinkedIn)
Your bank card to pay the fee
Step 2. Submit Your Application
As soon as documents are collected, you can start filling out the application itself. Usually, the procedure doesn't take longer than 30-40 minutes. Let’s explore how to apply in detail.
Your ID background
Planned field of activity for your company
If you are not sure what to choose, you can always contact our team.
A detailed description of your business
Your service provider’s info
If you’re using the services of a certain provider, type in information about it. If you’re going to incorporate a company with Enty, provide the following information: Entytech OÜ, Register №16080939, address: 14772172 Tornimäe tn 5, 10145, Tallinn, Harju maakond
Activities that will support the Estonian economy
Provide information about benefits for the Estonian economy from your business activity. Suggested answer: My company will bring business to Estonia and create new work opportunities. I would like to expand the scope of my activities and enter the European market.
ID number
If it is applied in your country, please fill in your ID number. If not, just leave the field blank.
Social media profiles
During the next step, you can choose whether you would like to share your social media profiles or not. If you do, add the links to your pages.
CV or a link to LinkedIn profile
For the CV, you can use the general template for such documents and point out:
your full name, date of birth, and contact information
skills
education and training background
work experience
your qualifications and achievements
Structure it as a PDF file and attach it to your application.
Information about your current bank accounts
Business bans, criminal records, and background info
In this section, please confirm that you do not have any business bans, have not been convicted of a criminal offense, were not refused a visa, etc.
Pick up location
Here, we need to point out that there are limited pickup locations for e-Residency cards. Unfortunately, you can receive it only in person at the Estonian Embassy or the Estonian consulate. We highly recommend you check the closest pickup location, in order to avoid further issues.
Review
After you have completed all the steps and filled in all the information, please review your application to make sure you have pointed everything out correctly.
Payment
Complete the payment (state fee - 100 EUR, delivery fee - 20 EUR) and wait for the email from the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.
Step 3. Application Review
As soon as you submit your application, the review will begin. Normally, the review of an application takes 3-8 weeks. Sometimes the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board may request additional information, which may increase the processing time. If the application is approved, your e-Residency kit will be printed and sent to your pickup location.
Once the process is complete, you will receive a notification via email.
Step 4. Collect e-Residency Kit
When you are granted your e-Residency, you will be invited to the chosen pickup location to collect your e-Residency Kit.
Please note that only the owner of the company can pick up the e-Residency card, it can be done only in person, as you will submit your biometrical data. And also prepare your ID document.
The card can be stored in the pickup location for up to 6 months. But this period can be extended upon request. If you do not have a pickup location in your country, you can arrange to collect the kit in another one. Please make sure to check that chosen pickup location is in a country or region you are legally permitted to enter.
How to Set Up Your Business
And that's it! After that, you will be able to enjoy all benefits of e-Residency and open your Estonian business. With an e-Residency card on hand, you can incorporate your company through Enty in just several minutes and get it up and running the next day!
We also won’t leave you after incorporation. Enty is a platform enabling you to manage your company from one window. Using Enty, you can issue and send invoices, observe banking data, while we are taking care of accounting reports. Along with that, you can create contracts and enjoy over a dozen other services integrated with each other under a single subscription.
Focus on your business, while we are dealing with paperwork.
