The application is short; the waiting and the pickup are what people plan badly.
You apply online in about 30 minutes, pay a €150 state fee, wait roughly 30 days for the background check, then collect the card in person 2–5 weeks later at the pickup point you chose in the application. The card cannot be mailed to you.
Short answer
Application: about 30 minutes online
State fee: €150
Background check 30 days; card delivery 2–5 weeks
Collection: in person only, with the same ID used in the application
Holders as of July 2026: 142,000+
The most common reason for rejection is not paperwork but a thin motivation statement — write it as a real business explanation, not a formality.
Step 1. Choose Pick-up Location
Before starting with the application itself, we recommend you to explore available pick-up locations of e-Residency card and kit. E-Residency card must be received in person. Such process is necessary as part of the collection process is the identification of the user of the document.
You can find the full list of available locations here.
Step 2. Collect Documents for Application
To submit the application, you 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 3. Apply for e-Residency
As soon as your documents are ready, you can begin filling out the application. Typically, it takes no more than 30-40 minutes. Let's take a closer look at the application process.
Planned field of activity for your company
Identify the planned activity of your company. This field doesn’t have to be exact, as you will need to identify planned activity while setting up the company itself. If you are not sure what to choose, you can always contact our team.
Detailed description of your business
Again, try to provide all the details you can.
Your service provider’s info
If you’ve already chosen to proceed with a service provider, you will need to provide information about them. If not, just answer “No” for now.
If you are planning to proceed with Enty, then 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 provide 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
Create it in a PDF format and attach it to your application.
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.
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 - 150 EUR) and wait for the email from the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.
Step 4. Application Review
The review will begin as soon as you submit your application. An application is typically reviewed in 3-8 weeks. The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board may occasionally require extra information, which may lengthen the processing period. Once your application is approved, your e-Residency kit will be printed and mailed to you.
Once the process is complete, you will receive a notification via email.
Step 5. Collect e-Residency Kit
When your e-Residency is approved, you will be asked to the designated pickup site to pick up your e-Residency Kit.
Please keep in mind that the e-Residency card may only be picked up in person, as you will be submitting your biometric data. Prepare your ID document as well.
The pickup site can keep the card for up to 6 months. This term, however, 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 ensure that the pickup location you select is in a nation or territory that you are legally permitted to visit.
That’s it! Everything you need to get your e-Residency card. And what goes about opening a company, we recommend choosing Enty. As we can incorporate a company with e-Residency in a matter of one day.
And we will also provide you with a set of tools to manage your company with ease after incorporation.
