Registering a company in Estonia is the quickest way to set up a fully-fledged company in the European Union without having to relocate or open an office. A private limited company (OÜ) is registered via the electronic Commercial Register within 1–5 working days, allows 100% foreign ownership and is managed entirely online.
We provide a turnkey registration service: we check the name and scope of business, prepare the incorporation documents, submit the application to the register and immediately fulfil the mandatory requirements — a registered office and a contact person — without which a non-resident’s company cannot be registered. You receive not just an entry in the register, but a fully operational structure: complete with an address, a contact person and a plan for the next steps regarding the bank account, VAT and accounting.
| Topic | Practical explanation |
|---|---|
| Legal form | OÜ (private limited company) — the standard choice for international founders |
| Ownership | 100% foreign ownership is permitted; shareholders may be natural or legal persons |
| Residency | Not required: neither shareholders nor board members are required to be residents of Estonia |
| Registration time | 1–5 working days (5–10 days via power of attorney) following the correct submission of documents |
| Authorised capital | From €0.01 per shareholder |
| Income tax | 0% on undistributed and reinvested profits; 22% — only upon the distribution of dividends |
| Registration methods | Online via e-Residency, in person at a notary’s office, or remotely via a notarised power of attorney |
| Mandatory requirements | A registered office in Estonia; for a board of directors based abroad – a contact person |
| Management after registration | Fully digital: electronic signatures, online reporting, government e-services |
If you have any queries, our managers are always on hand and ready to help! If you’re unsure which registration option is right for you, or if you’re deciding between setting up a new company and purchasing an existing one, simply submit an enquiry and our specialists will advise you free of charge.
Estonia is the most practical EU jurisdiction for an entrepreneur who wishes to set up a business without relocating to the country. The key reasons why founders choose an Estonian OÜ are:
Typical client profiles: SaaS and IT projects, consultants and agencies with international clients, e-commerce, crypto and fintech projects requiring licensing, and holding structures.
Virtually anyone. Estonian legislation permits 100 per cent foreign ownership: the shareholders of an OÜ may be individuals or legal entities from any country, including non-EU states. There is no residency requirement for either shareholders or board members – a director resident in Estonia is not required, and the company can be managed from anywhere in the world.
There are two mandatory requirements for a company managed from abroad:
We fulfil both these requirements through our own services at the time of registration — you won’t need to look for separate providers, and all official correspondence from the Registry and the EMTA will be channelled through us. The only external hurdle is banks and payment systems: they apply their own KYC/AML procedures, and we help you prepare to comply with them.
If you’re looking to register a company in Estonia, the process consists of five steps, most of which we take care of for you:
For those opting for online registration: all founders and board members will need a valid e-Residency card. If you do not have a card, bear in mind that it usually takes 3–6 weeks to be issued; it is quicker to register the company via a power of attorney and apply for e-Residency in parallel for future management purposes.
Registration is just the first step. A non-resident company immediately needs a registered office and a contact person; from the first year, an annual report is required; and if the company is actively operating, it will need accounting services and a VAT number. By arranging everything in one place, you benefit from a single point of responsibility for your company: we see the full picture and ensure there are no gaps between registration, address and reporting, which can otherwise lead to companies receiving warnings from the registry.
Enquiries about setting up a company in Estonia and registering a company in Estonia online are steadily increasing: Estonia remains the only EU country where a non-resident can set up and run a company entirely remotely. Below is everything you need to know before you get started.
A fourth option for urgent cases is to purchase a ready-made company: the transfer of ownership takes 1–2 days, and you receive a fully operational legal entity with a clean history.
When setting up a limited liability company in Estonia, in 95 per cent of cases you will be registering an OÜ (osaühing) — a private limited company. The shareholders’ liability is limited to their contributions; the company can be managed by a single person (who is also the sole shareholder), and the authorised capital starts from €0.01 per shareholder. Contributions may be made in cash or in kind; until the share capital is fully paid up, the distribution of dividends is restricted — we take this detail into account when structuring the company.
| Tax | Practical explanation |
|---|---|
| Corporate Income Tax (CIT) | 0% on undistributed and reinvested profits. A rate of 22% (22/78) applies only when dividends are paid |
| VAT (Value Added Tax) | Standard rate – 24 per cent. Registration for a VAT number is mandatory if taxable turnover in Estonia exceeds €40,000 from the start of the calendar year |
| Payroll taxes | Applicable when employing staff or paying remuneration to the board: income tax, social security contributions and insurance contributions |
| Reporting | Tax returns are filed electronically via the EMTA; the annual report must be submitted to the Commercial Register within 6 months of the end of the financial year |
The ‘tax only on distribution’ model is the jurisdiction’s key competitive advantage: a company can reinvest its profits for years without incurring any tax liability.
Company registration in Estonia takes place via the e-Business Register, the electronic Commercial Register maintained by the Centre for Registers and Information Systems (RIK). The entire life cycle of a company is managed through it: registration, changes to the board of directors and articles of association, and the filing of annual reports. The register’s data is public — any bank or counterparty can check your company, its board of directors and its reporting status. This is precisely why a clean profile in the register (submitted reports, a valid address, a contact person) is a direct asset for the company when undergoing bank compliance checks.
Entry in the register is the first step, not the end. Immediately after company registration, the following are usually required:
We support you through all these steps as a one-stop provider — from starting your business in Estonia to ongoing compliance — so our clients do not have to coordinate three different service providers.
If you already have e-Residency, you can register a company online in as little as 1 working day – typically 1–5 days. If using a power of attorney, it takes 5–10 days, including time for documents to be sent. If you still need to apply for e-Residency, allow an additional 3–6 weeks for the card to be issued – or start the registration process via power of attorney without waiting for the card. We recommend the best course of action following a brief consultation: it is sometimes quicker and cheaper to use a ready-made company than to wait for the documents.
Please provide details of your project (business sector, founders and whether you hold e-Residency cards) — within 24 hours, we’ll suggest the best route forward, provide a transparent quote and ask only for the information needed to get started.
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