Registering an OÜ through a notary is the traditional way to set up an Estonian company, and it works for everyone: an e-Residency card is not required, and the founders’ citizenship and place of residence are irrelevant. The notarial transaction can be carried out in two ways — in person in Tallinn in a single visit, or entirely remotely via a notarial power of attorney (power of attorney), where our lawyer conducts the transaction at the notary’s office. Entry of the company into the Commercial Register takes 1–5 working days following the transaction.
We organise a turnkey notarial registration of a company in Estonia: we prepare the incorporation documents and a draft power of attorney in the required language, book an appointment with the notary, conduct the transaction (with support and translation — or on your behalf via power of attorney), pay the fees and immediately fulfil the mandatory requirements for non-residents — a registered office and a contact person. For you, this is the most direct route to setting up a company in the EU if you do not have e-Residency and do not wish to wait 4–6 weeks for it.
| Topic | Practical explanation |
|---|---|
| Who is this for | Founders without e-Residency; those who prefer a notarised document or do not wish to wait for the card to be issued |
| Two options | In person at a notary’s office in Tallinn (1 visit) or remotely via a notarised power of attorney |
| Timeframe | In person: transaction completed in 1 day, registration takes 1–5 working days. By power of attorney: 5–10 working days, including time for document dispatch |
| Power of attorney | Must be certified by a notary in your country; for most countries, an apostille is required |
| Without an apostille | Powers of attorney from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine are accepted without an apostille (legal assistance treaties) |
| Remote certification | Video consultation with an Estonian notary (remote verification) — via the e-notar portal if you hold an Estonian ID or e-Residency; certain procedures — at Estonian embassies |
| State duty and fees | Registration fee: €265 + notary’s fee (depending on the amount of capital) |
| Ownership and management | 100% foreign ownership; no resident director required |
| Mandatory requirements | A registered office in Estonia and a contact person for the board abroad — we arrange these at the time of the transaction |
If you have any questions, our managers are always on hand and ready to help! If you’re unsure whether a power of attorney or waiting for e-Residency would be quicker in your situation, please submit an enquiry and our specialists will compare the options in terms of time and cost, free of charge.
Registering a company in Estonia without e-Residency is a common scenario for a good half of all founders, and here are some typical situations where the notarial route is preferable:
Important: e-Residency is still useful after registration — for signing annual reports and making changes to the register. A common optimal scenario: register via a notary now, whilst applying for the card at the same time. If you already have the card, the online route is quicker and cheaper.
Company registration in Estonia: drawing up a power of attorney is a procedure carried out on your behalf by an authorised representative. Here’s how it works:
The power of attorney is valid strictly within the scope of the specified powers: the representative cannot exceed the limits of what you have authorised in writing, and the notary checks the scope of the powers before the transaction.
Company registration in Estonia via a notary for non-residents is available to founders from any country: Estonian law permits 100 per cent foreign ownership, and members of the management board do not need to be residents. The requirements for founders are minimal:
Knowledge of the Estonian language is not required: for in-person transactions, the notary works with an interpreter (which we arrange), and in the case of a power of attorney, all documents in Estonian are signed by our lawyer.
Notarial registration is the first step, after which a non-resident company immediately incurs ongoing obligations: a valid address, a contact person, bookkeeping and annual reporting. By arranging all of these through a single provider from the moment the transaction takes place, you will have a company with a clean profile in the register from day one — and this has a direct impact on the banking onboarding process.
Notarised company incorporation is the oldest and most versatile method under Estonian company law: it does not rely on digital IDs, is available to both individuals and legal entities from any country, and provides an additional level of verification for the transaction. Let’s look at the process in detail.
Requirements for registering a company in Estonia with the involvement of a notary – a brief list: a valid passport for each founder and member of the management board; for remote registration — a notarised and (for most countries) apostilled power of attorney with a certified copy of the passport; for a legal entity founder — an extract from the commercial register and documents confirming the signatory’s authority (apostilled, with a certified translation); details of beneficial owners for KYC purposes; a registered address and a contact person in Estonia. Documents not in Estonian must be accompanied by a certified translation – we will arrange this as part of the service.
A query regarding online company registration requires an honest answer: a full video appointment with an Estonian notary is available via the e-notar portal only to those who already hold an Estonian digital ID — an ID card or e-Residency. Certain notarial acts can be carried out via video link through Estonian embassies, but the list of such acts is limited.
The practical conclusion is that if you do not have an e-Residency card, the ‘online notary’ service is not yet available to you — but this is not a problem, because a power of attorney (PoA) achieves the same result without a visit: you have the PoA certified by a local notary in your own country, and the rest takes place in Estonia without you being present. And if you do have an ID card, it’s quicker and cheaper to register directly via the e-Business Register, bypassing the notary altogether.
The cost of registration via a notary in 2026 consists of fixed government fees and support services:
| Cost item | Visit to Tallinn | By power of attorney |
|---|---|---|
| State registration fee | €265 | €265 |
| Notary’s fee | According to the fee scale, depending on the capital | The same, plus certification of the power of attorney by your notary |
| Apostille on the power of attorney | — | According to your country’s fees (not required for LT, LV, PL, UA) |
| Courier delivery of the power of attorney | — | At the courier’s rates |
| Turnkey support services | from €100 | from €250 |
By way of comparison: waiting for the e-Residency card adds 4–6 weeks to the online route — so when time is of the essence, the notarial route is usually quicker.
Please let us know which country you are from and whether you are planning a visit to Tallinn. Within one working day, we will send you an itinerary (for your visit or power of attorney), a draft PoA tailored to your country and a fixed price.
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