Become an e-resident

Estonia is the first country to offer e-Residency, a government-issued digital identity and status that provides entrepreneurs with access to Estonia’s transparent digital business environment.

Apply now

Who should apply?

Digital Nomad

Start and manage your paperless company while you travel

Freelancer

Start a company with access to the EU market and payments

Startup Company

Grow your company with access to EU customers and EU startup funding

Digital Entrepreneur

Go-to-market in the EU quickly without excess paperwork or travel

Benefits of e-Residency

Be location independent

  • Start a company 100% online from anywhere in the world
  • Travel and operate your business remotely
  • Move abroad without the need to re-establish your company

Start an EU company

  • Register an EU-based company entirely online
  • Accept online payments through providers like PayPal
  • Own your company without the need to appoint a local director

Grow business remotely

  • Sign, authenticate, encrypt and send documents digitally
  • Declare business taxes online
  • Access EU Single Market and cross-border capital

Join a global community

  • Network with e-Residents across 165+ countries
  • Connect with service providers in a growing marketplace
  • Discover new ways to grow your business

Meet the e-residents

True business class is when you don’t need to travel at all to do business worldwide

True business class is when you don’t need to travel at all to do business worldwide

Andrii Omelianenko, Kyiv, Ukraine

After finding initial success in Ukraine, Andrii Omelianenko, Founder of Corporate News Agency, wanted to expand his business to the EU.

After finding initial success in Ukraine, Andrii Omelianenko, Founder of Corporate News Agency, wanted to expand his business to the EU.

Starting my company wasn’t easy

Starting my company wasn’t easy

Dante Işıl Özkan, Istanbul, Turkey

Starting my company wasn’t easy because I didn’t have money or a network, but I did have big dreams and a vision. After a few years of working as a graphic designer for different companies in Istanbul, Dante began to feel restless. “I felt like I was losing my creativity because I was caged. As […]

Starting my company wasn’t easy because I didn’t have money or a network, but I did have big dreams and a vision. After a few years of working as a graphic designer for different companies in Istanbul, Dante began to feel restless. “I felt like I was losing my creativity because I was caged. As […]

I almost lost my tourism business, but now it’s expanding globally

I almost lost my tourism business, but now it’s expanding globally

Arzu Altinay, Turkey

Arzu is a professional tour guide from Istanbul who faced difficulties in 2016 when local tourism went into decline and PayPal stopped serving local companies. She now runs tours both in Istanbul and across Europe through her new e-Residency company.

Arzu is a professional tour guide from Istanbul who faced difficulties in 2016 when local tourism went into decline and PayPal stopped serving local companies. She now runs tours both in Istanbul and across Europe through her new e-Residency company.

I started my first company at 16 and am now a serial entrepreneur

I started my first company at 16 and am now a serial entrepreneur

Christoph Huebner, Germany

Christoph is a German entrepreneur and digital nomad who has built up a small business empire. His companies range from providing insurance at the start of life to taking care of people’s digital legacies at the end of it.

Christoph is a German entrepreneur and digital nomad who has built up a small business empire. His companies range from providing insurance at the start of life to taking care of people’s digital legacies at the end of it.

We built a global games company with e-Residency

We built a global games company with e-Residency

Gabriel Stürmer, Brazil

Cupcakese is one of Brazil’s most successful gaming companies, but there’s no office because all their staff work remotely. E-Residency gave them a presence within the EU and enabled them to become location-independent.

Cupcakese is one of Brazil’s most successful gaming companies, but there’s no office because all their staff work remotely. E-Residency gave them a presence within the EU and enabled them to become location-independent.

SEE ALL STORIES

VIDEO: How e-Residency works

How to apply

Gather documents

You will need:

  • A copy of your government-issued ID
  • A passport-style digital photo
  • Motivation statement
  • Visa or Mastercard

Submit application

Pay state fee and receive confirmation email after successfully submitting. State fee: €100.
Depending on the chosen pick-up location, additional fees apply.

If you choose an office in Estonia as the pick-up location there is no additional fee.

If you choose a foreign representation of Estonia as the pick-up location you will have to pay an additional fee of 20 euros upon applying.

If you choose Seoul, South Korea, Tokyo, Japan or San Francisco, USA as the pick-up location an additional service fee up to 30 euros depending on the location applies, which is to be paid directly to the service provider upon collecting your document.

Application review

Estonian Police & Border Guard Board conducts background check and will notify you by email when process is complete. Process: 6-8 weeks

The Estonian Police & Border Guard Board may request additional information while conducting your background check which may increase the processing time.

Pick up e-Residency kit

If granted e-Residency, you will be invited to:

  • Collect e-Residency kit at location selected on your application
  • Bring government-issued ID submitted with application
  • Submit fingerprints

About pick-up locations
You must pick up your e-Residency kit at an available pick-up location within 6 months. If you do not have a pickup location in your country, you can arrange to collect the kit in another country. Please be sure your chosen pickup location is in a country or region you are legally permitted to enter.

Available pick-up locations

Apply for e-Residency today

Apply now

Not ready yet? Join our community

What happens next

If granted e-Residency, there are a few things you will do next:

Get your e-Residency kit

When you pick up your e-Residency kit, you will receive your digital ID card, card reader and pin codes.

  • Verify your digital ID card is active Verify here
  • Install digital ID card software Download here
  • Insert your digital ID card into card reader

Use your digital ID

Now, start using your digital ID. Our digital ID cards and e-services are built on state-of-the-art technological solutions, including 2048-bit public key encryption. Your card contains a microchip with two security certificates: PIN1 for authentication and PIN2 for digital signing. Your digital ID card is not provide physical identification or act as a travel document. It does not display your photo.

  • Sign and authenticate contracts digitally
  • Encrypt and send documents securely
  • Access Estonian e-services

Start your company

Your e-Residency allows you to digitally:

  • Register and manage an EU-based company Learn more
  • Access a marketplace of service providers
  • Network with the global e-Residency community