Services · Company formation

Company registration in Estonia

Updated 7 October 2026

An EU company you can run online through e-Residency. We register it and help with the account, taxes and authorisation for crypto services.

Estonia is known for companies that can be set up and run online: a foreigner obtains e-Residency, signs documents with a digital signature and files with the e-Business Register. Corporate tax is paid only on distribution; retained profit is not taxed. Below: who an Estonian company suits, the documents required, what opening a company costs and how long it takes in 2026, which taxes apply and what changed for crypto companies.

Who an Estonian company suits

An Estonian company is chosen by those who sell services and digital products to clients in the EU and want to run the business without travelling: developers, consultants, online shops, small teams with members in different countries. The second reason is tax: profit that stays in the company and goes into growth is not taxed.

It does not suit you if you need an account at an Estonian bank with no link to Estonia at all, if the business is cash-based or tied to higher-risk countries, or if the goal is a residence permit: e-Residency gives no right of residence.

Requirements and documents

A private limited company (OÜ) can be founded by one person or one company from any country. You need:

• an e-resident's digital ID or an electronic ID of an EU country accepted by the Estonian register, to file online; without them the company is formed before an Estonian notary in person or by power of attorney;
• a name that does not match those already registered, and a main activity under the Estonian classification;
• a registered address in Estonia and a contact person if the management board is abroad. Only a notary, attorney, auditor, tax representative or a licensed company service provider may act as contact person;
• at least one board member; the law does not restrict nationality or residence;
• beneficial owner details, entered in the register at formation;
• for the bank: passports, a business description, client contracts or invoices and source-of-funds documents.

How much it costs to open a company in Estonia in 2026

There are no annual fees for the e-resident's card. Dollar amounts are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 6 October 2026 and rounded up. A manager will calculate the total for your structure in the chat.

Company taxes in Estonia

• Retained profit is not taxed: while profit stays in the company and is reinvested, there is no corporate tax.
• Distributed profit is taxed at 22/78 of the payout, equal to 22% of pre-tax profit. The rate rose to 22% in 2025, and the increase planned for 2026 was cancelled by law.
• VAT is 24% from 1 July 2025. VAT registration is mandatory once taxable turnover since the start of the year exceeds $46,000.
• The annual report is filed with the commercial register every year within 6 months after the financial year ends, even if the company was dormant.

Note: if the company is actually managed from another country, that country may treat it as its tax resident. e-Residency gives neither tax residence nor the right to live in Estonia, so we review the management set-up before registration.

Crypto companies in Estonia in 2026

From 1 July 2026 crypto-asset services in Estonia may only be provided by companies authorised by the Estonian Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority or by another EEA supervisor under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. From that date the Financial Intelligence Unit removes the former Estonian virtual currency service licences from its register; 36 such licences were still valid at the start of 2026.

A company without the new authorisation may not take on new clients, open accounts or market its services in the EEA. So registering a crypto company in Estonia today is mainly about preparing for authorisation: capital, safeguarding client assets, cyber resilience and staff competence.

How registration works

1. e-Residency. You apply online, pass the background check and collect the card at a pick-up point.
2. Reviewing the business. We define activities, shareholders and tax residence, and check whether your activity needs authorisation.
3. Address and contact person. We arrange a registered address and contact person in Estonia.
4. Registration. We file with the e-Business Register using a digital signature and pay the fee of about $300.
5. Account and taxes. We open the account, register for VAT if needed and set up reporting.

Timeline step by step

If you already have e-Residency, the company is registered in 1-2 days. The card and the account take longest, so we prepare the bank documents while the application is being checked.

Why Estonian companies run into refusals

• The bank will not open an account. Estonian banks want a link to Estonia and a clear business model, so companies without presence are refused more often.
• Crypto services without authorisation. From 1 July 2026 operating without authorisation under the EU regulation is not allowed.
• e-Residency refused. The card is issued after a check and gives no right of entry or residence.
• No contact person or address. The register sets a deadline to fix it and may then start compulsory dissolution of the company.
• Annual report not filed. The register fines for delay and may strike the company off.
• A shareholder or board member is on a sanctions list. The notary, the register and the bank must refuse.

Restrictions for specific nationalities

Estonian law does not restrict the nationality of shareholders and board members, but some routes are closed:

• first-time e-Residency applications from citizens of Russia and Belarus are not reviewed by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board. A card can be renewed only if one was issued before and the holder has ongoing economic activity in Estonia with all related obligations met;
• without e-Residency the company is formed before an Estonian notary in person or by power of attorney, and documents cannot be signed online;
• EU banks may not hold more than $120,000 per client who is a national or resident of Russia or Belarus, unless they hold citizenship or a residence permit of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland;
• persons on sanctions lists and companies they control will be refused both registration and an account.

We check which registration route is open for your nationality before any fees are paid.

What we do

We help obtain e-Residency, register the company, arrange the address and contact person, help with the account, VAT and reporting, and prepare crypto companies for authorisation by the Financial Supervision Authority. Prices for each service are in the table below; a manager will calculate the total in the chat.

Fees

See also

Business account · Personal account · Investment property · Country taxes · All country programs

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