Estonia welcomes you to apply for e-Residency if you have a clear purpose, lawful intentions, and are not already an Estonian citizen or resident with a digital ID. While we aim to be on the inclusive side, we do wish to make sure, that when gaining access to our e-services, e-residents activities would promote the development of the Estonian economy, science, education or culture.
Restrictions
Some applications cannot be accepted due to
citizenship-based restrictions. For full details, see
Restrictions on e-Residency applications.
Basis for refusal
The issue of an e-resident’s digital identity card will be refused if:
- the applicant poses a threat to public order or national security;
- an e-resident’s digital identity card is applied for an economic activity and there is a basis for prohibition on economic activities;
- an applicant is not clearly identified or there is a reason to doubt the true identity thereof.
The issue of e-resident’s digital identity card may be refused if:
- there is a circumstance constituting a basis for refusal to issue visa or temporary residence permit or for application of prohibition on entry;
- the issue of the document does not comply with the objective to promote the development of the Estonian economy, science, education or culture.
Considerations
Background check
All applicants undergo background checks conducted by the Estonian
Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB), the authority that manages
the entire application process, to ensure digital identities are
used by verified people with good intentions. During the background
check, the PBGB assesses the applicant’s compliance with the law,
their prior and current criminal record and whether there are any
circumstances giving rise to denying a visa or temporary residence
permit or imposing an entry ban. During the background check, Police
and Border Guard Board may ask you to submit additional information,
including information about your business activities, public social
media accounts etc.
Travel
Your e-Residency digital ID card is not a travel document and your
e-resident status does not provide you with the legal right to enter
a foreign country, including Estonia. If you are approved, you will
need to travel to an
official pick-up location
to provide fingerprints and pick up your e-Residency kit in person.
For that, you may need to apply for a visa, if there is no pickup
location in your home country. Note, it is not possible to send the
document by mail or ask somebody else to collect it on your behalf.
You will need to collect the document within 6 months.
Banking
Banking service providers and payment institutions set their own
eligibility criteria for opening accounts and e-resident status does
not guarantee access to their services. If you are a resident of
a country on the
FATF list of high-risk and
other monitored jurisdictions,
you will most likely have difficulty accessing any kind of business
banking service even with a company registered in Estonia. Check
out this article for an overview of
banking basics.
Transparency
In Estonia, a significant proportion of information about Estonian
companies is publicly available, including
- company name, registry number, VAT number, legal address,
- company contact details,
- names and surnames of company representatives,
-
annual reports, paid taxes, taxable turnover and employee
count.
The availability of this information helps Estonia to have a transparent and trusted online business environment.
You can read more about eligibility requirements at the Police and Border Guard Board website.
They are the issuing authority and can provide you with more information about eligibility criteria and documentation required for the application.