Sometimes, for example, in order to open a business bank account outside Estonia, you will need to submit documents showing your representative rights for the company.
Requirements for such documentation may vary, so you should consult with the specific authority to whom you need to prove the representative rights.
Here is an overview of how to retrieve documents from the Business Registry and how to get them apostilled. The good news is that e-services enable these actions to be done online too.
e-Business Register
For the company registration certificate, go to the Estonian Business Register, search for your company name then select “Registry card”. Downloading the registration certificate is free of charge.
For the shareholders information you can also choose the company and click on PDF for a printout of information about the company that also includes shareholders information. This creates a PDF with more details than the public registration certificate, including information about the field of activity, founders, shareholders, and beneficial owners that is missing from the registration certificate. From the “Company files” tab you can also download your articles of association.
Please note that there will be no official stamps on these documents. Information on source and time of extraction will be displayed.
Many of these documents can be downloaded in English, but keep in mind that this translation is purely informative and therefore, not official. If you need an official translation, you should contact a sworn translator to have the original extracts translated.
You can learn more about accessing public data about Estonian companies in our blog.
Note
On the extracts from Commercial Register, your personal information will be displayed as full name and personal code. This may cause questions abroad when you need to prove, that person on the passport with date of birth DD.MM.YYYY is the same person with personal ID code XYYMMDDXXXX. Usually explaining that your Estonian personal ID code actually consists your date of birth is sufficient. More information on personal code is available here
Apostille
Apostilles can be required for official documents issued in Estonia if they are to be used in another country that has acceded to the Hague Convention. A list of all countries that have joined the Hague Convention can be found here.
As an e-resident, you have convenient access to use e-apostille and thus can get your required documents apostilled without needing to visit a notary office in Estonia. Log into e-apostille with your e-Residency digital ID card.
You can request the Apostille either to a paper document or to a digitally signed document. Depending on which option you choose, you will need to send the documents that need an apostille either by regular mail or upload a digitally signed digital version to the application. You can turn to your business service provider to assist with paper mail. You can also request to receive the apostilled document either in digital or paper form, depending on which one is required.
The notary fee for this action is 22.35 euros + VAT per document. If you request to receive the apostilled document in paper form, an additional fee for mail service will apply.
If you need an apostille to your company formation documents, select “Print-out from the commercial register, non-profit associations and foundations register and commercial pledge register.” The issuing institution or person is Äriregister (Commercial Register). Only original documents or documents translated by sworn translators can be apostilled.
Legalization
If the country, where you intend to use the document issued in Estonia, is not a party to the Hague Convention, then the document must be legalised. The legalisation service is provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.