Company registration in Estonia

Registration fee is from 1900 €

Registration period — 2 weeks

Minimum authorized capital - 0.01 EUR

Remote opening — yes

Financial statements — yes

The Republic of Estonia is an independent state located in Northern Europe, on the northeastern coast of the Baltic Sea. Estonia is a member of the EU, NATO, and a party to the Schengen Agreement. The country's capital is the city of Tallinn.

Maira Consult recommends using companies registered in Estonia for international trade, logistics and freight forwarding services, IT projects and software development, online trading, and cryptocurrency operations.

Why register a company in Estonia

Estonia is the only EU country where corporate tax is not levied annually on profit earned, but only at the moment it is distributed: as long as profit stays within the company and is reinvested, no tax is charged on it. This is combined with a fully digital system of public administration: a company can be registered, documents signed, and reports filed online through e-Residency, without visiting the country in person.

There are several ways to register a company in Estonia:

  1. Electronic registration of a firm on the e-Business Register portal

  2. Business registration with the help of a notary

Electronic registration on Estonia's Business Register portal

  • The electronic registration procedure provides the most efficient and convenient way to set up a company in Estonia. For foreigners (non-residents) who want to start a business in Estonia, it is recommended to apply for e-Residency. This status provides secure access to a variety of electronic services offered by the Estonian state.

  • Registering and opening a business in Estonia through the e-Business Register portal is possible only if all parties connected with the company (board members, founders, council members, etc.) can sign documents with an electronic signature.

  • The e-Business Register portal offers the option of registering various forms of ownership (LLC, general and limited partnership, sole proprietorship). However, registering a public limited company (AS) in Estonia cannot be done electronically; a notary's involvement is mandatory for this form.

  • When registering a company in Estonia, you need to enter the founders' and the company's details, choose a trade name, draw up articles of association based on a standard template, and pay the state fee and share capital (if required).

Registering a company in Estonia with the help of a notary is necessary in the following cases:

  • The company's shareholders (founders) are unable to sign the founding documents with an electronic signature.

  • When the Estonian company's share capital is formed not with monetary funds but with valuable assets or property rights that must be assessed and transferred to the company (for example, equipment, software, etc.).

Before registering a company in Estonia, the notary submits the following documents to the Business Register: a power of attorney (in case of remote company registration), a founding agreement, articles of association, a registration application, the founders' contact details, a bank certificate confirming payment of the share capital, and a receipt for payment of the state fee. The registration period for a company in Estonia through a notary is 2 to 5 business days. Registering a firm in Estonia takes only a few business days.

Important! As long as the company's profit is not distributed, no tax is charged on it, this is a key reason why Estonia is chosen for long-term growth and reinvestment.

Maira Consult's specialists will help you register a firm in Estonia without traveling abroad.

Estonia advantages

1

0% tax on undistributed profit

2

Ease of company registration

3

Territorial location

4

Leading digital infrastructure in the EU - company registration and management fully online through e-Residency

General Information

Registration Features

The Estonian Commercial Register is open to the public and contains information on the company's registration date, the members of its management board, the amount and status of its share capital, and the company's beneficial owner.

In Estonia, the most commonly chosen company form is a private limited company (OÜ).

Company Name

The company name must end with a word or abbreviation indicating its limited liability, for example (OÜ).

Authorized Capital

The minimum share capital is EUR 0.01, and there are no payment requirements at the time of registration. The share capital must be paid up if the company plans to distribute profit or pay dividends.

Director

At least one individual is required, with no residency requirements.

Shareholders

At least one individual or legal entity is required, with no residency requirements.

Financial Reporting

An OÜ company is required to submit an annual financial report to the Estonian Commercial Register no later than June 30.

Taxation

  • Corporate income tax: 0% on undistributed profit.
  • A rate of 22% applies when profit is distributed.
  • The VAT rate is 24%. For the supply of goods to VAT payers in other EU countries, a 0% rate applies (intra-Community supply), provided the established conditions are met.

Confidentiality

The Estonian Commercial Register is open to the public and contains information on the company's registration date, the members of its management board, the amount and status of its share capital, and the company's beneficial owner.

Stages of company registration

01

Choosing the name and form of the company

At this stage, you should check the availability of the chosen name for registering the company in Estonia and decide on its legal form.

02

Preparation and collection of documents

Each member of the organization must provide a passport and proof of residential address (a utility bill). Depending on the company registration method, we prepare the company's documents electronically or on paper for submission to the register.

03

Identification of company participants

Depending on the method of registering the company in Estonia, the company member either visits a notary in Estonia or another country, or undergoes online verification.

04

Formation of the share capital (if necessary)

If necessary, the share capital can be paid in after the company has been registered in Estonia.

05

Company registration

Business registration in Estonia takes place online through e-Residency or at a notary's office by power of attorney.

06

Receiving of corporate documents

As soon as the company in Estonia is registered, information about it can be found in the register and the corporate documents can be obtained.

07

Legalization of documents (if necessary)

If necessary, the documents of the Estonian company can be sent for legalization and apostille.

08

Delivery of corporate documents

Delivery of the Estonian company's documents is carried out by courier service to the address you specify.

Answers to the Most Common Questions:

Registering a company in Estonia costs from 1,900 euros. This price includes checking and approving the company name, preparing the founding agreement (asutamisleping) and articles of association (põhikiri), the state fee, and filing the documents with the Estonian Commercial Register (Äriregister). Notary services are billed separately if registration is not done electronically, along with the legal address (juriidiline aadress) and contact person (kontaktisik). The minimum share capital of an OÜ is 0.01 EUR, and it does not need to be paid in at the time of registration. We calculate the exact amount for your structure after a short consultation.
Electronic registration of a company in Estonia through the Äriregister portal takes 1 to 3 business days, provided that all founders and board members have a valid digital signature. Registration through a notary by power of attorney (notariaalne volikiri) takes 2 to 5 business days after the documents are submitted. In practice, the longest stage is not the registration itself but the preparation: collecting KYC documents for all participants and approving the company name. Opening a bank account is counted separately and usually takes longer than registering the company itself.
You can open a company in Estonia without e-Residency by using a notary and a power of attorney, without leaving Ukraine. Electronic registration requires every founder and board member to hold an Estonian digital signature, digiallkiri, obtained through e-Residency, Smart-ID, or Mobiil-ID. The notarial route has no such requirement. It is also mandatory in cases where the share capital is contributed not in cash but in kind: equipment, software, or intellectual property objects.
Yes. Estonian law imposes no residency requirements for either shareholders or board members, a citizen of any country, including Ukraine, can open a company in Estonia. The only additional condition: if no board member resides in Estonia, the company must appoint a contact person (kontaktisik) from among licensed service providers. Restrictions may arise not at the registration stage but later, when opening a bank account or obtaining industry-specific licenses.
To open a company in Estonia, each founder and director provides a copy of their international passport and proof of residential address (a utility bill no older than 3 months). Additionally required are: a chosen and verified company name, a legal address in Estonia, the main EMTAK activity code, the distribution of shares among the founders, and details of the ultimate beneficial owner (tegelik kasusaaja) for filing with the Äriregister. For notarial registration, a power of attorney is prepared; if it is executed in Ukraine, no apostille is required.
No. e-Residency is a digital identity for accessing Estonian e-services and signing documents online. It grants neither a residence permit, nor the right to enter Estonia, nor tax residency status. Your personal tax residency is determined by your country of actual residence, not by having an Estonian digital ID card. This is the most common mistake among clients: they plan their business structure around e-Residency and then end up with tax obligations at their place of residence.
Corporate income tax (tulumaks) on retained profit is 0%, profit is not taxed as long as it stays within the company. When dividends are distributed, a 22% rate applies (in effect since January 1, 2025). The standard VAT rate (käibemaks) is 24%. Supplies of goods and services to VAT-registered counterparties in other EU countries are taxed under the reverse charge mechanism, provided a valid VIES registration number is in place. If the company has employees, social tax and unemployment insurance contributions are added.
The obligation to register as a VAT payer arises once turnover within Estonia exceeds 40,000 EUR in a calendar year. The application is filed with the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (Maksu- ja Tolliamet). Voluntary registration before reaching the threshold is also possible, and European counterparties often require it so they can verify the company through the VIES system before starting cooperation. After receiving a KMKR number, VAT returns must be filed monthly, even if turnover for the period is zero.
EMTAK is the Estonian classifier of economic activities, the equivalent of the Ukrainian KVED. The main code is specified when registering the company in Estonia and is confirmed annually as part of the annual report. The code you choose determines whether your activity requires a license: virtual currency operations, financial and payment services, transportation, and security activities are all licensed separately. We select the code based on the actual business model, not as a formality: a mismatch between the EMTAK code and the real activity is one of the typical reasons banks refuse to open an account.

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Email

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Address

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40B Ivan Franko St., office 207

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MAIRA LLC

EDRPOU code: 38202700

Jurisdiction: Ukraine

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