10 answers for owners and founders of a Estonia company, from ordering to banking, annual compliance and what happens after incorporation. General information, not legal or tax advice; your specialist confirms how it applies to you.
The Police and Border Guard Board decides within 30 days of your application. The card then takes 2–5 weeks to reach the pickup location you chose, where you collect it in person. Apply before you order the company if you want to sign everything online yourself.
The name must show the legal form, OÜ or osaühing, at the beginning or end, and it must be clearly distinguishable from names already entered or booked in the Business Register. Check your options in the register's free name search first. We send the three names you give us through the same check.
Source: Selection and verification of the business name, Eesti.ee, Republic of Estonia
Yes, for euro payments. Under the EU SEPA Regulation, payers must accept a payee account held anywhere in the EU, so an IBAN from an EU payment institution outside Estonia works. Many e-resident companies start this way and never need an Estonian bank.
Source: Regulation (EU) No 260/2012 (SEPA Regulation), Article 9, EUR-Lex, European Union
Immediately when anything changes, through the e-Business Register portal. If nothing has changed, the company confirms the data once a year when it submits the annual report. The duty comes from the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act.
Source: Modification and approval of beneficial owners, Centre of Registers and Information Systems (RIK)
The shareholders decide, unless the OÜ has a supervisory board, in which case that board decides. The decision can be taken at a meeting, by written vote or by a unanimous written resolution. The change is then filed in the e-Business Register portal, signed digitally by a board member entitled to represent the company.
Source: Changes in a management board, Centre of Registers and Information Systems (RIK)
The year-2 renewal from US$1,650 covers our annual services, such as the legal address and contact person where included in your package. Accounting and the annual report are usually the main extra cost, and VAT returns add to it if the company is VAT-registered. We quote those once we know your transaction volume.
Your ID, the Business Register extract, a description of the business and its customers, expected monthly volumes and the countries involved. Many ask why the company is Estonian and where you live and work, since that shapes their risk view. A website and sample contracts or invoices make the application stronger.
The registrar can fine the company and everyone obliged to file, without warning. The report is due within six months of the financial year end. If it is still missing six months after the deadline, the registrar starts proceedings that can end with the company deleted from the register or compulsorily dissolved.
Source: Annual report, Centre of Registers and Information Systems (RIK)
The Estonian Tax and Customs Board decides within five working days of receiving the application. You apply in the e-MTA self-service portal, and voluntary registration is possible before you reach the threshold. Plan the application so the VAT number is in place before your first taxable sale.
Source: Obligation to register as a taxable person, Estonian Tax and Customs Board (EMTA)
No. An unfiled annual report can lead to fines, and after six months the registrar can start proceedings to delete or compulsorily dissolve the company. Closing it properly, through a voluntary liquidation or deletion, is cleaner and protects the board members. Tell us early and we plan the steps.
Source: Annual report, Centre of Registers and Information Systems (RIK)
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