Estonia is on track for another record year in remote company formation. E-residents founded more than 4,200 Estonian companies in the first eight months of 2026, about 600 a month and 36% more than a year earlier, and demand from founders who want to estonia register company structures without relocating keeps rising. Tallinn-based eBusiness Solutions OÜ, a licensed trust and company service provider (FIU licence FIU000421) and member of the e-Residency Marketplace, reports the same trend among its non-resident clients.
The numbers behind the boom
According to figures released by the e-Residency programme on 15 September 2026, around 9,000 people have joined the scheme since January. Eight in ten new e-resident companies are set up by people who became e-residents in 2025 or 2026. Among those who joined in the first two months of this year, 34% have already registered a company, the highest rate the programme has recorded.
In total, more than 144,000 people from 187 countries hold e-Residency, and together they have founded or co-founded over 43,600 companies. Roughly one in five new Estonian companies now has an e-resident behind it. In the first seven months of 2026, these businesses generated €57.6 million in direct revenue for the state, most of it labour taxes and dividend income tax.
Why the tax picture matters
Much of the renewed interest follows a year of tax uncertainty that ended with Estonia’s core model unchanged. In 2025 parliament scrapped the planned 2% tax on company profits. In December 2025 it also cancelled the rise of income tax from 22% to 24%.
As a result, the rules for 2026 are familiar:
- 0% tax on retained and reinvested profits;
- 22% corporate income tax only when profits are distributed, calculated as 22/78 of the net dividend;
- 24% standard VAT, with mandatory registration once taxable turnover in Estonia exceeds €40,000 a year.
For growing companies that reinvest, this predictability is often the deciding factor.
How registration works in 2026
A private limited company (OÜ) remains the default choice. It allows 100% foreign ownership, a single shareholder-director and share capital from €0.01 per shareholder. Founders have three main routes:
| Route | Who it suits | Typical timing |
| Online via e-Residency | All founders and board members hold an e-Residency card | 1–5 working days |
| Notary in Tallinn | Founders able to travel | 1–5 working days |
| Notarised power of attorney | Non-residents without e-Residency who cannot travel | 5–10 working days |
Whatever the route, two local requirements apply to companies run from abroad: a registered address in Estonia and, where the management is based outside the country, a contact person provided by a licensed service provider. The state registration fee is €265.
Founders planning to obtain e-Residency should note that the application fee rises from €150 to €165 on 1 January 2027, and card issuance usually takes three to six weeks.
Registration is only the first step
Banks and payment institutions apply their own KYC and AML checks, and scrutiny is set to increase as the EU’s new anti-money-laundering rules take effect in 2027. A clean profile in the public Commercial Register, with a valid address, contact person and annual reports filed on time, has become a practical asset during onboarding.
“We do not operate merely as a transactional provider,” says Jana Kamoza, CEO and Legal Consultant at eBusiness Solutions OÜ. She stresses that legal, tax and operational questions are closely linked in practice, so founders benefit from planning the bank account, VAT and accounting set-up at the same time as incorporation.
Outlook for 2026–2027
With a stable tax regime, faster conversion of new e-residents into company owners and an expanding service ecosystem, Estonia looks set to remain the EU’s most accessible jurisdiction for remote founders. The key for 2027 will be preparing for stricter bank onboarding: companies that start with a transparent structure and proper local compliance are likely to find the process smoother.
