Estonian foreign representations begin accepting e-residency applications

As of today (April 1), Estonian foreign representations will accept applications for e-resident digital identification cards, the press department of the country's foreign ministry has announced.

The e-residency programme gives foreign citizens living outside of Estonia an equal opportunities as residents to take advantage of Estonia’s e-environment. The Estonian ID card allows holders to sign documents in minutes, set up a company within an hour, make bank transfers in seconds, participate actively in the management of a company registered in Estonia and declare your taxes with a few clicks of a mouse - and all of this from wherever they are in the world. 

To obtain an e-resident digital identification card, applicants must contact their nearest Estonian foreign representation and submit an application, a valid identity document, a colour photo, a written explanation of their application and a fee of 80 euros for processing the application.

The application along with the necessary documents will then be forwarded to the Police and Border Guard Board. Additional information regarding this is available at the following address: http://vm.ee/en/estonian-e-residency-how-apply

Although at first applicants will have to visit the foreign representation twice during the application process, applying for e-residency will soon become significantly easier. In May, a virtual environment will be opened where applications for e-resident digital ID cards can be submitted. After that, applicants will only have to visit an Estonian foreign representation once in order to receive their ID document.