Source: Rasmus Jurkatam
Source: Rasmus Jurkatam
Looking to start your journey in Estonia? Whether you're a foreign entrepreneur, tech employee, or digital nomad, Estonia has a range of support programs to choose from, including e-Residency, Startup Visa Estonia, Work in Estonia, and Digital Nomad Visa. To help you decide which program suits you best, we've outlined their main differences.
Estonia’s programmes for foreign entrepreneurs, tech employees and digital nomads
E-Residency is a digital identification programme allowing foreign nationals to remotely access Estonian digital services and establish a European company online.
It's important to note that e-Residency can't give you the right to work or live in Estonia. However, it does enable entrepreneurs to create and manage their Estonian company from anywhere in the world.
The Estonian Startup Visa enables non-EU founders to physically relocate their startup to Estonia, one of the world's best places to start and run a company.
This visa also helps ease the hiring process for Estonian startups. With the Startup Visa Estonia, hiring world-class talent from outside the EU is easier. Successful Startup Visa applicants can then get a long-term visa or a temporary residence permit valid for 5 years.
The Digital Nomad Visa is a temporary visa that allows remote workers to live and work in Estonia for up to one year. This visa is aimed at location-independent professionals who can work remotely from anywhere.
To be accepted for this visa, applicants must show proof of employment or entrepreneurship, health insurance, and sufficient financial means to support themselves during their stay.
Work in Estonia isn't a visa but a programme that assists skilled professionals in finding work and settling in Estonia. It provides relevant information and helpful resources about the job market, the local business environment, life in Estonia, and the relocation process.
Work in Estonia also runs frequent recruitment events and offers relocation support too.
To recap:
- e-Residency is a digital identification program for entrepreneurs who want to make the most of Estonia's digital business services.
- Whereas the Startup Visa Estonia is a programme for startup founders and employees wanting to relocate their startup and work in Estonia.
- Also, there's the Digital Nomad Visa for those who wish to come to Estonia. But remember, you have to already have work that lets you work remotely to be eligible.
- And finally, the Work in Estonia programme supports skilled professionals looking to relocate to Estonia.
