Business Permits and Licenses in Estonia

Estonia is very attractive for businessmen to invest in. Its economy is stable and business regulations are well implemented for business to thrive and be protected. As part of regulation, businesses are required to obtain permits and licenses in Estonia before engaging in commercial activities. There are certain permits and licenses that are required for all types of businesses while others are only when you engage in a certain undertaking. The entire process will require the submission of certain legal documents and complying with several requirements. Let our law firm in Estonia provide you with legal advice on how to obtain your business permits and licenses.

 

 

Before any type of business is permitted to operate in Estonia, it has to be registered. A permit to operate business in Estonia can be done by registering with the Commercial Registry. Registration typically takes at least five business days from the time the application is submitted. The regular registration fee costs 145 euros, which will take 5 days and 190 euros is for expeditious registration which will take less than five business days. Foreign Branches must also be registered with the commercial register before starting to engage in business activities. Foreign branches are mere extensions of non-resident companies that engage in the provision of goods and services in Estonia on a permanent basis. It does not have a separate legal identity from the foreign business. Our lawyers in Estonia can help you prepare the desired legal documents for registration.

 

Our team can give you more details about business matters, particularly in case of foreign investors interested in acquiring Estonian residency for business purposes. We can give you details on the investment conditions (eligibility criteria, minimum investment amounts), the fees and required documents, as well as the possibility of having family members joining the business owner. 

 

 

There are certain commercial activities that require a specific type of license in Estonia. The main law regulating economic activities in Estonia is the General Part on the Economic Activities Code Act. Under this law, businesses may engage into any type of undertaking except when such activity requires a license. This restriction is mandated because activities that require licenses in Estonia are those that affect public interest. Licenses for economic activities may be obtained from the Register of Economic Activities, which keeps all the records of economic activities and exercises supervision over such undertakings.

There are many classifications of economic activities that require licenses. Our Estonian law firm has listed down some of them:
 

1. Businesses involving food products

2. Production and sale of pharmaceutical products

3. Alcohol

4. Tobacco

5. Mining

6. Public transportation

7. Gambling

8. Banking 

 

For more information about how to obtain business permits and licenses, just get in touch with our Estonian lawyers. They are very familiar with the legal process. 

 

Our team also assists foreign investors with other issues, namely the manner in which they can lawfully stay in the country for medium or long term purposes, once they have incorporated a business and have obtained the mandatory permits and licenses for its functioning. We can also answer questions about applications for Estonian citizenship, based on the mandatory criteria for acquiring this status.

 

If Estonian immigration is something of interest, you can discuss any matters about temporary and permanent residency with our team. applicants should know that nationality has a role in the submission they make after five consecutive years in the country: EU/EEA citizens apply for the right of permanent residence while non-EU/EEA nationals apply for a long-term residence permit.