When applying for Estonian e-Residency, you will receive an e-Residency kit that contains an e-resident’s digital ID or so-called
e-Residency card. This digital ID is used to identify a person and provide a signature in a digital environment that is necessary for
company formation and other digital services used for business management.
E-Residency cards can be collected only by the applicant at the designated Estonian embassies or Estonian Police and Border Guard service points. During the application process you have to choose the pickup location where the e-Residency card will be sent. You must appear at the physical location of the pickup point yourself and can’t send a representative as upon the arrival, the e-residents must submit their valid foreign travel document and give fingerprints. It’s easy to pick up your e-Residency card if the pickup location is in the country you reside as most countries don’t have restrictions for domestic travelling.
At the moment it’s possible to collect your e-Residency card in Australia (Canberra), Austria (Vienna), Belarus (Minsk), Belgium (Brussels), Canada (Ottawa), China (Bejing), Czech Republic (Prague), Denmark (Copenhagen), Egypt (Cairo), Estonia (Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, Narva), Finland (Helsinki), France (Paris), Georgia (Tbilisi), Germany (Berlin), Greece (Athens), Hungary (Budapest), India (new Delhi, Ireland (Dublin), Israel (Tel Aviv), Italy (Rome), Kazakhstan (Nur-Sultan), Latvia (Riga), Lithuania (Vilnius), Netherlands (The Hague), Norway (Oslo), Poland (Warsaw), Portugal (Lisbon), Romania (Bucharest), Russian Federation (Moscow, Pskov, St Petersburg), Singapore (Singapore), Spain (Madrid), Sweden (Stockholm), Turkey (Ankara), United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi), UK (London), Ukraine (Kyiv), USA (New York City).
It usually takes about 2-5 weeks for the card to arrive, and upon arrival, you will receive instructions from the pickup location on how to collect your card. Please note that the usual pick up time of the e-Residency card is within 6-months from the issuing of the card, but due to the spread of Covid-19, it can be extended at the request of the applicant. Otherwise, the e-Residency card will be sent back to Estonia and destroyed, meaning you need to apply for e-Residency again.
If you want to apply for an extension, contact the selected embassy directly.
Changing the Pickup Location
As Covid-19 has affected travelling and many countries have established travel restrictions, you can use the option to change the selected e-Residency card pickup location. To send the e-Residency card from one embassy to another, contact the selected Estonian embassy. If you want to send the e-Residency card from a service point in Estonia to an Estonian embassy or if you haven’t yet received the e-Residency granted e-mail, you can contact the Estonian Police and Border Guard at info@politsei.ee.
Before changing the collection point, you must pay additional state fees. Please find the exact information about the process here. Changing the pickup location from one Estonian embassy to another or from an Estonian embassy to an Estonian service point, an additional fee of 80 € applies. Changing the pickup location from an Estonian service point to an Estonian embassy costs 30 €.
Since 26 August 2020, it is temporarily not possible to select San Francisco, Seoul, Washington, or Tokyo as a pickup location.
What to Do When Your e-Residency Card is Expiring Soon?
If your e-Residency card is expiring soon and you can’t pick up a new one due to travel restrictions caused by Covid-19, then the best solution is to download and use Smart-ID. It is a product provided by SK ID Solutions that is an organisation independent from the Estonian Government. The Smart-ID account can be created only by e-residents whose card is still valid, but it can be used even when your card expires. That way, you can continue managing your business and using e-services until it is safe to pick up a new e-Residency card.
E-Residency card gives access to Estonian e-services, such as company formation, and it is the easiest way to start and manage your remote business. Due to travel restrictions caused by Covid-19, picking up your e-Residency card can be more complicated, but it is possible to change the pickup location or extend the 6-month collection time by applying to the designated embassy or the Estonian Police and Border Guard.
What are the Options if You Can’t Pick Up Your e-Residency Card or Want to Start a Company Without It?
We can help you start a business in Estonia through a notary. That means our lawyer will act on your behalf in the Estonian notary’s office, and the e-residency card or travelling to Estonia is not necessary. The process is fast and the costs are similar to starting a company with an e-Residency card. That way, you can establish a company and start business activities sooner. You can apply for an e-Residency later, once it is possible and safe for you to to pick up the e-Residency card. If you wish to start a company in the notary’s office, please contact us for more information.
