Estonia · Business & founder
Estonian Start-up Visa
Open
Last verified July 2026
Open. Requires prior approval from the Startup Committee, which decides in 10 working days and charges nothing for the evaluation.
The material advantage here is frequently missed: the EUR 65,000 investment requirement that applies to ordinary business-owner permits is waived entirely on the startup route. All you need is Startup Committee approval and EUR 800 a month. For a genuine technology founder that makes Estonia one of the cheapest serious business-immigration routes in the EU.
Qualifying routes
€80
Long-stay D visa
state fee; visa up to 365 days, extendable by 183 days
€60
Short-stay C visa
state fee
€160
Temporary residence permit
state fee; the EUR 65,000 investment requirement is WAIVED on the startup route
The facts
- Minimum investment
- €80
- Total landed cost
- EUR 80-160 in state fees plus proof of at least EUR 800/month subsistence for the intended stay. The EUR 65,000 investment required of ordinary business owners does not apply here.
- Timeline
- 1–4 months — Startup Committee decides in 10 working days; the visa or permit application follows
- Physical presence
- Genuine presence and active involvement in the start-up
- Family
- spouse, minor children and dependent adult children may receive the same status
- Permanent residency
- Via the temporary residence permit route only — visa time generally does not accumulate; the official guidance is silent and this is unverified
- Citizenship
- 8 years' residence, of which 5 permanent — but subject to the renunciation requirement
- Language test
- B1 Estonian plus a constitution and Citizenship Act exam
- Dual citizenship
- Not permitted — you would have to renounce
- Requirements
- Startup Committee approval (10 working days, free) yielding a verification letter and unique application codean Estonian-registered, newly-operating business with an innovative, repeatable, globally scalable modelat least EUR 800 per month of subsistence for the intended stayhealth insurance with minimum EUR 30,000 cover
What can go wrong
- The Committee applies the statutory test strictly: an innovative and repeatable business model with great global growth potential. Consultancies, agencies, trading companies and lifestyle businesses do not clear it.
- The visa route accumulates nothing toward permanent residency; the temporary residence permit route is the one that counts. The official page is silent on this point — confirm before relying on it.
- Beware the EUR 130 figure circulating in the market — it does not correspond to any official fee and appears to be a garbled version of a disputed monthly subsistence number. The official subsistence requirement is EUR 800 a month.
- Realistic living costs exceed the EUR 800 statutory minimum; Tallinn rent alone runs around EUR 600.
- Insurance with minimum EUR 30,000 cover is required.
- Estonian citizenship at the end of this road requires giving up your existing passport. For most UHNW clients that ends the conversation — Estonia is a company jurisdiction, not a passport jurisdiction.