Quick answer
Estonian authorities do not issue a certificate of good standing. It is a common-law document, and the Estonian Commercial Register has no form of that name. If a bank or partner abroad insists on one, a licensed trust and company service provider such as Eesti Firma can issue it after checking your company in the register and other official sources.
Foreign banks and partners often ask an Estonian OÜ for a certificate of good standing. The e-Business Register has no such option, because the document does not exist in Estonian law. Here is what it is, why Estonia does not issue it and what we can give you instead.
What a Certificate of Good Standing Is
A certificate of good standing confirms that a company legally exists, is still on the register and is not being struck off, wound up or dissolved. In the UK, Cyprus, the US states and most offshore centres the company registrar issues it on request, and compliance teams there expect it.
An Estonian company is usually asked for one when it opens a bank or payment account abroad, registers a branch or subsidiary in another country, takes part in a tender or goes through a KYC review. The recipient wants one signed confirmation that the company is active and in order, not a set of register printouts.
Why Estonia Does Not Issue One
Estonian company law follows the continental model. A company exists because it is entered in the Commercial Register (äriregister), and the registry card (registrikaart) is the proof. Anyone can view it in the e-Business Register and download an English Commercial Register extract with a digital seal. The register does not assess whether a company is “in good standing” and issues no certificate with that title.
For a foreign bank this is often not enough. The extract says nothing about good standing or tax debts, carries no signature, and many compliance teams have never seen an Estonian registry card. A certificate from the company’s service provider fills that gap.
How We Issue the Certificate
As a trust and company service provider licensed by the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), we issue the certificate of good standing in our own name, on our letterhead.
We do not sign it blindly. First we check the company in the Commercial Register: status, board, annual reports, strike-off warnings. Then we run the Tax and Customs Board’s tax debt query and look up the Official Announcements (Ametlikud Teadaanded) for liquidation, bankruptcy or deletion proceedings. If a check fails, we tell you what to fix first.
The certificate normally goes out without notarisation: the signature and seal of a licensed provider are what recipients expect, though a notary can certify the signature if someone insists. An apostille is a different matter. It is meant for public documents, a certificate from a private company may not qualify, so for an apostilled document the safer route is a notarially certified registry card.
What the Certificate Contains
The certificate is a one-page document in English, dated and issued in Tallinn. It names Eesti Firma OÜ as the issuer, with our registry code and FIU licence number, then your company, its registry code and date of incorporation, followed by five confirmations:
- The company was duly incorporated under the Estonian Commercial Code.
- The company is still on the Commercial Register and has no tax debts.
- The company is not in the process of being wound up or dissolved.
- No documents, proceedings or notices have been filed to strike the company off the register or wind up its affairs.
- Based on the documents filed with the register, the company is validly existing and in good legal standing as at the date of the certificate.
A lawyer and management board member of Eesti Firma signs it. The wording can follow the recipient’s own template, as long as every statement can be verified.
Ordering the Certificate From Eesti Firma
A certificate of good standing for an Estonian company is part of our corporate documents service. It costs €100 plus VAT and is usually ready within one working day. If you are still planning, the same team handles company formation in Estonia and prepares the documents your partners will need after registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually yes, because that is the format the recipient asked for. If its rules require a public document, we add a notarially certified registry card.
It confirms the position on the date of issue. Most recipients expect a document issued within the last three months.
