Real Cost of Setting Up a Company in Estonia (OÜ)

How much does it cost to register a company in Estonia in 2026? The short answer: the official state fee starts from €265, but the real cost of setting up an Estonian OÜ for a non-resident founder is usually €700–€1,300 for the first year. This beginner-friendly cost guide breaks down every fee — government fees, e-Residency cost, legal address price, notary expenses and annual maintenance costs — so you can build an accurate budget before you spend a single euro.

Think of your total budget as a stack of separate expenses: the state registration fee, the e-Residency card, a legal address and contact person, possible notary and document costs, and — if you don’t want to handle everything yourself — a service provider’s fee. Some of these costs are mandatory by law, others are optional and depend on how much you do on your own.

This page is a pricing and budgeting guide. If you’d rather skip the maths and get one fixed, all-inclusive price — with the state fee, legal address and contact person already bundled in — check the current packages on our company formation in Estonia service page. Everything below explains what those prices are actually made of, fee by fee.

Estonia Company Registration Costs at a Glance

If you only remember one thing from this guide, make it this cheat sheet of the main fees and expenses:

• state fee (government fee): €265 online / €200 via notary — one-time and unavoidable;
• e-Residency card: €150 application fee, valid for 5 years — needed only for the online route;
• legal address + contact person: €250–€400 per year — a recurring cost most non-residents must budget for;
• notary fee: roughly €100–€200 — only if you use the notarial route;
• translations, apostille, courier: variable extras for cross-border document handling;
• turnkey setup packages: from under €400 to €1,200+ depending on the route (exact package prices are published on our service page);
• accounting and annual report: from around €50 per month for an active company — the biggest long-term expense.

Now let’s build your budget step by step, in plain language.

See Formation Packages & Prices

Build Your Budget Step by Step

Below is a simple, foolproof way to calculate the cost of your Estonian company. Go through the five cost blocks and add up only the ones that apply to your situation.

Step 1: The State Fee — the Only Truly Mandatory Payment

Every Estonian OÜ must be entered in the Commercial Register, and the state charges a fee for it. There is no way around this payment — it is the base price of any Estonian company:

• €265 — if the application is filed online through the e-Business Register;
• €200 — if the company is incorporated at an Estonian notary.

Beginner tip: the notary route has the lower state fee, but it is not automatically cheaper overall — the notary’s own fee and document expenses (Step 4) usually eat up the difference. Compare total costs, not single fees.

Step 2: e-Residency Cost — €150 for the Digital ID

If you want the fully online route, you need Estonia’s e-Residency card — a digital ID that lets you sign documents and use Estonian e-services from anywhere in the world. Its price is easy to budget:

• application fee: €150, paid to the Estonian state;
• validity: 5 years, so it is effectively €30 per year;
• extra pickup charges may apply at some collection points outside Estonia.

When can you skip this cost entirely? If you already hold an Estonian ID card, Smart-ID or Mobile-ID, or if you incorporate via a notary or a power of attorney, the e-Residency fee simply drops out of your budget.

Step 3: Legal Address and Contact Person — the Cost Beginners Forget

This is the expense that surprises most first-time founders. Every Estonian company must have a registered address in Estonia, and if the management board lives abroad, the law also requires a local contact person. Since most non-residents have no premises in Estonia, both are usually rented as a service — often bundled as a virtual office.

• typical market price: €250–€400 per year for the legal address and contact person together;
• this is a recurring annual cost, not a one-time payment — plan it for every year the company exists;
• the exact price depends on the provider and how mail forwarding is handled.

If you only need one of the two components, see the separate legal address in Estonia and contact person in Estonia services and their pricing.

Step 4: Notary and Document Expenses (Only for Some Routes)

These costs apply only if your setup involves a notary or cross-border paperwork. If you incorporate fully online with e-Residency, you can usually skip this step.

• notary fee in Estonia: approximately €100–€200 for a simple single-founder setup, on top of the €200 state fee (complex structures cost more);
• power of attorney, apostille and certified translations: budget extra if you incorporate remotely without an e-Residency card;
• courier delivery of original documents: a small but real line in a remote setup budget.

Step 5: Service Provider Fees — What Professional Help Costs

You can do everything yourself, or you can pay a licensed provider to prepare the documents, file the application and set up the address and contact person for you. On the Estonian market, turnkey packages typically start from under €400 for simple online filing and reach €1,200+ for fully remote incorporation by power of attorney — the price grows with the amount of paperwork handled for you and whether first-year address services are bundled in.

We deliberately don’t duplicate a full price list here: current package contents and exact prices for every route are published on the company formation in Estonia service page. When comparing any offers, always check whether the state fee, legal address and contact person are already inside the package price or billed on top — this single check explains most of the price differences between providers.

First-Year Budget Examples: What Founders Actually Pay

Not sure which numbers apply to you? Find the scenario below that matches your situation. All figures are indicative market-level estimates for budgeting purposes.

Estimated First-Year Cost of an Estonian OÜ by Scenario

A plain-numbers comparison of the most common budget scenarios.

One-Time Fees vs Annual Maintenance Costs

A common beginner mistake is mixing up setup fees (paid once) with running costs (paid every year). Separate them and your budget instantly becomes clear.

Full Cost Overview: Every Fee in One Table

All main expenses of setting up and maintaining an Estonian OÜ, with their typical price and payment frequency.

Does Share Capital Add to the Price?

Good news for your budget: the minimum share capital of an Estonian OÜ is just €0.01 per shareholder. Unlike in many EU countries, you do not need to lock away thousands of euros to incorporate — share capital is almost never the cost driver in Estonia.

That said, don’t treat it as purely symbolic. A one-cent capital can look weak to banks, payment providers and business partners, and it affects the company’s internal financing options. A sensible approach is to set the capital at a level that matches your planned activity — the fees and services described above will still matter far more for your total expenses. How and when the capital must actually be paid in has its own rules; see our guide on the contribution of share capital of an Estonian company for the practical details.

Hidden Costs: What Cheap Offers Usually Leave Out

Seen an ad promising an Estonian company for a suspiciously low price? Use this checklist. Most hidden costs of an Estonian company sit in items that a low headline price simply does not include — each of these may be billed separately:

• the €150 e-Residency application fee;
• the state fee payable to the Commercial Register;
• legal address and contact person service (and its renewal next year);
• notary fees and document certification;
• translations, apostille and courier expenses;
• VAT number registration support;
• accounting setup and monthly bookkeeping;
• annual report preparation and filing;
• licence or activity notice fees for regulated business models.

The simple test: ask any provider for the full first-year price with everything the law requires included. If two offers still differ significantly after that, you are finally comparing like with like.

Annual Maintenance Costs: What an Estonian OÜ Costs to Keep Running

Incorporation is a one-off; maintenance is forever. Even a dormant company with zero sales has legal obligations in Estonia, so budget for the running costs from day one.

Typical yearly expenses include:

• renewal of the legal address and contact person service (see Step 3 above for typical prices);
• accounting services — the price scales with your transaction volume and VAT obligations;
• annual report preparation and filing — mandatory for every company, active or dormant;
• VAT returns, payroll declarations and other tax reporting, where applicable;
• licence or compliance support fees for regulated activities.

As a rough rule of thumb: a dormant or low-activity OÜ can often be maintained for around €300–€800 per year, while an active company with regular invoicing, VAT obligations or employees should budget noticeably more for accounting and compliance.

The Cheapest Way to Open a Company in Estonia — and When Not to Choose It

The absolute cheapest option is DIY: apply for e-Residency (€150), file the application yourself in the e-Business Register (€265) and arrange the legal address, contact person and bookkeeping on your own. It works well if you are comfortable with Estonian e-services, read the requirements carefully and don’t mind fixing mistakes yourself.

Paying for professional help usually makes financial sense when a rejected application, a missing document or a compliance slip would cost you more than the service fee — for example, when you incorporate remotely by power of attorney, have several shareholders, or want the address, contact person, VAT number and accounting handled by one team from the start.

Costs Are Clear? Here’s Your Next Step

Once your budget is settled, the next question is practical: which route fits your situation and what documents you’ll need. That is exactly what our register an Estonian OÜ service page covers — routes, timelines, package contents and current package prices.

Keep in mind that every figure on this page is a planning estimate. Your final costs depend on your residency, the chosen route, document requirements and how much ongoing support your company will need after incorporation.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Estonian Company Costs