curious how much of the appeal is still there vs a few years ago
feels like a lot of these “global founder” setups sound great in theory but get messy in practice
Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
11–20 of 141 posts
Re: Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
#12[flagged]
This has nothing to do with the question OP is asking.
Re: Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
#13Re: Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
#14Re: Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
#15Re: Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
#16I professionally have been helping folks set up and maintain e-Residence and businesses, and all said here in the comments so far tracks: Estonia is absolutely unsurpassed qua administrative ease (this giving you a clear and lasting business advantage), the tax advantages are real, and the jurisdiction only gets better .- Banking and being scrupulous on your personal taxes at your place of personal residence are issu…
I've considered it as a Spanish resident, but don't you have to live six months there to be considered a fiscal resident? Are people regularly operating them from outside Estonia?
Re: Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
#17What about EU Inc? Is there any timeline?
Re: Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
#18I've had companies in a few different jurisdictions, including a Delaware C Corp[1] and currently an OÜ through Estonia's e-residency program.
Yes, it is fantastic and delivers on all of the promises. The only potential headache is that you must collect your e-residency card from an embassy which, depending on your location, might require travel to a nearby country.
I used Xolo but there are lots of agents in the directory. I like and recommend Xolo. No idea what the supposed issue with banking is, all of the agents have banking relationships and you can also use Revolut and Wise. My bank account was opened same day as the company.
Your details are published on the public register. The moment your registration is published you'll get lots of emails offering services, like banking (some people pretend to be Revolut but are actually just sending you affiliate links). Don't publish an email address you care about.
[1] The problem with forming a U.S. company is that all of the formation agents are layers on top of a convoluted nightmare. The formation agent can do their best to abstract away the complexity but the moment you have to peak behind the curtain you'll find yourself face to face with something very scary. The Estonian e-residency program is integrated all the way through.
Re: Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
#19Oh there will be a lot of issues in the future because Germany says thst your company is in Germany because you work from there. So you have to do taxes in Estonia and in Germany. And prepare for a lot of tax issues if you dont have a good tax advisor.
Re: Ask HN: Founders of estonian e-businesses – is it worth it?
#20What about EU Inc? Is there any timeline?
Long way ahead still:
> Given its key importance for the EU's competitiveness, the Commission is calling on the European Parliament and the Council to reach an agreement on the EU Inc. proposal by the end of 2026.