Estonian e-Residency looks a good thing for the Single Dude to get in on the ground floor of. While it seems like every day business gets harder and more expensive in the west, an Estonian e-Residency looks like something that actually makes life easier. Not only that but Estonia looks like one of those rare shining examples of a country that actually wants to reach out to and help productive members of society move forward rather than just use them as tax slaves to feed the welfare state. While it’s not going to open up as many doors as a second passport it does look like having an Estonian e-Residency would allow you to do all of the following, online, from anywhere in the world:
- Form and operate an Estonian company
- Open a bank account in Estonia
- Bank online
- Create legally valid signatures on digital documents valid in the entire European Union and possibly elsewhere
The potential is clearly there to do even more, but what a great start for those of us trying to be location independent. To be clear, this isn’t really a new technology but a sovereign state allowing non-citizens and non-residents to obtain a digital signature so quickly, easily and cheaply (it only costs 50 EUR) that can be used to do so much is definitely a new and exciting concept. Part of me wonders how long this will last before the big evil western governments start trying to throw up road blocks between their citizens an Estonian e-Residency. Because of that, my plan is to file online the very first day online filing is available which is currently planned for sometime next month (May 2015). You may be able to apply even sooner if you don’t mind making a trip to Estonia or if you live in one of the 34 countries where you can apply directly at the Estonian Embassy.
I don’t know about you but I’ve been watching this one closely and I can’t wait to get my Estonian e-Residency!
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