Estonia bans E-Residency for certain countries. Is India allowed?

Highlights: Estonia to stop issuing E-Residency to certain countries

• Estonia announced plans to restrict the number of foreigners who can become e-residents.
• The E-residency ban would be specific to countries known to be high-risk.
• The country has already stopped granting new E-residency cards to the nationals of Belarus and Russia.
• The new rules proposed by the government are more likely to be implemented starting next year, 2025.

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Estonia Announces plans to restrict E-Residency for High-risk countries 

The Estonian government has initiated a proposal suggesting limited E-residency access to individuals from high-risk countries. The new changes are expected to be implemented starting in 2025. Authorities will shortlist a complete list of high-risk countries, allowing them to set certain regulations that will apply to nationals hailing from high-risk countries. However, the bill has yet to be approved and released by the government.

 

Strict Rules imposed on Russians and Belarusians

Belarusians and Russians are two nationalities that have already stopped receiving new Estonian E-residency cards. The immediate decision to limit access to both nationalities was taken after the Ukrainian War. Currently, Estonia only permits the extensions of the existing E-residency card holders. Individuals from both countries looking to renew their cards will have their applications scrutinized thoroughly by the officials before making the decision making is done.
 

According to recent data, the majority of Russians and Belarusians hold a valid E-residency card in Estonia. The Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EISA) released data showing that as of August 27, 2024, around 1039 Estonian companies are linked with 995 Russian E-residents, while 284 companies are linked with 281 Belarusian E-residents.

 

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