Starting up a business in Estonia over the Internet

Nowadays Belgian entrepreneurs can start up a business in Estonia without having to travel there. All they need is a PC with an Internet connection and their Belgian electronic identity card (eID). This cross-border administrative simplification is the result of the co-operation between Certipost and the Estonian Centre of Registers and Information Systems, a state agency working under the Ministery of Justice.

Digital signatures

Registering in the commercial register can easily be done via the Company Registration Portal of the Estonian government. It uses digital signatures which guarantee the applicant's identity. Certipost was actively involved in testing this Internet application and provided the necessary support and expert information on the Belgian eID and the operation of digital certificates.

A step forward in the unification of Europe

Not only Belgian but also Portuguese, Lithuanian and Finnish entrepreneurs are already able to use the Company Registration Portal. According to Estonian Minister of Justice, Rein Lang, it is a first. It is probably the first time that a national register officially accepts foreign ID cards and the digital signatures linked to them. "Foreign entrepreneurs can also use the portal to electronically submit their annual reports and to update their company's registry data," says Rein Lang. A remarkable example of what digital services which opens up a wealth of new possibilities.

>> Learn more about Certipost and the Belgian eID
>> Read the press article on the website of the Estonian Ministry of Justice