Guidance

Estonia: providing services and travelling for business

Guidance for UK businesses on rules for selling services to Estonia.

From:
Department for Business and Trade, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Department for International Trade and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Published
11 March 2019
Last updated
18 October 2021 — See all updates

Read this page in combination with the general guidance for the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The authoritative source for Estonian market regulations is the Estonian government. This guidance links to official Estonian sources wherever possible.

Trade and services regulations in Estonia

If you’re a UK business providing services in Estonia, you need to follow regulations about:

  • getting authorisations or licences to provide a service
  • complying with specific local business regulations
  • EEA nationality requirements which could prevent you from providing services in some sectors

The Estonian e-government portal for service providers can help you to:

  • find out what you need to know about providing services in Estonia
  • understand local regulations
  • complete the relevant administrative procedures online

Consider appointing an English-speaking lawyer in Estonia to help you comply with specific regulations.

To find out if EEA nationality requirements apply to you, contact the appropriate competent authority.

Trade reservations

To sell or provide services to customers in Estonia, you must follow local laws. If in doubt, you should get professional advice.

Reservations are part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. They reserve the right of each party to keep or make new laws restricting investment, or the sale of services, in ways that would otherwise breach the rules in the agreement.

Check which reservations apply to the sale of services from the UK to Estonia. This includes an interactive tool to find reservations that are already in place.

VAT on sales of digital services

To use the UK’s VAT Mini One Stop Shop (MOSS) to declare sales of digital services to EU consumers, businesses need to register for MOSS in an EU member state.

Find out more about paying VAT on sales of digital services.

Ownership of companies registered in Estonia

If you have a UK business, you might face restrictions on your ability to own, manage or direct a registered company in Estonia or any other EEA country.

For information about setting up and running a business in Estonia, visit Invest in Estonia.

Read more about this in our guidance relating to the EEA and Switzerland.

Business travel and entry requirements

UK business travellers and service providers may need a visa, work permit or other documentation.

Check our travel to Estonia for work guide for detailed information on:

  • types of visa and work permit routes available
  • exemptions that may apply to you or the activity you are planning to undertake

The Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and Police and Border Guard websites have more information about:

  • visas including intra-corporate transfers
  • work and residence permits
  • supporting documentation
  • other conditions

Check which actions travellers visiting Europe need to take.

Social security payments for employees

Find out if you need to pay National Insurance in the UK or social security contributions in Estonia.

Recognition of professional qualifications

To check what you need to do in Estonia, read our guidance on professional qualifications in the EEA and Switzerland.

If you need to take action to secure the recognition of your professional qualification in Estonia, these sources can help you:

UK statutory auditors working in Estonia

For UK statutory auditors, the Estonian Auditing Activities Oversight Board (site in Estonian) should be able to provide further information.

UK lawyers working in Estonia

If you’re a UK-qualified lawyer working in Estonia, using either an Estonian or UK professional title, you should contact the local Bar association in the region in which you are working or the Estonian Bar Association for specific advice.

Data transfer and GDPR

On 28 June 2021, the EU formally adopted ‘adequacy decisions’ for the UK, delivered through:

‘Adequacy decisions’ allow for the ongoing free flow of personal data from the EU/EEA to the UK.

Read guidance on using data in your personal business or other organisation.

Updates to this page

Published 11 March 2019
Last updated 18 October 2021 + show all updates

  1. Updated the travel and entry requirements to include a link to guidance on travelling to Estonia for work.

  2. Added 'Trade reservations' guidance. Updated 'Recognition of professional qualifications' with new UK contact point.

  3. Updated the following sections to reflect the changes created by the UK and EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement: overview, trade regulations, VAT on sales of digital services, business travel and entry requirements, social security payments for employees, recognition of professional qualifications, and data transfer and GDPR.

  4. Guidance for ‘Recognition of professional qualifications’ and ‘Social security payments for employees’ updated.

  5. Change to title to include travelling for business

  6. Update to 'Business travel and entry requirements' section

  7. First published.

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