An e-resident is a non-resident according to Estonian tax legislation. Only income derived in Estonia is taxed in Estonia.
If there is no activity or income derived from Estonia, taxes should be paid in the country where the service is provided or activity is done or income is derived from, the pure e-residency alone does not influence the foreign or Estonian taxation.
An Estonian company established by an e-resident is an Estonian tax resident. The Estonian e-residency does not automatically exempt from taxation elsewhere.
Tax residency is the place where you actually have to pay the taxes. For example, if you are an Estonian citizen, but have lived more than 183 days per year in Finland, then you become a tax resident in Finland and have to pay the taxes there.
In general, a company’s tax residency is in the country where the company is established. So, if the company is established in Estonia, then by law the tax residency is in Estonia. There are exceptions to this rule that will change the tax residency of your company, which we will discuss later in this article.
When talking about tax residency or even e-Residency, it is important to emphasize that neither is an actual residency. So, if you receive your e-Residency card, then this doesn’t make you a resident nor a tax resident of Estonia – it is a common false perception. E-Residency is not related to visa or a resident permit and doesn’t enable you to travel to Estonia. E-Residency card is a digital identity that allows you to run a business in Estonia from the distance and fully online.
NB!
e-Residency will not change your personal tax residency
A company registered in Estonia is automatically a tax resident in Estonia
Your personal residency may trigger tax residency for your company in your place of residence as well