An Estonian company can be run almost entirely with digital signatures: shareholders' resolutions, contracts, register changes and the annual report are signed on a computer or a phone instead of on paper. This guide explains what a digital signature is under EU law, which tools give one, what the signed file looks like, what it cannot replace — and what it means for you as a board member or shareholder abroad.
The guide is general information. The legal effect is taken from Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS) as consolidated on EUR-Lex. The technical facts come from id.ee, the ID-software site of the Estonian Information System Authority. Both were read on 17 October 2026.
What a digital signature is worth
- Equal to a handwritten signature. A qualified electronic signature has the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature (eIDAS Article 25(2)).
- Lower levels still count as evidence. An electronic signature may not be denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence in court only because it is electronic or is not qualified (eIDAS Article 25(1)).
- Four levels in Europe. According to id.ee, Europe uses four levels for the reliability of electronic signatures. In Estonia, "digital signature" means the highest level, the one equivalent to a handwritten signature. The DigiDoc4 application marks lower-level signatures in yellow with the note "Valid with restrictions".
What you sign with
- An Estonian ID card or an e-Residency card with a card reader and its PIN codes, or Mobile-ID or Smart-ID on a phone, as id.ee lists them.
- DigiDoc4, the Information System Authority's application for computers, signs documents and checks signatures; RIA DigiDoc is the Authority's mobile app.
- An e-resident with Smart-ID: the Smart-ID account is registered with the e-Residency card. The right to use it depends on a valid e-Residency status and a valid document, according to the Police and Border Guard Board.
Cards issued between 10 December 2021 and 16 August 2023 lose their certificates on 9 December 2026. If you sign with one of them, see what to do before that date.
What the signed file looks like
- DigiDoc4 puts the document and the signatures into a container with the extension .asice (the ASiC-E format). id.ee explains that its long-term evidential value is ensured by a timestamp, and that the format is preferred in all EU member states.
- Older containers have the extension .bdoc, the earlier Estonian format.
Send the whole container, not the document taken out of it: the signatures are in the container.
Across borders
According to id.ee, since 1 July 2016 all Estonian state and local authorities, and private companies providing a public service, must recognise the electronic signatures of EU member states. Public bodies in other member states must likewise recognise the digital signatures of Estonians. A private business partner abroad may still ask for a format it can check. Agree on it before you sign a contract.
What a digital signature cannot replace
- Notarial certification. Where the law requires a notarised form, a digital signature alone is not enough. The transfer of a share in an Estonian private limited company must as a rule be notarised (Commercial Code § 149(4)). Our guide to the transfer of a share shows how that works remotely.
- A signature you cannot give. In a register filing, every person whose signature is required signs. If one board member or shareholder has no digital signature, the filing goes through a notary, usually by power of attorney.
What it means for your company
- Register changes — articles, business name, board, address, contact person — cost €490 when everyone signs digitally. By power of attorney through a notary they cost €990.
- The annual report is signed digitally. Without a digital signature, we prepare and submit the reports by power of attorney (€300 once per order, however many reports).
- A power of attorney for a single change or transaction can be drafted in two languages for signing before a notary abroad (€70).
You can order a register change with digital signatures online. Prices exclude VAT. All communication takes place by email.
Ready to start? Articles, business name, board, address or contact person as one register entry when everyone signs digitally. Order.
Official sources
The laws this article names, by the name of their official text, as read on 9 October 2026. For the Estonian acts we read the English translation in Riigi Teataja; the legally binding text is the Estonian one.
- Commercial Code — Riigi Teataja, English translation
Sources are named in the text, without links. To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.
Frequently asked questions
Is a digital signature as valid as a handwritten one?
A qualified electronic signature — in Estonia called a digital signature, given with an ID card, an e-Residency card, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID — has the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature (eIDAS Article 25(2)). It does not replace a notarised form where the law requires one, such as the transfer of a share in an OÜ (Commercial Code § 149(4)). Our guide explains the tools, the .asice file and what it means for your company.
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- Estonian company (OÜ) or UK Ltd: the official facts compared
More on this topic: Company formation.