Estonian companies sign documents with a handwritten or a digital signature, and Estonian law does not require a company to have a seal. Yet many foreign banks, authorities and business partners still expect a company document to carry a stamp. This guide explains when a seal is useful, what it contains and how to order one.
The guide is general information, not legal advice.
Does an Estonian company need a seal?
No. An Estonian private limited company (OÜ) acts through its management board, and a document is binding when the authorised board member signs it. A seal adds no legal force in Estonia and cannot replace a signature. Most Estonian documents are signed digitally with an ID card, e-residency card, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID.
When a seal is useful
- Foreign banks that ask for stamped account-opening forms or specimen signatures.
- Authorities and chambers of commerce abroad where stamped documents are customary.
- Trading partners who expect stamped contracts, invoices, powers of attorney or delivery documents.
Seal, signature and digital signature
A stamp on a document shows the reader which company issued it; the legal act itself is the signature of the authorised management board member. In Estonia that signature is usually digital: a document signed with an Estonian ID card, an e-residency card, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID is legally equal to a handwritten one, and it can be checked online by anyone who receives it. A foreign partner who is not used to digital signatures may still ask for a printed, signed and stamped copy — the seal answers that request without changing who is entitled to sign for the company.
Keep the seal where only the management board can use it. A stamp on a document does not make the document valid if the person who signed it had no right of representation, and it does not replace a power of attorney where someone else acts for the company.
What the seal contains
The business name and the registry code of the company, exactly as entered in the Estonian commercial register. The seal is self-inking and is produced after the company is registered, so that the data on it is final.
Price and how to order
- With a ready-made company: €180.
- With a new company: €180.
- For a company you already own: company seal, €180.
- Choose the seal in the order form together with a ready-made company, with a new company, or on its own.
- We confirm the business name and registry code from the commercial register.
- The seal is produced and delivered in Estonia; courier delivery abroad is ordered separately.
What is not included
Courier delivery abroad. A seal does not certify documents: where a foreign authority requires certification, see apostille and sworn translation.
Prices exclude VAT. All communication takes place by email.
Frequently asked questions
What does the company seal contain?
The business name and the registry code of the company exactly as entered in the Estonian commercial register. It is a self-inking seal, produced once the company is registered.