In short: an Estonian private limited company (OÜ) and a Latvian limited liability company (SIA) are both limited-liability companies that non-residents can own. They differ in where they are registered and taxed, in how a company is formed and how its documents are signed, and in the minimum share capital. This page sets the official facts of both side by side; it does not say which is better for you.

The facts side by side

Register: Estonian OÜ: Commercial register (e-Business Register); Latvian SIA: Commercial register kept by the Register of Enterprises of the Republic of Latvia
Forming a new company: Estonian OÜ: At a notary in Tallinn or by power of attorney; online without a notary for a founder with an e-residency card or Estonian ID card; Latvian SIA: Online in the register's e-service with a secure e-signature, or by post with signatures certified by a sworn notary; the documents are drafted in Latvian (Register of Enterprises)
Official registration fee: Estonian OÜ: The state fee is included in our formation packages; Latvian SIA: State fee EUR 75.00; EUR 225.00 for two or more founders with registration within one working day (Register of Enterprises)
How fast: Estonian OÜ: This page states no number of days for the register's entry; Latvian SIA: "Review period is 1–3 business days (excluding the day of submission)" (Register of Enterprises)
Minimum share capital: Estonian OÜ: One cent since 1 February 2023; Latvian SIA: Minimum equity capital EUR 2,800, paid in full before the application; an SIA with reduced equity, owned by one to five natural persons, has less (Register of Enterprises)
Transfer of a share: Estonian OÜ: Notarised; the notary sends the notice to the register within two days (Commercial Code § 149); Latvian SIA: Not stated on the official pages used here
Yearly filing: Estonian OÜ: Annual report within six months after the end of the financial year (Commercial Code § 179); Latvian SIA: Annual statement filed with the State Revenue Service, which forwards it to the Register of Enterprises; the deadline is not stated on the official pages used here (State Revenue Service)
Tax registration: Estonian OÜ: Corporate income tax is paid only on distributed profit; Latvian SIA: The company is registered in the Register of Enterprises and reports its principal activity to the State Revenue Service; declarations go through the Electronic Declaration System (State Revenue Service)
How company profit is taxed: Estonian OÜ: When the profit is distributed, at 22/78 of the net amount paid out; no income tax is paid on profit while it stays in the company (Estonian Tax and Customs Board, pages "Income and social taxes" and "Taxation of dividends", read on 10 October 2026); Latvian SIA: When the profit is distributed: "CIT at the rate of 20% shall only be paid from the profit share which will be distributed or disbursed as dividends, or used for purposes not directly related to business development"; the taxable value "is divided by the coefficient 0.8"; "CIT shall not be paid for reinvested profit" (State Revenue Service, page "Corporate income tax", read on 11 October 2026)
VAT number: Estonian OÜ: An Estonian VAT number is an EU VAT number that customers can check in VIES; Latvian SIA: Registration as a VAT payer is obligatory "if your revenues exceed 50,000 euro a year or you perform transactions with taxpayers of the European Union Member States" and possible earlier; the form of the number is not stated on the official pages used here (State Revenue Service)

This is general information, not tax advice: in Estonia the tax becomes due when profit is distributed, and LexorCorp Global does not provide tax advice. The rule and its official sources are in the guide How Estonia taxes company profit.

What each route requires

Estonia. Customer due diligence by the service provider, a registered address in the commercial register and, if the company's address is abroad, a contact person in Estonia (Commercial Register Act § 24). A ready-made company or a formation at a notary needs no e-residency.
Latvia. An application form, a decision on founding or memorandum of association, articles of association, the division of the register of shareholders, the consent of each board member and a payment account in the company's name into which the equity capital is paid before the application (Register of Enterprises).

How an Estonian company is obtained

Choose the route: a ready-made company that already exists, a new company formed at a notary or by power of attorney, or online formation with an e-residency card.
Order online and pay by card; the order form shows the total before you pay.
Identification. As a provider licensed by the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU000117) we identify every client first.
Signing at a notary in Tallinn, by a power of attorney signed in your country, or digitally on the online route.
Register entry and documents in PDF by email.

Documents

For an Estonian company you are asked for an identity document and proof of address of the board members and beneficial owners; on the remote route a power of attorney signed before a notary in your country, as a rule with an apostille.

Prices of the Estonian routes

ready-made company: €900 Registered address and contact person service for one year are included. in person, €1,200 remote; with a VAT number €1,150 and €1,450;
new company: €950 Registered address and contact person service for one year are included. in person, €1,250 remote;
online formation for an e-resident: €950 Registered address and contact person service for one year are included..

The Estonian notary fees and state fees, the registered address and the contact person for the first 12 months are included in these prices. We do not form Latvian companies; the Latvian fees above are the official state fees of the Register of Enterprises, not our prices.

Timeline

The Latvian Register of Enterprises states a review period of 1–3 business days, excluding the day of submission. For Estonia this page states no number of days: the time depends on the notary's appointment, on customer due diligence and on the register. A ready-made company already exists, so only the transfer has to be done.

Limits of this comparison

It compares formation and yearly filing, not the tax result: where a company is taxed depends on where it is managed and where its owner lives — check it with a tax adviser in your country.
Opening a bank or payment account is decided by the bank or payment institution in both countries.
The Latvian figures are those of the official pages on the day they were read (11 October 2026) and can change.
We provide services for Estonian companies only.

Related service

If the Estonian route fits, start with the ready-made company packages or the list of companies for sale; the steps are under how the purchase works, and ready-made or new compares the two Estonian routes.

Official sources

Latvia: Register of Enterprises of the Republic of Latvia, pages "Registration with the Enterprise Register" (Summary, Equity Capital, Submission of Applications and Fees) and "Compare Business Types"; State Revenue Service, pages "Corporate income tax", "First Steps for Entrepreneurs" and "Annual Financial Statements";
Estonia: Commercial Code § 149 and § 179, Commercial Register Act § 24 — Riigi Teataja; company data — e-Business Register.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice for your specific situation. LexorCorp Global does not provide tax advice.

To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.

Estonian company (OÜ) or Latvian SIA: the official facts compared