A ready-made company, sometimes called a shelf company, is an Estonian private limited company (osaühing, OÜ) that has already been registered in the Estonian Commercial Register. Instead of forming a new company and waiting for the registration, you take over an existing one: the shares are transferred to you and you become the owner and manager.
The status, age and VAT number of any Estonian company can be looked up in our free company search, from the commercial register’s open data.
This guide explains what a ready-made Estonian company is, who it suits, how the purchase works in person and by power of attorney, and what difference it makes whether the company comes with an Estonian VAT number or without one.
What you actually buy
When you buy a ready-made OÜ, you buy the shares of a company that already exists. The company keeps its registry code and its original registration date. After the transfer, the Commercial Register shows you as the shareholder, and the management board is changed so that you (or the person you choose) manage the company.
Our ready-made company packages include:
- a ready-made Estonian private limited company (OÜ);
- a registered address in Estonia for 12 months;
- a licensed contact person service for 12 months;
- one shareholder / buyer, who must be a private individual;
- preparation of the transfer documentation;
- organisation of the transfer of ownership and management at the notary;
- the documents in PDF.
A package includes exactly what is listed. Anything that is not listed, such as accounting or a bank account, is either an add-on with its own price or not part of the service.
Who a ready-made company suits
A ready-made company is a practical choice when:
- you want to start quickly with a company that is already registered, rather than wait for a new registration;
- an older registration date matters to you, for example because a counterparty prefers to work with companies that were not founded yesterday;
- you need an Estonian VAT number from day one to invoice business customers in other EU countries, and you prefer a company that already has one.
If none of these matter, a newly formed Estonian company can be the simpler option. Both routes give you an Estonian OÜ with a registered address and contact person.
Our ready-made and formation packages include one person who is both the shareholder and the management board member. Each additional person costs €300, and a person who is both is counted once; each shareholder that is a foreign company costs €1,000. A management board member must be a private individual. We ask for the details of the persons by email after the order, before the service.
Who can buy, and what you are asked for
E-residency is not a condition for buying a company, and you do not need to live in Estonia. What every buyer goes through is customer due diligence: as a provider licensed by the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (licence FIU000117) we must identify our clients before the transfer. You are asked by email for an identity document — a passport or ID card — and proof of address of the board members and beneficial owners, and for any other information the check needs, such as the planned business. If the documents are incomplete, we tell you exactly what is missing, and a company you have reserved stays reserved while you provide it. We do not provide services to clients from Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan, from the countries of the Middle East (Turkey and Israel are served) or Africa, or from countries under international sanctions. This applies to citizens of those countries and to companies registered there.
A company as the buyer
A company can be the shareholder. Each shareholder that is a foreign company costs €1,000; we ask for its details and documents by email after the order, before the service.
Two ways to buy: in person or by power of attorney
In Estonia, the transfer of shares in an OÜ is normally done in notarial form. That is why each of our packages says clearly how the transfer is signed.
In person at a notary office in Tallinn
You come to Tallinn and sign the transfer yourself at a notary office. We prepare the documentation in advance and agree the appointment with you by email. This route suits you if you can travel to Estonia and want to be present when the documents are signed.
Remotely by notarised power of attorney
You do not need to come to Estonia. You sign a power of attorney before a notary in your own country, and the transfer is signed on your behalf in Estonia on the basis of that power of attorney. Depending on the country where the power of attorney is signed, it may need an apostille or other legalisation before it can be used in Estonia; we tell you by email which form the document must have. Because this route involves more preparation, it is a separate package with its own price.
Instead of documents in PDF, apostilled English-language documents delivered by courier can be added to any package as add-ons: the registry extract in English, notarised and apostilled (€550), and courier delivery (€100). Apart from the purchase method and the VAT number, the four packages include the same services and can be combined with the same add-ons.
With a VAT number or without
This is the choice that most often causes confusion, so every package states it in its title.
WITH a VAT number
The company already has an active Estonian VAT number, which is also an EU VAT number. From the first day you can issue invoices with that number, and your business customers in other EU member states can check it in the EU's VIES system. For cross-border business-to-business trade inside the EU this is usually the main reason to choose this option.
WITHOUT a VAT number
The company has no VAT number. This is fine if you do not need one yet, for example if you are not trading with VAT-registered businesses in other EU countries, or if your turnover will stay below the level at which VAT registration becomes mandatory. You can apply for a VAT number later. The decision on VAT registration is always made by the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, which may ask for information about your planned business before it decides, so a company without a VAT number cannot be assumed to receive one at a particular time.
How the purchase works, step by step
- Choose a package on the ready-made company page, or choose a specific company from our list of companies for sale, where each company has its own price, founding date and VAT status.
- Order online. The order form shows the price of the package and of any add-ons you select. Fixed-price orders are paid by card through Revolut.
- Customer due diligence. As a provider licensed by the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (licence FIU000117), we must identify our clients. We ask by email for identity documents and any other information we need. We may refuse or stop a service if due diligence cannot be completed; in that case any payment for work not yet started is refunded.
- Transfer. We prepare the transfer documentation. You sign at a notary office in Tallinn, or the transfer is signed on your behalf with your notarised power of attorney.
- Documents. You receive the company documents in PDF by email. Physical delivery is available as a courier add-on.
All communication about your order takes place by email.
Share capital
Since 2023 the minimum share capital of a private limited company is one cent, but banks and supervisors often expect more. If you want a higher share capital after the purchase, it is increased by a shareholders' resolution and an amendment of the articles, and the contribution is paid in before the entry in the register — see changing the share capital.
Useful add-ons
Add-ons are optional and each has its own price on the service page. They include an additional person (shareholder or board member), an EORI number for customs, an LEI code, apostilled English-language documents, a company seal, courier delivery, an extension of the registered address and contact person, accounting and the annual report (starting prices), assistance opening a Revolut Business or Wise account, and an online banking opening handbook. A bank or payment provider makes its own decision on opening an account; our assistance does not guarantee that an account will be opened.
After the purchase
An Estonian company has ongoing obligations: it must keep accounts and file an annual report every year, and it must keep its address in the register correct and, if that address is abroad, a contact person in Estonia (Commercial Register Act § 24). The company keeps its original registration date, so its financial year does not start again on the day you buy it: the next annual report is due within six months after the end of the company's financial year (Commercial Code § 179). The checklist for the first weeks after the purchase lists the steps in order. Read our guide on annual reports, deletion and liquidation to see what happens later in the life of a company, and the overview Estonia as a place to do business for the wider picture.
This guide is general information about our service and about Estonian companies. It is not legal or tax advice for your specific situation.
Official sources
The laws this article names, each linked to its official text, as read on 9 October 2026. For the Estonian acts we read the English translation in Riigi Teataja (opens in a new tab); the legally binding text is the Estonian one.
- Commercial Register Act (opens in a new tab) — Riigi Teataja (opens in a new tab), English translation
- Commercial Code (opens in a new tab) — Riigi Teataja (opens in a new tab), English translation
Sources in the text are named without links; the official texts are linked under Official sources. To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a ready-made company without travelling to Estonia?
Yes. In the remote packages the share transfer is signed on your behalf under a notarised power of attorney, which you sign before a notary in your country. We tell you whether an apostille is needed for your country. All communication takes place by email.
Does the ready-made company come with a VAT number?
Only the packages marked "WITH VAT number" include a company that is already registered as a VAT payer. The packages marked "WITHOUT VAT number" do not include one; a later VAT registration is decided by the Tax and Customs Board and is not guaranteed.
Is a bank account included with the company?
No. A bank or payment account is opened by the bank or payment institution at its own discretion. We offer assistance with the application as an add-on, but no provider is obliged to accept a company.
Is VAT registration mandatory for a new Estonian company?
Only when its taxable supplies in Estonia exceed EUR 40,000 in a calendar year, or in the other cases the Value Added Tax Act lists. Below that, a company with real economic activity connected with Estonia may register voluntarily — the usual route for companies that sell to EU businesses.
Why does the Tax and Customs Board refuse VAT registrations?
Most often because the application does not show real economic activity or its connection with Estonia. Contracts, invoices, a website, an Estonian account and a clear explanation of who does the work and where make the difference. We prepare the explanatory letter with the application.
How can I check an Estonian company's status, age and VAT number?
Our free company search finds any Estonian legal entity by registry code, VAT number or name in the commercial register’s open data and shows its status, the day it was entered in the register and its VAT number.
How quickly can I buy a ready-made company?
The law fixes only two points: the notary who authenticates the transfer of the share notifies the commercial register within two days, and the transfer takes effect with the entry in the register (Commercial Code § 149). Everything before that depends on your documents, our customer due diligence, the notary's appointment and, on the remote route, the power of attorney; signing in Tallinn usually takes place within 6–10 days of your order and payment. A ready-made company is the short route: it already exists, and only the transfer has to be done.