If you want an Estonian company, you have two routes: buy an existing ready-made company, or form a new one. Both give you an Estonian private limited company (OÜ) with a registered address and a contact person for 12 months. They differ in price, in how you get a VAT number, and in the history the company brings. This guide compares the two side by side, with our current prices from the price list.
For a new company, check your name first with the free company name check; for an existing one, the free company search shows its status, age and VAT number.
The prices side by side
| Package | In person in Tallinn | Remote, by power of attorney |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-made company without VAT number | €900. The registered address and contact person service for the first year is included. | €1,200. The registered address and contact person service for the first year is included. |
| Ready-made company with VAT number | €1,150. The registered address and contact person service for the first year is included. | €1,450. The registered address and contact person service for the first year is included. |
| New company formation (no VAT number) | €950. The registered address and contact person service for the first year is included. | €1,250. The registered address and contact person service for the first year is included. |
"In person" means you sign at a notary office in Tallinn. "Remote" means the documents are signed on your behalf with a notarised power of attorney, so you do not travel to Estonia. On both routes the remote version costs more because the power of attorney needs extra preparation.
The VAT number is the biggest difference
A ready-made company can be bought with an active Estonian / EU VAT number. That VAT number is included in the package: when the company becomes yours, it can already invoice with VAT.
A newly formed company starts without a VAT number. Registration as a VAT payer is a separate add-on (€250), and the decision is made by the Estonian Tax and Customs Board after the company exists. If you need to trade with VAT from the first day, this is usually the deciding factor. The ready-made company guide explains what a VAT number changes in practice.
History or a clean start
- A ready-made company already exists in the Commercial Register and has a founding date. For some counterparties an older company looks more established. Our companies for sale each show their founding date, their VAT status and their own price.
- A new company has no past at all. You choose its name, its field of activity and its share structure from the beginning.
With a ready-made company you take over an existing legal person, so the transfer documentation and the change of ownership and management are part of the package. With a new company, the incorporation documents are prepared for you.
What is the same on both routes
- a registered address in Estonia and a licensed contact person service for 12 months;
- organisation of the transfer and documents in PDF;
- one person included — with either route each additional person in the management board or among the shareholders costs €300 (the same person is counted once) and each shareholder that is a company €1,000;
- the same kinds of add-ons: EORI number, LEI code, apostilled documents, company seal, courier and help opening a Revolut Business / Wise account (each price is in the price list);
- the details of the persons, and of a shareholder that is a company, are asked by email after the order, before the service.
One add-on exists only for ready-made companies: the online banking opening handbook (€300).
Buying a specific company from our list
Besides the four standard packages, you can choose a specific company from our list of companies for sale. Each of those companies has its own price for a purchase in person in Tallinn; buying it remotely by power of attorney adds a fixed surcharge to that price. The companies section of the price list shows the current companies and both prices.
How to choose
- You need a VAT number from the start → a ready-made company with VAT number.
- You want a particular founding date or an existing company → a company from our list.
- You want your own name and structure and do not need VAT yet → new company formation.
For the full cost picture of the new-company route, including costs that are not service fees, read How much does it cost to set up a company in Estonia?.
Related pages
- Full price list
- Ready-made Estonian company — the four packages
- New Estonian company formation — the formation package
- Companies for sale — specific companies with their own prices
Comparing countries rather than routes? Estonian OÜ compared with company forms in other countries lists all the comparisons, from the UK Ltd and the German GmbH to the Delaware LLC.
To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.