E-residency allows foreigners, regardless of their citizenship, place of residence and nationality to apply for a digital ID and to access Estonian public and private e-services. Estonian social scientists interviewed e-residents around the world and showed that, although Estonian e-residency is primarily a service platform, being an e-resident also implies for many a sense of a transnational and values-based belonging to the Estonian state.
It is difficult to get a definite answer on how effective is the background checking of Russian and Belarusian citizens who have received Estonian e-residency: the competent authorities are taciturn, no one takes full responsibility and instead of risk analysis, we hear optimistic advertising statements.
Last year, Estonian e-residents established a record-setting 4,700 new businesses, exceeding 2020 numbers by one third. Altogether, more than 20,000 companies have been established by Estonian e-residents since the launch of the e-Residency program in December 2014.
Estonia's e-Residency scheme will stop accepting new applications from Belarusian and Russian citizens, Minister of the Interior Kristian Jaani (Center) said on Tuesday. Applications currently being processed will be terminated.
The joint organization of Enterprise Estonia and KredEx has halted tourism marketing activity, recalled its tourism representative in Moscow and canceled its participation in Russian and Belarusian business fairs, the organization announced on Friday. The servicing of all Russian and Belarusian foreign investment projects by the organization has likewise been canceled.