Estonia Seeks to Restrict the Number of Foreigners Eligible for E-Residency Cards

Estonia Seeks to Restrict the Number of Foreigners Eligible for E-Residency Cards

Key Points

1. Estonia is seeking to restrict access to its e-residency program for certain nationalities.
2. The Ministry of Interior has proposed excluding nationals from high-risk countries from the scheme.
3. Estonia has already halted issuing new e-residency cards to Russian and Belarusian nationals.

The Estonian government is planning to limit the number of foreign nationals eligible for e-residency, focusing on restricting access for citizens of countries deemed high-risk.

The Ministry of Interior has prepared a draft law to prevent nationals from certain high-risk countries from applying for Estonian e-residency. While no exact date for the enforcement of these new rules has been shared, they are expected to come into effect next year.

Under the proposed plan, the Ministry will be empowered to create a list of high-risk countries, and set conditions for citizens of these countries wishing to apply for e-residency.

In an interview with Estonian Public Broadcasting, Elen Kraavik, adviser at the Ministry of Interior’s Border Guard and Migration Policy, explained that these restrictions stem from concerns raised in a recent review. The evaluation revealed difficulties in verifying the backgrounds of e-residency applicants from certain third countries due to lack of cooperation with their home governments.

"We are taking these concerns seriously and implementing stricter measures to deny e-residency to citizens from certain countries on legal grounds," Kraavik said. She added that Estonia has encountered cases where the e-residency program has been used as a gateway to the EU.

Strict Measures for Russians & Belarusians

Currently, Estonia applies strict rules for Russian and Belarusian nationals, refusing new e-residency applications from citizens of these countries. This decision was made following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Although renewals are allowed, these applications undergo rigorous checks.

As of August 2024, data from the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EISA) indicated that 1,039 companies were linked to 995 Russian e-residents, while 284 companies were associated with 281 Belarusian e-residents.

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