Estonia brings e-Residency to Thailand

The world’s most digitally advanced country is introducing their innovative e-Residency program to Southeast Asia.

This year, Estonia will bring their innovative e-Residency program to even more countries in Southeast Asia. Soon, aspiring e-Residents will get the chance to pick up their e-Residency kit directly in Bangkok. To kick-off their presence in the region, the Estonian e-Residency team is hosting an event themed ‘Estonian Evening in Thailand’ on 18th June 2019. Inspiring speakers from Estonia will travel to Bangkok to share the secrets behind Estonia’s digital success and the opportunities of the e-Residency program.

“Estonia is already one of the most advanced digital societies in the world. But with e-Residency, we serve people who are neither our citizens nor our residents. Opening our digital borders helps the country to build a large community of friends and supporters and assists Estonian companies in connecting internationally”, says Arnaud Castaignet, Head of Public Relations e-Residency. Commonly termed e-Estonia, the Northern European country is considered the world’s most advanced digital society. The Estonian government went paperless in 1997 and instated the option for citizens to sign official documents and vote online. It is now possible for an Estonian to vote from a sauna session at home or do their taxes while sitting in a cafe in Bangkok.

Since 2002, it has been normal for Estonians to interact with the government online or run companies from anywhere in the world. Connecting to people regardless of borders is a core part of Estonia’s identity. Based on these beliefs, e-Residency, a transnational identity that can provide anyone, anywhere in the world with the opportunity to succeed as an entrepreneur, was launched in 2014. Estonia is the first country to offer a unique e-Residency program. It is possible for anyone from anywhere in the world to apply to be an e-Resident, and the process is simple.

Once approved, an e-Resident receives a digital identity and has access to the EU business environment and several of Estonia’s e-Services. The entire digital platform is built on transparency, legitimacy and inclusion. In short, the e-Residency program allows anyone to establish and run a trusted EU-based business remotely and fully online, with full access to the European market.

An e-Resident can:
• Establish a trusted EU company in a day
• Establish and manage a location-independent company online from anywhere in the world
• Manage the company completely online
• Apply for a business bank account and use the secure e-Banking
• Access international payment providers such as Paypal
• Digitally sign, encrypt and send documents
• Declare Estonian taxes online with e-Tax

Currently there are about 55,000 e-Residents from 157 different countries, and around 6000 companies have been successfully established with the e-Residency program. “We are building a borderless community of friends of Estonia, sharing our values of openness, inclusiveness and resourcefulness. This is how we contribute to make our country bigger and stronger”, adds Arnaud Castaignet, Head of Public Relations e-Residency.

Interested individuals can learn more about the e-Residency program here: https://e-resident.gov.ee/
And about the event in Bangkok here: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/the-secret-sauce-to-estonias-digital-success-tickets-62437091020