New East Digital Archive

Digital nation: hundreds of entrepreneurs apply for Estonian start-up visa

Digital nation: hundreds of entrepreneurs apply for Estonian start-up visa
Image: Alejandro Escamilla under a CC licence

24 January 2018

Hundreds of entrepreneurs from 47 different countries have applied for Estonia’s dedicated start-up visa during the programme’s first 12 months.

Officials received 325 applications under the scheme, which aims to boost Estonia’s economy by providing visas for non-EU citizens ready to launch their own start-up. The majority of applications came from India, Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan and Turkey.

To qualify for a visa, entrepreneurs must provide their business details to be approved and evaluated by a dedicated start-up committee. In the scheme’s first 12 months, the group approved 43 per cent of applications, accepting 140 new entrepreneurs while rejecting a futher 170. Another 15 applications are still being processed.

Source: Estonian World