What is a legal address?
The legal address is the official address of your Estonian company and is shown in the Business Register. Authorities, business partners and service providers use it as part of the company’s official contact information.
If you do not have a permanent office in Estonia, a licensed virtual-office or company-service provider can provide an Estonian legal address.
When do you need a contact person?
The e-Residency programme describes two common options for an Estonian company:
- Use an Estonian legal address supplied by a licensed service provider.
- Use the foreign address of the company’s management board. If the management board is outside Estonia and you use that foreign address as the legal address, you must appoint a licensed contact person in Estonia.
The contact person receives and forwards procedural documents and official notices. The contact person does not become a board member, shareholder or representative with general authority to act for the company.
Who can act as a contact person?
The role is regulated. Depending on the provider, the contact person can be a licensed trust and company service provider, an advocate or law firm, a sworn auditor or audit firm, a non-resident tax representative or a notary.
This is why the service should not be treated as a generic mailbox. Check that the provider is legally entitled to offer the service.
What should you compare between providers?
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | Address and contact-person services are recurring, not one-time formation costs. |
| What is included | Some formation packages include the first year; others charge separately. |
| Mail forwarding | Check how official notices are forwarded and how quickly you are notified. |
| Renewal process | A fixed-term contact-person appointment must be renewed before expiry. |
| Accounting bundle | Some providers combine address, formation and accounting, which can change the real annual cost. |
What happens if you change provider?
You can change the legal address or contact person, but the new details need to be updated in the Estonian Business Register. Avoid a gap between providers: the company should remain reachable and the required contact-person appointment should remain valid.
Also check the notice period and termination terms with the old provider before switching.
Does the legal address determine tax residency?
No single address field automatically determines the tax position of an internationally managed company. The place where the company is actually managed and the rules of the countries involved can matter. A legal address is primarily an official company contact detail, not a substitute for tax-residency analysis.
Compare the recurring cost before you choose
Our company formation table shows legal address and contact-person pricing alongside formation, accounting and annual-report costs.
