Business, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Technology

Rivo Riistop, project manager for the Startup Estonia visa project, said that interest in the visas has surpassed the expectations they had when the program was launched.

"It's good to see that the interest has largely emerged organically via Estonians and recommendations from friends in Estonia," Riistop said.

He said the expert committee handling the applications has given a positive response to 39 applications and a negative response to 62 applications, with 5 applications still being processed.

"The countries where the biggest numbers of candidates come from are Ukraine, India, Russia, Belarus and Turkey. Candidates from Ukraine, Belarus and Turkey have proven the most successful," Riistop said.

Tomi Piriyev from Ukraine, one of the first persons issued a startup visa for business, said the possibility to relocate his business to Estonia came at the right time. "I had been an e–resident for some time when I came here to look what things actually are like in Estonia. After seeing how well public services function here and how easy it is to engage in business, I wanted to relocate my company to Estonia physically too. For me the startup visa initiative came exactly at the right time," Piriyev said.

Avijit Sarkar, an entrepreneur from India, said that he has only positive experiences from Estonia so far. He specifically highlighted the warmth of the people, good infrastructure and positive attitude toward English speaking people in Tallinn and Tartu.

Sarkar's company develops mobile and online apps for the European market for booking of events, catering and entertainment. 

Applications for a visa or a residence permit for employment at a startup in Estonia have been filed by 42 people and the biggest numbers of positive responses have been given to Ukrainian and U.S. nationals. Applications have been filed, for instance, also by people based in Colombia, South Africa and the Philippines, who are still waiting for an answer at this point.

To obtain a visa or a residence permit under simplified rules, a company must describe its business model and team to an expert panel consisting of members of the Estonian startup community, who will make the decision.