When setting up an Estonian company from abroad, choosing a licensed business address and contact person Estonia provider is not a minor administrative detail. It is a legal requirement that directly affects whether your company can be properly registered and maintained.
Here is what that actually means in practice.
What the License Is
In Estonia, trust and company service providers — including those offering registered business address and contact person services — must hold a license issued by the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit, known as the FIU.
This is not a registration or a certificate. It is an operating license that requires the provider to:
- Pass background checks with no criminal history, sanctions, or disqualifying ownership
- Establish documented internal processes for customer due diligence and AML compliance
- Maintain ongoing record-keeping that meets Estonian regulatory standards
- Submit to regular oversight and accountability by Estonian authorities
A provider without this license is not permitted to offer these services legally. If you use an unlicensed provider, your company’s registration may be rejected, official notices may not reach you through a recognized channel, and you may face compliance questions you cannot easily answer.
How to Verify a Provider’s License
Before signing up with any Estonian address or contact person provider, check the Estonian Register of Economic Activities, known as the MTR. Search under trust and company service providers. The provider’s name and license number must appear there.
If a provider cannot give you a verifiable FIU license number, do not use them.
Capture Capital OÜ holds FIU license FIU000432. You can verify this directly in the MTR.
When a Contact Person Is Actually Required
Under the Commercial Register Act (Äriregistri seadus) §24(2), a contact person must be appointed when the company’s address is in a foreign state. The trigger is the company’s registered address — not where the management board happens to live.
This distinction matters when comparing providers. If your company uses an Estonian legal address, the obligation in §24(2) does not apply, however far from Estonia the board sits. If your company keeps an address abroad, it does apply, and §24(4) limits who may take the role: a notary, an advocate or law firm, a sworn auditor or audit firm, a non-resident’s tax representative, or a licensed trust and company service provider.
Why the License Matters Beyond Legal Compliance
The license requirement exists because the contact person role carries real responsibility. A licensed contact person is an officially recognized party in the Estonian Business Register. They receive official correspondence and procedural notices on your company’s behalf, and they are the address the authorities use when they need to reach you.
That is the role, and it is the whole of it. Amendments to your company details, document preparation and legal guidance are separate work, quoted and billed separately — they are not part of the contact person service.
An unlicensed provider cannot hold this role legally, which means they cannot provide this level of service regardless of what they claim.
What to Look For When Choosing a Provider
Beyond the license itself, a reliable provider should be able to tell you clearly:
- Their exact FIU license number and where to verify it
- What their compliance review process looks like before activation
- How official mail is handled and forwarded
- What is included in the plan and what is quoted separately
- What is and is not included in the price
Vague answers to any of these questions are a warning sign.
Capture’s Approach
Capture is a licensed Estonian trust and company service provider operating under FIU license FIU000432. Our Standard and Premium plans include a licensed contact person as a core part of the service. Because those plans also provide a Tallinn legal address, the §24(2) obligation generally will not apply to your company — the contact person is included because it is what gives us direct access to the e-Business Register, so we can prepare and handle registry filings on your behalf rather than sending you instructions to follow yourself.
The Standard plan is €320 per year and covers an OÜ with up to two unique individuals across shareholders and board members, with the legal address, the licensed contact person and digital formation included. The Premium plan is €520 per year and covers an OÜ or MTÜ with up to three. A legal address on its own, without the contact person, starts at €120 per year — see all plans.
