http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/sites/eng/pages/search.aspx?i=001-...
Sadly, rulings like this prevents a startup like Reddit, HN, or really anything that allows UGC from being practical via e-Estonia.
Best of luck tho.
- need to visit Estonia to open a bank account
- filing taxes with an accounting software in Estonian only
Solve those 2 issues and the only one left is the unavoidable double taxation complexity: you could try adding more information to the site about this subject, for example stating with which countries Estonia has currently established treaties to avoid double taxation.
It's a government identity you can apply for and use online that allows you to register companies, among other things- right?
As an electronic resident of Estonia what are you entitled to that you can't do in Singapore, Hong Kong, the UK, etc? The only difference I can see is that in those places you likely need to visit the country to setup the company. Those countries certainly wouldn't call that process airplane-Residency.
Electronic mail is mail that you send electronically. Here, e-Residency is not residency in any definition of the word, even the ephemeral kind. An e-Residency does not afford the bearer any entitlements not offered to a non-bearer, save for not requiring a flight to Estonia.
That said, I appreciate the innovation in an online government ID card for foreigners. The name is a mistake. More accurate would be to call it e-Airplane.
As I haven't read everything about this, I'm willing to admit there's a chance I'm wrong.
And while the initial set of benefits don't seem a lot like residency (except insofar as being eligible for a digital ID of this type -- in countries that offer them -- is, itself, typically something that requires citizenship or residency, so in a sense calling the program that provides access to it to non-citizen non-physical-residents "e-residency" may be reasonable on that basis alone), its overtly an initial "beta" set with planned expansion.
If they plan to expand the program to allow things typically afforded to residents of a country then that would be something. I doubt it however.
"https://apply.e-estonia.comhttps//apply.e-estonia.com/feedba...
Which is obviously broken. I got an email confirming I paid and so far nothing else.
What exactly do you mean with "the first government-backed digital identity"? The German Identity card, for example, can be used for online authentication and it can store a digital signature on its chip. [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_identity_card#Chip ]
No. If you're a German citizen you can get a German ID card, even if you never set foot in Germany. See for instance http://www.brasil.diplo.de/Vertretung/brasilien/pt/Konsulars... (in Portuguese, instructions on how to get a German ID card for Brazilian residents).
We will soon redirect the HTTP page to HTTPS (thanks for catching that!). For now you can simply visit https://apply.e-estonia.com. We are also working to update the country lists.
After being approved as an e-Resident you are welcome to apply for a bank account and payment providers. As noted on the site, we are working on easier ways to facilitate this.
Benefits for US and global entrepreneurs include access to EU and European markets, and truly hassle-free online company administration. We are working on expanding services for individuals as well, which currently include two-factor authentication, document signing, and encryption.
Thank you again -- we are truly excited to launch this programme in open beta and welcome further questions at [email protected]!