What counts as a 'startup' for Estonia's Startup Visa, and who evaluates it?

Under Estonia's rules, a startup is a business owned by a company registered in Estonia that aims to develop and launch an innovative, repeatable business model with strong global growth potential. In practice that usually means a working product or MVP being tested in the market, signs of traction such as paying customers, and a real team, with the company typically no older than ten years.

The first step is a free online application to the Startup Committee, which assesses whether your business meets the legal definition of a startup. The Committee aims to give an acceptance or rejection decision within about ten working days, and a positive decision is what unlocks the visa or residence permit application.