Getting a job and working in Estonia is one of the reasons why one might want to acquire a residence permit in Europe (an example of this would be a residence permit in Latvia). Working in Estonia also allows you to enjoy all the benefits of residing in the EU, such as freedom of moving in the Schengen area, the chance to be employed and do business in the member-states with fewer requirement, as well as travel to European destinations without the need for a visa (with some exceptions).

Vacancies
As of now, there are approximately 11 079 vacancies available in Estonia. That is 1.9% of all the job positions, both occupied and vacant, in the country.

Wages and expenses
In Estonia the minimum wage is EUR 540, while the average salary is EUR 1455.

A single person in Estonia spends an average of EUR 619 per month, not including rent.

Workweek
The standard workweek in Estonia is 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.

Useful resources
If you are planning to work in Estonia, it is useful to know the following information and contacts of organizations.

Work permit services
If you are interested in working in Estonia, you need to obtain a work permit and a residence permit (which in some cases are obtained simultaneously). For this you can use the help of our legal team - we provide consultations, find the best solutions to your unique case and deliver legal assisstance of all kinds. So contact us by using the form on the upper right side of the page, and start a journey to your dream job in Estonia.

More and more foreign companies are discovering Estonia as a provider of share services functions.
So far foreign companies have transferred to Estonia mainly production jobs because of cheaper prices, but now also whitecollar jobs are moving to Estonia, with one IT company going to to move its backoffice operations to Estonia later this year.
When choosing a location for its financial centre for shared services, Estonia was on top of the list for the Finnish manufacturer of lifting equipment Konecranes.
'We found that Konecranes as a Finnish company and Estonians were culturally a match,' explained Peter Klingebiel, head of the company's financial support service centre.
'Estonians are well qualified and there is potential for cost-saving,' he added.
Klingebiel admitted that the company was also considering Poland and Hungary for the location of its support centre.
According to Klingebiel, they are looking for people with language skills because they are serving large European markets.
'I am not ruling out that we will be transferring to Estonia other activities later such as the IT and personnel department. It depends on how the financial centre will be doing,' he said. According to Klingebiel, the company plans to hire 30 people in Estonia at first who would start work in July and August.
Other prominent companies that have set up shared service's units in Estonia include Eesti AGA, subsidiary of Linde Group that specializes in gas systems engineering.
Andrus Laur, CEO of Eesti AGA said that the company's Scandinavian customer service was located to Estonia in 2006.
At that time the company was also considering Riga. 'Tallinn's advantage was the availability of people with language skills in communicating with Scandinavian countries. Availability of suitable real estate for rent and Internet access was the third reason,' listed Laur.
He added that the determining factor was qualified workforce. 'Most our employees have higher education. We have 38 employees in Estonia today and this number has multiplied in recent years. In 2006 we started with five people,' he noted.
Last year oil company and fuel retailer Statoil set up its shared services unit in Tallinn that now manages 300 million euros. The company hired 10 people and emphasized that it chose Estonia because of well-developed financial and IT infrastructure, presence of large Scandinavian banks, a favorable business climate and tax system. In addition, Estonia's transition to euro at the beginning of 2011 was an important factor.

The Republic of Lithuania implements a business-friendly taxation policy, and the taxation system is adapted to the legislation of the European Union. Since 1990, the Lithuania's taxation system has drastically changed to support foreign investments and labour market development.

Taxes and other payments are collected to the budget based on the order by the Supreme Council; however, regional and city councils act separately in matters of tax collection. In Lithuania, basic principles of tax payment and their regulation is governed by the Law on Tax Administration stipulating the rights and obligations of a tax administrator and tax payer, as well as the tax calculation procedure and chargeable amounts.

There are 7 main types of taxes in Lithuania:

corporate income tax
personal income tax
real estate tax
land tax
inheritance and gift tax
value added tax
excise duty
lottery and gaming tax
The state collects also social insurance contributions, taxes on state natural resources, petroleum and natural gas resources tax, tax on environmental pollution, consular fees, state fees.

Corporate income tax
Corporate income tax payers are enterprises pursuing commercial activities, and this tax is also paid by non-profit organisations obtaining profit from commercial activities.

The general corporate tax rate is 15%, although companies with fewer than 10 workers and less than EUR 300,000 in gross annual revenue may opt for a smaller corporate tax rate of 5%. Additionally, such small companies benefit from

NB! Corporate tax rate in 2009 was 20%, nevertheless in 2010 tax rate was reduced to 15% and still is at the same level.

For 2010 year the basic contributions amount to 40.7 % of the total income before tax, thus covering all risks (except for accidents at work and occupational diseases), out of which 31.7 % is paid by an employer, but the remaining 9 % – by an employee.

Agricultural and farming enterprises, non-profit organisations, small enterprises, enterprises with foreign investment and enterprises employing the disabled person can apply for tax relief. Lithuania actually ensures the most preferable conditions for business growth for micro-enterprises comparing to other Baltic States.

Personal income tax
Progressive reduction of the personal income tax was commenced in 2006. Today every natural person is obliged to pay the personal income tax in the amount of 15 % if this person is employed or self-employed. If the person can be considered a permanent resident, the income tax is calculated from the person's income received in Lithuania and abroad. Foreign residents must pay tax only from that part of income which is received in Lithuania. To consider someone a resident of Lithuania, this person has to live in Lithuania for at least 183 subsequent days within a 12-month period.

Persons receiving a salary lower than the minimum non-taxable income are practically exempt from the personal income tax. The minimum non-taxable income is calculated as STANDARD NON-TAXABLE INCOME AMOUNT - 0.15 * (WAGE - MINIMUM WAGE). Currently, the standard non-taxable income amount is EUR 300, and the minimum wage is EUR 555. Below you will find an example for calculating non-taxable income sums for a wage of EUR 555 and a wage of EUR 1000.

EUR 555 wage
EUR 555 wage - EUR 555 minimum wage = EUR 0
0.15 * EUR 0 = EUR 0
EUR 300 standard non-taxable amount - EUR 0 = EUR 300 of non-taxable income
EUR 1000 wage
EUR 1000 wage - EUR 555 minimum wage = EUR 445
0.15 * EUR 445 = EUR 66.75
EUR 300 standard non-taxable amount - EUR 66.75 = EUR 233.25 of non-taxable income
Also disabled persons and single mothers (fathers) are exempt from personal income tax, and the tax is not deducted from pensions and scholarships.

Real estate tax
The real estate tax in Lithuania ranges from 0.3% to 3%. Private real estate is generally taxed at 1% on the property value that exceeds EUR 220,000. This threshold is increased to EUR 286,000 for families with three or more underaged (younger than 18 years old) children or a child with disabilities that require special care. It also must be noted that in each particular case the actual real estate tax rate is regulated by the local municipality (it should still, however, be within the range mentioned before).

Land tax
In Lithuania, the land tax includes only tax payments on land, and the provisions on calculation and payment of this tax are laid down by city and district councils. The object upon which the land tax is imposed is privately owned land, and its annual rate ranges from 0.01% to 4% of the land value (in case of a forest, the tax rate does not include the value of trees).

New land owners must pay the tax for the whole year if the land is purchased in the first half of the year. However, if the land is purchased in the second half of the year, the tax is to be paid starting from the next year. In case if the land is sold in the first half of the year, the tax is not to be paid for the respective year, but if it has occurred in the second half of the year, the tax must be paid for the whole year.

Shareholders’ interests are protected in Latvia through the introduction of mandatory notarial form of documents on the transfer of company shares.

Amendments to the Commercial Code of Latvia adopted on 07/01/2013 introduce a significant reform of share transferability in Latvia. The changes relate to the changes in the legal structure of the company in Latvia, as well as the changes in the board (change of director of the company, appointment/dismissal of board members) and changes in the articles of incorporation (statutes).

Transfer of shares
The shares were freely transferable until June 30, 2013 and it was not mandatory to conclude and sign a contract for the purchase of shares. It was sufficient for the previous shareholder to sign the new shareholders’ register, confirming that the shares had been transferred.

The most recent changes in commercial law as of July 1, 2013 determine the form of the contract to be concluded between the previous shareholder and the new shareholder, as well as the procedure for drawing up the list of shareholders of the company (share register). . The Commercial Law in Latvia requires that the agreement between the previous and the new shareholder must be in writing (share purchase agreement, share transfer agreement, share donation agreement, exchange or other type of agreement). At this stage the notary is not involved.

If the shares are transferred on the basis of a gift, exchange or other type of contract than a purchase, the approval of the general meeting is required, unless the articles of association provide otherwise. Therefore, all transactions involving shares other than purchases are subject to shareholder approval. Such a regulation is intended to protect the current shareholders if one of the shareholders intends to evade the statutory subscription right.

If the shares are transferred as part of the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA), more detailed regulations apply. To protect the current shareholders, the seller will inform all other shareholders and the company’s board of directors about the proposed share transaction. In this case, the other shareholders can exercise their subscription rights. Therefore, the seller or the buyer will submit the Share Purchase Agreement with the essential terms and the Shareholder will decide within one month whether to proceed or allow the sale of the Shares to the proposed buyer. The declaration and the purchase agreement are to be sent to the address given by the shareholder in accordance with the details in the share register.

According to the Latvian Commercial Code, shareholders are registered in the register of shareholders (list of shareholders), which is usually signed and stamped in two copies, one for the board of directors and the other for filing with the commercial register. According to recent changes, the shareholders’ register is required to be signed by the chairman of the board (director), the seller and the buyer. All signatures must be certified in front of the notary.

Increase in share capital
The increase in share capital can affect the legal form of the company. According to the Latvian Commercial Code, the decision to increase the share capital is taken at the general meeting. According to the new regulation, such a resolution should be signed by the shareholders in the presence of the notary.

Second, the increase in share capital relates to the changes in the Articles of Incorporation (the Articles of Incorporation). The decision to increase the share capital is made by the shareholders at the shareholders’ meeting (shareholders’ resolution), but the articles of association must be signed by the company’s board of directors (all board members). According to the July 1st changes, signatures on articles of incorporation should be notarized. Thus, shareholder protection was maintained at the highest level.

Other changes
The notary is only involved in fundamental changes in the company such as transfer of shares, increase in share capital, changes in the board of directors and directors of the company. Other changes such as B. the change of company headquarters, do not require notarial approval and are at the discretion of the board of directors, as they do not affect the rights of the shareholders.

Documents for submission
These are the necessary documents to submit to acquire residence permit:

Filled application form
Passport size picture
Document issued by competent authority from the home country indicating that the foreigner has no criminal record
Prove of sufficient financial means
Document indicating place of residence in the Republic of Latvia
Prove that payment for the real estate was in non-cash form (bank transfer)
Document that indicates that person has paid real estate tax if the real estate in owned for more than a year
Document that indicates that State fees for residence permit request are paid
Additionally upon arrival
Valid health insurance
Reference from Latvian medical institution proving that the foreigner does not suffer from tuberculosis in active phase
Documents and application can be submitted

At Immigration office in Republic of Latvia
At Latvian embassy or consular missions outside the Schengen area
Residence permit for the family
Along with the main investor his/her family members can apply for a temporary residence permit.
Qualified family members are the spouse and children under18 years of age.

Financial means to support living expenses
Minimum required financial means for investor – 960 Eur per month
Minimum required financial means for spouse - 320 Eur per month
Minimum required financial means for child - 192 Eur per month
In order to prove possession of sufficient financial means the foreign national should provide a bank statement that indicates amount for one year 12 x 960 = 11520 Eur.

Additionally expected expenses related with buying the real estate
State fee for registration the new owner in the Land Register – 2% from the value of the property
State fee that must be paid to the government when you recive the permit – 5% of the proparty value
Stamp duties, notary fees & other; approximately 80 – 130 EUR
Duration of the process
The time for obtaining a residence permit in Latvia includes the period necessary to review the submitted documents which is 5 to 30 days depending on the amount of fee paid.

If an additional verification by the foreign national is necessary, the term can be extended for up to 90 days.

A foreigner has to visit Latvia to obtain a residence permit no later than three months after being granted the permit.

State fee 143 Eur – decision by Immigration office is issued in 30 days;
State fee 285 Eur – decision by Immigration office is issued in 10 days
State fee 427 Eur – decision by Immigration office is issued in 5 days

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU operates through a system of supranational independent institutions and intergovernmental negotiated decisions by the member states. Institutions of the EU include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Court of Justice, the European Central Bank, the Court of Auditors, and the European Parliament. The European Parliament is elected every five years by EU citizens. The EU's de facto capital is Brussels.

The Latvian Investment and Development Agency, in cooperation with the European Social Fund, has announced a call to support job creation. Expected funds are expected to reach LVL 12,000 for each job created, capped at LVL 1.5 million for a project.

The Call for Activity is scheduled for November 1, 2012 and will last until March 23, 2013.
The activity aims to create new jobs. Applicants can be companies registered in Latvia that plan to create at least 50 full-time jobs and plan to maintain these jobs at least three to five years after the project realization.
The compensated expenses are: monthly salary up to LVL 500 net, expenses for training new employees and the Value Added Tax (VAT) of these expenses.
The maximum financial resources available cover 50% of expenditure on salaries and general training and 25% of expenditure on special training.
The tender will start on November 1st and will run until March 28th, 2013. The project can be started immediately after the approval and there is no need to wait for the closing date of the tender.

Currently, the tax rates in Latvia are as follows:
income tax 25%; State social contribution 24.09%; Corporate income tax is 15%, VAT is 21% and others. The company registration system is simplified and does not contain significant obstacles for foreigners.

Despite the fact that there are several different cryptocurrencies, each serving different purposes and utilizing slightly variative methods, there is a common set of rules worth following, when dealing with cryptocurrency trading:

learn as much as you can about the blockchain and it’s main principles;
study about the most popular cryptocurrencies and their advantages;
carefully evaluate your possibilities and possible risks;
stay updated about financial and cryptocurrency related news;
create an exchange account for crypto trading specifically;
start off by dealing with smaller amounts to study the market;
always research and keep improving your knowledge;
eventually try trading with larger numbers, implement complex solutions.

Most popular cities by population
The most popular city by population is Warszawa (Warsaw). The next largest cities by population are Krakow and Lodz, however, there is a large immigrant population in the small city of Wroclaw due to the presence of several large international companies – including IBM.

The population of Warsaw during the last century has increased 2.5 times, while the population of Krakow has increased 5 times during the same period. Krakow has a rich heritage and is the second most popular city among tourists and immigrants.

The top 5 biggest cities of Poland by population according to 2018 estimate are:

# City Population
1 Warsaw 1 769 529
2 Krakow 769 564
3 Lodz 687 702
4 Wroclaw 639 383
5 Poznan 537 643

Cyprus is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean. It is best known for its sunny beaches and stunning mountain ranges. Most of Cyprus' income comes from tourism, the export of goods and the sale of real estate. The main languages ​​in Cyprus are Greek and Turkish. English is spoken by most residents.

Company formation
Establishing a company usually takes about 5 days
The minimum share capital is EUR 1000 and usually an authorized capital of EUR 5000
Maintaining tax residency in Cyprus requires a local director of the company and board meetings must be held within Cyprus.
The secretary must be or become a resident of Cyprus in order to remain a resident of Cyprus for tax purposes
Information about the tax system
Cyprus' corporate tax rate is 10%, one of the lowest corporate taxes in the European Union.
The following activities are not taxable in Cyprus:
Profits from the sale of listed securities.
Receiving dividends for a Cyprus company.
Interest that does not derive from the ordinary course of business or is not directly related to the main activity of the company.
Cyprus has double tax treaties with more than 40 countries.
For more information on the Cyprus tax system or related topics, please contact us.

Company management
There is no annual fee payable to the government to maintain a company. Only filing of annual returns is required according to the following rules:

a company incorporated before July 1 must file the annual accounts for the previous year with the tax authorities by December 31 of the following year.
a company incorporated after July 1st must file the annual accounts for the previous years before December 31st with the tax authorities two years later.