Set Up a Travel Agency in Estonia

Estonia is one of the most advanced countries in the world from a technological point of view and the fact that a company can be registered remotely here has attracted many investors until now. Among the industries in which companies can be opened without much hassle are trading, information technology, and tourism.

Those interested in exploring the tourism sector can open restaurants, hotels and even travel agencies in Estonia through which they will be able to serve the growing number of visitors in this country.

If you want to open a travel agency in Estonia, our company formation consultants explain the procedure below. We can also assist with the company registration procedure for a travel agency in Estonia.

What is the best structure for an Estonian travel agency?

Those who want to set up travel agencies in Estonia must comply with several laws, among which the most important ones are the Company Law and the Tourism Act. The Company Law provides for the business forms which can be used for registering a company which will operate as an Estonian travel agency.

Foreign investors can set up travel agencies under the form of sole proprietorships, partnerships and limited liability companies, however, the most employed one remains the private limited liability company as it offers many advantages, among which:

• -          the foreign investor can be the sole owner of the company, as there are no partnership requirements in Estonia;
• -          the minimum share capital for registering a private limited liability company is approximately 2,500 euros;
• -          this type of structure will offer limited liability to the business owner with respect to the company’s obligations;
• -          when set up as a tour operator, the business can offer both inbound and outbound travel packages;
• -          the business owner will need to respect the conditions imposed by the Tourism Act in respect to the guarantee that needs to be paid.

Our Estonian company formation specialists can help foreign investors who want to register an LLC with the purpose of establishing a tour operator. We can also assist you with your Estonian crypto license application. It can be utilized for a variety of tasks, including providing payment services and virtual currency exchanges. You can rely on our company registration advisors for assistance if you want to apply for such a license. Contact us for guidance anytime!

Conditions for setting up a travel agency in Estonia

Once the Estonian company is registered, the business owner will need to comply with the requirements of the Tourism Law in respect to selling travel packages and plane tickets, organizing excursions and tours, and offering other connected services.

The most important condition to be respected when setting up a travel agency in Estonia is related to the guarantee to be deposited with a bank in the account of the Ministry for Finance. The guarantee to be deposited is as follows:

• -          for selling tour packages outside Estonia and charter flights, a minimum guarantee of 32,000 euros or 7% of the company’s estimated annual sales must be deposited;
• -          for selling tour packages outside Estonia and scheduled flights, at least 32,000 euros or 3% of the company’s estimated annual sales must be deposited;
• -          for organizing and selling tour packages outside Estonia with no flight tickets included, at least 13,000 euros or 7% of the company’s planned annual sales is required;
• -          for intermediating tour packages with another travel agency outside the EEA, at least 32,000 euros or 7% of the company’s estimated annual sales is required;
• -          for intermediating travel arrangements and contracts with other agencies, at least 13,000 euros or 3% of the company’s estimated annual sales is required.

For inbound travel agencies organizing tours only on the Estonian territory, there is no minimum guarantee required, however, the business owner must decide on the amount of money to be deposited in order to cover the risks.

Our company registration advisors in Estonia can offer more information on the requirements which must be fulfilled by those who want to open travel agencies in this country. They can definitely help you open a company in Estonia in this sector.

We can also help you obtain Estonian digital citizenship if you want to set up such a business.

Filing the notice of economic activities for an Estonian travel agency

In order to be granted the travel agency license, the Estonian company must file a notice of economic activities with the Registrar of Economic Activities which must comprise the following information:

1.           the details of the company: business name, legal address, contact information, and registration code;
2.           the application form on which the business owner must check the activities to be undertaken with an X;
3.           information about the security deposited based on the activities to be undertaken by the agency;
4.           information about the travel agency located outside the EEA, in case a partnership in this sense was signed;
5.           the classification code in accordance with the activities to be undertaken (the EMTAK code);
6.           the date of starting the operation as a travel agency and the end date, if applicable;
7.           the date of the payment of the security fee (if the notice was filed in person by the applicant);
8.           information about the designated person to act as an applicant with the authorities.

For assistance in opening a travel agency in Estonia, please contact us. We can also help you open a company in Estonia in other industries.