How to Open a Company in the EU Without Leaving Ukraine

You can register an EU company from your couch in Dnipro or Lviv. Three working mechanisms make this possible: Estonian e-Residency, a qualified electronic signature for the Polish S24 system, and a notarized power of attorney with an apostille for the remaining countries. The registration itself takes days. The complexity starts afterward: a bank that doesn’t want to open an account for a company with no office, and the Ukrainian tax authority waiting for a controlled foreign company notification within 60 days.

We break down the entire path: from choosing a country to filing the first declaration in Ukraine. Figures are current as of September 2026; before submitting documents, verify them against official registries, as fees change every year.

Short answer

Yes, in 2026 a company in most EU countries can be registered without the founder’s physical presence. The fastest and cheapest options are Estonia via e-Residency and Poland via S24. Lithuania, Czechia, Cyprus, and Ireland accept documents by power of attorney. A trip becomes necessary later, when the bank requests in-person verification, or when the company’s tax residency requires genuine local management.

Three ways to sign documents from Ukraine

All remote registration comes down to one question: how will the founder place a legally valid signature while staying in another country. There are three options.

For reference: the Polish profil zaufany (free government signature) requires a PESEL number and in-person confirmation. Without a PESEL, a foreigner can only sign an S24 application with a qualified signature. A PESEL is not mandatory for board members when registering with the KRS.

Comparing EU countries for remote registration in 2026

The table below is compiled from official sources (registries, tax administrations) and provider data as of September 2026.

Three takeaways from the table. If speed and minimal capital matter most, Estonia has no competition. If the business works with Polish clients and needs an EU VAT number, Poland makes more sense. Cyprus and Ireland make sense at turnover levels where the cost of local directors and substance pays for itself.

Scenario 1. Estonia via e-Residency

The Estonian route is the most “digitized,” which makes it convenient to walk through step by step.

1. Apply for e-Residency on the e-resident.gov.ee portal: application form, passport, photo, business motivation statement. State fee €150. Review takes 3-8 weeks.
2. Choose a card pickup point. For Ukrainians, pickup points in Kyiv and Lviv (mobile) work, as do embassies in Warsaw and other capitals. The card is issued in person, with fingerprints.
3. Sign a contract with a licensed provider of a legal address and contact person. This is mandatory if the company’s board is located outside Estonia.
4. Register the OÜ in the Commercial Register online: name, articles of association from a template, capital amount (from €0.01, the founder sets the amount based on business needs), state fee €265. The registry’s decision arrives within 1-5 business days.
5. Open an account. Estonian banks practically never open accounts for companies with no connection to Estonia, so most e-residents work through EU payment institutions (Wise, Paysera, Intergiro, and others). We covered the selection criteria separately:Wise vs. Revolut for business.
6. File the CFC notification in Ukraine within 60 days (details below).

A separate note for Ukrainians: the e-Residency program has a fee compensation scheme for Ukrainian citizens who register a company by the end of 2026 and did not own an Estonian company before February 24, 2022. Check the terms and current status on the program’s website.

Estonia’s tax regime is worth understanding correctly. Profit that stays in the company is not taxed. The 22/78 tax arises at the moment dividends are distributed: for every €78 net, the state receives €22. In 2025 Estonia discussed an additional 2% profit tax and raising the rate to 24%; both initiatives were cancelled. VAT has been 24% since July 2025.

Scenario 2. Poland via S24

The Polish sp. z o.o. remains the most popular choice among Ukrainian entrepreneurs, because clients, partners, and contractors are often already in Poland.

1. Obtain a qualified electronic signature from a Polish or other European provider. Video verification, price PLN 300-600 per year.
2. Register in the S24 system on the Ministry of Justice portal. The system offers a standard template for the articles of association, which can only be modified within the template’s limits.
3. Fill in the application: name, address (a virtual office is allowed, but the tax office may refuse VAT registration without a real address), board composition, capital amount from PLN 5,000, share distribution (minimum share PLN 50).
4. All founders sign the application and articles of association, pay the court fee of PLN 250. The court reviews S24 applications on a priority basis, in practice 1-3 business days.
5. After entry in the KRS: pay the 0.5% civil law transactions tax (PCC) on capital within 14 days, submit the NIP-8 form to the tax office within 21 days, enter beneficiary data in the CRBR register within 14 days.
6. Contribute the capital. The board files a declaration of contribution; the funds themselves can be deposited into the company account after it is opened.

The 9% CIT rate for a small taxpayer is available if VAT-inclusive revenue does not exceed €2 million per year. For a newly formed company, the current year is considered. An alternative for companies that reinvest profit is the Polish version of “Estonian CIT”: 10% for small companies and 20% for others, with tax due only upon distribution.

Scenario 3. Power of attorney with apostille: Lithuania, Czechia, Cyprus, Ireland

The mechanics are the same in all four countries. A Ukrainian notary certifies a power of attorney for a representative (a lawyer or provider) with a list of powers: sign the articles of association, file documents with the registry, obtain an extract, interact with the tax authority. The power of attorney is apostilled at the Ministry of Justice, after which a sworn translation into the country’s language is made. The representative then signs the documents locally.

Differences:

• Lithuania requires at least €250 of capital to be contributed before registration, with the remainder up to €1,000 within 12 months. The notary reviews the articles of association, and the registry issues a company code within 3-7 days.
• Czechia requires the founder’s and director’s criminal record extract with apostille. The trade license is obtained separately.
• Cyprus registers within a few days, but without resident directors the company risks becoming a tax resident of the country from which it is actually managed. More on this below.
• Ireland requires at least one EEA-resident director. Without one, an insurance bond covering about €25,000, costing €1,500-2,000 for two years, is required.

A bank for a company with no office

Registering a company in 2026 takes days. Opening a bank account can take weeks or end in a refusal. The reasons are standard: the KYC process requires understanding who manages the company, where the funds come from, and whether there is genuine activity. The founder’s residency in a country at war is not by itself grounds for refusal, but it does intensify the source-of-funds check.

What actually works:

• Estonia: LHV and Swedbank open accounts only for companies with a connection to the country (employees, clients, office). Everyone else uses payment institutions.
• Poland: banks open sp. z o.o. accounts with a foreign board, but usually request an in-person meeting with at least one board member. Some banks accept video verification.
• Lithuania: banks require video or in-person verification; payment institutions with a Lithuanian license (Paysera and others) are more lenient.
• Cyprus: the account opens in 2-4 weeks; the bank requests a business plan, client contracts, and confirmation of the beneficiary’s source of wealth.

The package worth preparing before the first call with the bank: a one-page business description, 2-3 contracts or letters of intent from clients, a website, confirmation of the founder’s source of funds, and address documents. We covered how to put together the funds part in the articlehow to confirm the source of funds, and the typical requirements for non-residents in the articlehow a non-resident opens a bank account in the EU.