UK entrepreneurs: e-Residency can help your business remain in the EU

No matter what happens with Brexit

Hannah Brown
E-Residency Blog, E-residentsuse blogi
4 min readJan 31, 2020

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E-Residency light projections at Shoreditch High Street station on 27 January 2020

Attention UK entrepreneurs!

Withdrawal day has finally arrived for the UK.

Are you worried that the UK leaving the EU will have negative consequences for your ability to keep your business in the EU? Read on to see how e-Residency might be able to help.

The Withdrawal Agreement has officially been agreed by both the British and European Parliaments.

Thus, today, 31 January 2020, is a historic day for Britain, for Europe, and for international relations more broadly. Whatever your view of the withdrawal, one thing that everyone agrees on is that it will have far-reaching consequences for global trade, finance, migration, and human history for years to come.

Brexit will undoubtedly affect UK-based small businesses and entrepreneurs. With 11 months left to negotiate the specifics of the withdrawal, there is still a lot of uncertainty on important issues for business, including legal recognition, labour, intellectual property, data protection regulations, taxes, trade and customs rules, and more.

Solopreneurs and small businesses with clients in the EU are likely the most impacted as key conditions and assumptions underlying a company’s transnational business model and structure may change.

Plus, it’s still possible that a hard Brexit could occur if negotiations stall or are abandoned without agreement. This could mean that many rules and regulations relevant for operating a business across the borders of the UK and the EU may not be agreed in time.

But fear not, as e-Residency of Estonia could be a solution for UK-based entrepreneurs to keep your business in the EU and counter the impacts of Brexit, whatever the resulting deal turns out to be.

Read our previous blog post for more on the key effects a hard Brexit may have on UK businesses and how e-Residency could help.

E-Residency is a digital identity and status providing access to the country’s digital services and infrastructure and open, trusted business environment. E-residents can start their EU company online, digitally sign and encrypt documents, and run their businesses online from anywhere in the world paperless and hassle-free.

For UK entrepreneurs, e-Residency gives you the ability to continue running a company registered in the EU online without leaving the comfort of your home in Great Britain.

Find out more here and watch this video to learn how to apply.

E-Residency was in London earlier this week to spread awareness about how it might be an easy and effective solution for UK entrepreneurs worried about Brexit.

E-Residency Managing Director Ott Vatter at King’s Cross station ready to meet and greet the locals

In the tube and on the street, our team spent the day speaking with e-residents and entrepreneurs, hearing about their fears as a result of Brexit, and discussing whether e-Residency might be for them.

An e-Residency ad in the King’s Cross St. Pancras underground

If you’re in London, you may have seen our tube ads that will be broadcast until 7 February 2020 at King’s Cross St. Pancras, Westminster, Liverpool Street, and Southwark stations.

And finally, on Monday evening, you may have also noticed our sneaky guerilla marketing light show that has been picked up by UK and other press.

E-Residency light projection at King’s Cross St. Pancras station on 27 January 2020

Thanks to everyone in London who participated and shared with us their hopes and concerns for the future of their businesses post-Brexit. And thanks also to those of you who shared photos of the tube advertisements and light show on social media!

For tips on how to overcome the Brexit blues and prepare your business for the impacts of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, read this helpful article, particularly focused on freelancers and solopreneurs, from e-Residency Marketplace member Xolo.

And read about Scottish e-resident Vicky Brock and how she, in the face of Brexit, is using e-Residency to expand and run her business in the EU.

Scottish e-resident Vicky Brock

Whatever happens with Brexit, e-Residency can help you keep your business in the EU. Find out more by visiting e-resident.gov.ee/brexit.

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