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e-Governance

e-Governance in Estonia: 100% Digital, 100% Trusted

In Estonia, 100% of public services are available online 24/7. This seamless accessibility is made possible by a secure and citizen-centric digital ecosystem, where transparency, efficiency, and trust are the cornerstones.

Thanks to e-Governance, Estonia saves over 1,400 years of working time annually and provides a hassle-free environment for businesses and residents alike.

The Pillars of Estonian e-Governance

  • Digital Identity
    Every resident has a secure digital ID, enabling access to all state services with a few clicks.

  • Secure Data Exchange (X-Road)
    Government institutions share data securely through a decentralized system, eliminating silos and duplication.

  • High-Quality Databases
    Centralized, real-time registries enable data accuracy and seamless service delivery.

Transparent, Efficient, and Inclusive

Estonia’s approach to e-Governance combines:

  • e-Administration – efficient internal government operations

  • e-Services – accessible, user-friendly digital services

  • e-Participation – tools for citizen engagement in policymaking

Proactive and Invisible Services

Estonia follows the “once-only” principle: citizens provide their data just once, and government agencies re-use it securely. The next step is proactive services—where the government initiates service delivery based on existing data, without waiting for a citizen’s request.

Privacy and Trust

Estonian citizens have full transparency over who accesses their data. Strong legal frameworks and technologies such as KSI Blockchain ensure data integrity and trust, making Estonia’s digital society one of the most secure in the world.

Data Embassy

Data Embassy is an extension in the cloud of the Estonian government, which means the state owns server resources outside its territorial boundaries. This is an innovative concept for handling state information, since states usually store their information within their physical boundaries. Data Embassy resources are under Estonian state control, secured against cyberattacks or crisis situations with KSI Blockchain technology, and are capable not only providing data backups, but also operating the most critical services.

When we say “data embassy”, we mean a data centre. It is located in Luxembourg under a Tier 4 level of security – the highest level for data facilities. It is not an embassy in the traditional diplomatic sense and while the founding agreement does take into account the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, it is something completely new under international law. It is fully under the control of Estonia, but has the same rights as physical embassies such as immunity.

#1

data embassy in Luxemburg

Luxembourg is the first data embassy location because of the high quality technical capacity, but also because of their openness to work with this new concept. In this collaboration, Luxembourg and Estonia are pathfinders in creating a unique and innovative way to ensure digital continuity in the world.

The Data Embassy kick-off took place in 2015 and the finalised agreement between Estonia and Luxembourg was signed in 2017. The development of the Estonian Government Cloud is a collaboration between the Estonian Government and private sector companies, including Cybernetica, Dell EMC, Ericsson, OpenNode, and Telia.

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Contact

Visit us physically or virtually

We host impactful events both in our centre and online for government institutions, companies, and media. You’ll get an overview of e-Estonia’s best practices and build links to leading IT-service providers and state experts to support your digitalisation plans.

Questions? Have a chat with us.

E-mail:
Media:
Call us: +372 6273157 (Monday to Friday, 9:00-16:30 Estonian time)
Regarding e-Residency, visit their official webpage.

Find us

The Briefing Centre is conveniently located just a 2-minute drive from the airport and around 10- to 15-minute drive from the city centre.

You will find us on the ground floor of Valukoja 8, at the central entrance behind the statue of Mr Ernst Julius Öpik. We will meet the delegation at the building’s reception. Kindly note that a booking is required to visit us.

Valukoja 8
11415 Tallinn, Estonia