Estonia vs Cyprus: which jurisdiction wins?

Estonia vs Cyprus — both credible, very different trade-offs. Below: side-by-side on the variables that actually move the decision.

	Estonia	Cyprus
Tax headline	0% on retained earnings, 20% on distributions	12.5% corporate, NID brings effective lower
Formation days	1	7
First-year cost	$1,500	$3,500
Treaties	60+	65+
Substance	Real management required for tax residency	Substance for treaty access
Banking	LHV, Swedbank, EMIs (Wise)	Bank of Cyprus, Hellenic, plus EMIs

Talk to a partner before you incorporate.

Wrong jurisdiction, wrong substance, or wrong bank shortlist is a 12-month problem. A 30-minute briefing fixes 80% of it.