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Estonia Is Hosting an E-Residency Hackathon

Easy business filing. Easy tax filing. Better access to services. (If only the US would take a cue.)

Estonia, the most connected country in the world, recently introduced an e-resident program, which creates a digital identity, even for non-residents. Now, a hacker space in Estonia is teaming up with the government of the country to strengthen the program.

The hacker space, called Garage 48, will host a hackathon aimed at developing existing services as well as working prototypes of new ones "in an intense 48 hours of inspiration and hard work." The e-service ideas include business registration within 20 minutes, easy online filing of taxes, signing documents, online voting for residents, and accessing financial services more easily. Currently, the program includes access to online portals in Estonia, business registration, and allows for the digital signing, encryption, and verification of documents.

The Estonia e-resident card. Photo: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr

Garage 48 says it's looking for "IT and mobile developers, UX and UI designers, project managers, marketeers, entrepreneurs and visionaries in the field." The hackathon is set to take place from September 11-13 on Vormsi Island, with a "motivational letter" serving as the pre-registration, and the coalition providing some travel support to the island. It's even opening up the hackathon to international developers. So hey, you can both visit Estonia and do some awesome coding, and probably get an e-residency card in the process.