Estonia has transformed all public services online, from passports to property transactions, creating a seamless digital experience.
Ambassador Daniel Schaer told Radio Generation that citizens and foreign E-residents can now access essential services safely from anywhere in the world. He said Kenya could learn from Estonia’s approach as it works to expand digital governance.
“100% of our services are online, so similar to E-citizen, but really everything. So if there's a new service that comes in, is not digitalized. It's almost a strike. You know, in the country that everybody's, everybody's very upset, you know that I have to go to an office somewhere,” Schaer explained on Thursday.
He described how even passport services are efficient: citizens book a time online, visit a single office in Tallinn, and are served quickly with almost no queues.
Marriage and divorce have also gone digital, though there are some in-person requirements.
“For divorce, you don't have to go physically, but most cases for marriage, you have to go physically. They need to see you because they want to make sure that the real people exist exactly,” Schaer said.
While applications are submitted online, there is a mandatory waiting period before marriage or divorce is finalized.
Land transactions have been simplified through Estonia’s digital cadastre, where anyone can view detailed information about plots online.
Transactions can also be completed virtually, with legal validity ensured through digital signatures, though notaries still guide the process. “You just have to use a notary public, yes, but you could do it in a virtual call,” Schaer said.
Central to Estonia’s digital system is a unique identifier assigned to every citizen, resident, and E-resident. This ensures secure access to services and allows foreign users to conduct business remotely.
“The interest is that you will have an EU company that's running from Estonia, but you never have to set foot in Estonia,” Schaer explained. E-residency allows people around the world to start and run EU-based companies online, sign documents digitally, and participate in company decisions without being physically present.
Schaer also highlighted growing Kenyan interest in Estonian education, especially in ICT, e-governance, and green technologies. Programs like Digital Explorers have enabled Kenyan students to intern in Estonian companies, pursue master’s degrees, or work remotely for Estonian businesses.
“African students are the second largest group, and some are even working for Estonian companies from Kenya because they can program remotely,” he said.
The ambassador said Estonia’s fully digital system has made government services efficient, transparent, and secure. He added that Kenya could benefit from similar strategies to improve public service delivery and expand access to digital services.
