Opening a business in Greece: personal experience

And about a month ago, Mikhail opened a small Moskva supermarket in Patra, where he sells Russian-made products.

Why a massage parlour?

“We conducted a market study in Patras, which showed that there is nothing similar in the city or in the surrounding areas. We planned to create a high-class salon, for which we rented a two-story mansion in the city center.

- Did you open the salon alone, or is there a co-owner?

– I opened it together with a friend, a German from Kazakhstan, who has been living in Germany for twenty years. The salon staff is also all Russian-speaking. We advertised, conducted interviews: we were looking for professionals with work experience. The girl who works at the reception came to Greece from Kostroma, she is married to a Greek. To date, Morea Salon is the best massage parlor in Patras.

– Do you have any other business projects?

- I had an idea for a long time to open a store where Russian-made products would be sold; Recently, I was able to implement it: in December, I opened the Moskva grocery store in Patras. There are many more different ideas that I would like to implement, but so far there is not enough capital for this. We constantly conduct market surveys and have already written several business plans. However, an investor has not yet been found. In fact, great prospects are hidden in this city. Local residents like our Russian approach to business, they are happy to use our services, buy our goods; it is uplifting and inspiring. The only problem is the constant surprises of the Greek tax system, which make it difficult to decide on something new, because no one really knows what will happen tomorrow. Today you can open an enterprise on the basis of your business plan, and tomorrow they will adopt a law on new taxation, and all calculations will turn out to be meaningless.

– What do you need to open a business in Greece?

- It's actually pretty easy to do. There are certain bureaucratic nuances, but all issues are almost instantly resolved by specialized organizations. To date, we have designed a salon and a shop as an individual entrepreneur. Registering an LLC or a joint-stock company is also quite simple. The most important thing is that the future owner has a clean tax history, there are no tax debts.

- Where to begin?

- First of all, you need to choose the type of future activity. Then the accountant must prepare the necessary documentation, there is not much of it. It is important whether your activity will be considered commercial, that is, trading, or whether it can simply be regarded as the provision of services. It depends on what taxes you will pay in the future. You also need to indicate the location of the enterprise - it can be any address, even home, it all depends on the type of activity. In fact, the whole process takes very little time. While the accountant was preparing the documentation, I was looking for a room, doing repairs. The main thing is to register the company with the tax office: here you need a passport and TIN, as well as documents for the premises in which the company will be located - a lease or sale agreement. If you plan to engage in commercial activities, you will also need to register a cash register. If the enterprise is related to catering, you will need a certificate stating that you are healthy and can do this; such a certificate costs about thirty euros. After that you can start working.

Is paying taxes difficult?

– Monthly, all checks and receipts are handed over to the accountant leading your business, since every three months you have to pay income tax. It is also necessary to register the enterprise with an insurance company, because all employees must have insurance, for which all necessary deductions are made to insurance companies.

– Well, what is your general impression of the business climate in Greece?

– In fact, opening a company in Greece is very easy and fast. The only thing that hinders work is the tax system. Absolutely everyone here complains about taxes today, both in Patras and in other cities: enterprises are closed one after another, which contributes to an increase in unemployment in the country.