Getting started in Greece

Overseas opportunities often present themselves to organisations across the world. But sometimes it can be quite difficult to expand your business into foreign countries if you don’t know the local legislation. This article looks at the things you need to consider when expending into Greece.

Whether you are an existing company looking to expand overseas, or a new company looking to get started, it’s crucial that you know the law. Not doing so exposes you to the risk of inadvertently breaking the law, not paying the relevant taxes, and getting fined.

There are many online resources that you can use to research both the law in specific countries, and other relevant EU legislation, but unless you are a legal expert it will be quite difficult for you to fully understand everything you need to. A safer approach which may also ultimately prove more cost effective is to hire a legal expert. By doing this, you can rest easy, safe in the knowledge that your activities are being handled by professionals, experienced in such matters.

Some law firms specialise in helping new and existing foreign businesses getting started in your country of choice. However, finding them can be difficult. If a person in the UK were to look for lawyers in Greece they will find many legal firms, but how many will speak English? How many will be able to understand *your* requirements as well as local law? When conducting searches of this type and selecting which company should assist you, remember to find one that specialises in people starting up in your country, otherwise you may find you’ve a contracted firm knowledgeable in local matters, but who don’t understand YOUR business and what YOU are trying to do.

So your first step is to search for Lawyers. Greece is a fantastically sunny country and you should also consider your energy requirements. Need something cheap, sustainable and environmentally friendly? Maybe you should using an energy source that is photovoltaic. Greece based companies and individuals are able to take advantage of the national objectives to increase the amount of energy produced from renewable sources, and using photovoltaics is a fantastic opportunity.

If you plan to produce your own photovoltaic energy, you’ll need to apply for a license. This is issued by the RAE authority and are issued for twenty-five year periods, which is also the period you can renew an existing license for.

If you want to get started in Greece, there is no better time to start. Plan out your business requirements, think about you want to achieve, but don’t forget to take into consideration the local requirements.