Working in Greece by the numbers
Today will be one of those shorter blogs as I left it until this morning to write it and now I want to get on with other things. Yesterday went a little awry as we went to Yialos to try and get some ‘starting work’ papers organised. Starting a job in Greece is not as straightforward as it is in, say, the UK.
To start with you need certain numbers from the tax office, you need to register and you need to be passed medically fit for work (if working in a taverna or bar etc.). So, we started (with George, my nephew) at the doctor’s surgery which was, as usual, quite popular on a Monday morning. We wanted to ask the doctors to stamp his medical book so that we could then go to the KEP office and ask about an Amka number. We waited, and waited until our turn was up and then went in, showed the doctor the book and asked what to do and were told that there isn’t a doctor on the island who can stamp these books, not at the moment. Our old doctor has just left, he was qualified to do this but now we will have to go to Rhodes to get the book stamped. Okay, so that’s going to mean a day off work (at least one) and a trip to Rhodes next week. Next stop, the KEP office.
KEP is rather like the CAB in the UK, as we’re talking in acronyms, and the ladies there are very helpful. He needs to have an AFIMI (ΑΦΜ) number from the tax office in Rhodes, once they have that then the KEP office can organise his AMKA number (your health insurance number) which will then be needed to pay and claim from IKA (like your N.I. subscriptions, health service etc.), so off to see the accountant at the bottom of the Kali Strata.
A quick chat with our friend there and yes, he needs to go to the Tax office in Rhodes to get an AFIMI number and then also get an Amka number. This we know, but can you arrange this for us? Yes, this Wednesday, but the accountant needs to take his passport, only the original will do and we need to sign some papers back at KEP to start the ball rolling. Back to the Town Hall and papers duly signed and stamped there, and then back to the accountant to hand them in, and that’s all fine he will sort out the numbers later this week. Meanwhile the health book is still to be done and now we can’t go to Rhodes to get that done on Wednesday this week as the accountant has the passport, and we can’t go on Friday as it’s Easter week and Good Friday, so it will have to wait until next week, meanwhile you can’t (legally) work as you’ve not got your health book stamped or your IKA numbers in and up to date and…
So, one day next week, probably Wednesday, one of us will go to Rhodes with George and find a doctor/heath clinic that can check the tests and stamp the book. Meanwhile, I’m off to Rhodes for the day tomorrow (again, I know!) and yes, we are in Easter Week here in Greece, visitors have started to arrive for holidays, bangers and dynamite is and will be going off, and we had some rain last night which the plants must have loved.
