Every receipt a café, restaurant or beach bar in Greece issues has to reach the tax authority (AADE) through its myDATA platform. This guide explains your options in plain words. It does not replace your accountant: the rules change often, and they know what applies to your business.
Two ways to issue receipts
1. Cash register (ΦΗΜ). The receipt comes out of the register, and the register sends the data to AADE. An ordering system (POS) can work next to it: it keeps tables and orders, and the receipt is issued on the register.
2. E-invoicing provider. The receipt is issued by the software, passes through a certified provider and is sent to myDATA at once. It gets a MARK (unique registration number) and is printed with a QR code the customer can scan to view it. No cash register is needed at the counter.
Which way fits depends on your activity, volume and equipment. Decide it with your accountant before you buy equipment.
The hospitality order slip (8.6)
In hospitality AADE also wants to see open tables, not only receipts. That is what the Hospitality Order Slip, document type 8.6, is for. When the business works with a provider, each order slip has a QR code, is sent to myDATA and gets a MARK. When the guest pays, the receipt is linked to the table's slips.
In practice: the waiter takes an order, it goes to the kitchen, and an 8.6 slip is sent at the same time. When the bill is closed, the receipt ties to those slips. A modern POS does this by itself, without the staff having to think about it.
The card terminal must be connected
Card terminals (EFT/POS) must be connected to the cash register or to the provider's software, so every card payment matches a receipt. AADE has published Q&As on how this works. If you have several registers, not all of them need connecting: each terminal must connect to one of them, and registers left unconnected are used for cash only.
In practice, ask your bank or terminal provider whether it supports connecting to the software you will use, before you sign.
Checklist before you start
- Business name, VAT number and address entered correctly in the software.
- An agreement with an e-invoicing provider or a cash register, as decided with your accountant.
- A run in test mode before the first real receipt.
- A card terminal that connects to your system.
- A way to keep going if the internet drops (e.g. a 4G phone as a second connection).
How IKAROS POS does it
In IKAROS POS you choose an e-invoicing provider or a cash register. With a provider, the receipt is sent automatically and printed with MARK and QR, and 8.6 order slips are sent for tables. If a send gets stuck, the system first checks whether the receipt arrived, so it is never sent twice. With Viva, EveryPay, myPOS, Nexi SmartPOS and SumUp terminals, or terminals linked through Wrapp, the amount goes to the terminal by itself. All the details on the three providers, Wrapp, Oxygen and iNVOICEsoft: AADE receipts through a provider.
Questions
Do I need a cash register if I have an e-invoicing provider?
With a provider, the software issues the receipt and sends it to AADE, without a register at the counter. Whether you can work with a provider alone depends on your activity, so confirm it with your accountant.
What is the 8.6 order slip?
It is the document for orders at open tables in hospitality. With a provider it is sent to myDATA with a QR code and MARK, and linked to the receipt when the bill is closed.
What is the MARK?
The unique registration number myDATA gives each document it receives. It is printed on the receipt.
Do I have to connect my card terminal?
Yes, card terminals must be connected to the cash register or to the provider's software. Ask your terminal provider which connections it supports.
Sources
These guides are general information, not tax or legal advice. For your own business, ask your accountant.