Nowadays there are many people wondering what kind of business to open. Since mankind has not yet invented a teleport, which can deliver people and things from one place to another in a few seconds, an excellent solution would be to open a transport company in Poland. This is always relevant and always profitable (of course with proper management).
Interested in the idea of opening a transport company, but do not know where to start and what you need for this? We have prepared for you a complete guide on how to start a transport company in Poland. Enjoy reading this!
Why is starting a business in Poland a good idea?
Many entrepreneurs may consider starting a business in another country to be an incredibly risky step. However, you should not worry when it comes to Poland, but instead consider it as an opportunity for successful entrepreneurship. So why is starting a business in Poland today a good idea?
- Poland is an EU country;
- A large labor force;
- Lower taxation compared to other EU countries;
- Opportunity to cooperate with other countries.
What form of business activity should to choose?
When you decided to open a transport company in Poland, one of the key issues will be the choice of the form of business activity. Two possible options are the Individual Entrepreneurship (we told you more about the peculiarities of this form in our article) and the Limited Liability Company.
The pros and cons of sole proprietorship (działalność gospodarcza):
- Simplicity and short terms of official registration;
- You choose your own form of taxation;
- No restrictions on the part of partners, as you work for yourself;
- The possibility of simplified accounting (not in all cases);
- No need to have a certain capital to start;
- No restrictions on rights (you can use benefits and personal bank account).
- Responsibility for debts falls entirely on you;
- Limited activities (sole proprietorship is not available for all activities);
- You cannot divide the business because it is an individual and cannot be sold or gifted. The only thing you can manage yourself or transfer the management by power of attorney to another person.
The pros and cons of LLC (Sp. z o. o.):
- Taxation of 9% (if the revenue does not exceed 2 million euros per year);
- If the revenue does not exceed 200 thousand PLN per month, it is possible to be VAT exempt (there are exceptions for some activities);
- To withdraw cash from Spółka z o.o., you will have to pay 19% as for dividends;
- There is a necessary capital threshold - 100 thousand PLN (compared to other forms of business - it is not much);
- If there are no employees, it is possible not to pay ZUS contributions at all.
Process of opening a transport company in Poland
→ Certificate of Professional Competence. It will be the first step to open your own company. Such a certificate in Poland is a prerequisite for obtaining a license for freight or passenger transportation. This certificate confirms that a person has the necessary knowledge for trucking or transportation of people. In order to obtain the certificate, it is necessary to undergo training and pass an exam. If you have all the necessary knowledge, you can avoid this step and simply hire a transportation specialist who will manage the business with this certificate.
→ Business Plan. When writing a business plan, answer these questions:
- how will your activities be carried out?
- how will you pay for roads?
- do you need fuel cards or not?
- who will handle the company's accounting?
When writing a business plan, you can contact specialists who can help you properly write a business plan and make future profit and profitability calculations.
→ Form of business and fleet of vehicles. It is necessary to decide on the form of doing business and to decide where you will take the cars in the fleet (buy them or rent them). If you will rent cars, everything will be much easier.
→ Obtaining a transport license. We want to immediately note that this process is quite expensive and very responsible, because the sooner you get a transport license, the sooner you can begin to carry out your activities. To obtain a license you need to have:
- car(s) that will be used for cab or trucking work;
- the address of the location where your depot will be;
- certificate of competence from you or the transportation agent;
- criminal records of all founders of the company.
→ Other organizational issues. All documents are submitted to the appropriate authority, which depends on the form of the business. If it is a sole proprietorship, the documents are submitted to the CEIDG, and if you have chosen an LLC, it is KRS. After all the documents are submitted and you are waiting for the license, you need to deal with organizational issues, namely, to conclude an agreement with the accounting department, fuel cards, to conduct recruitment of employees in the company. In general, it is necessary to organize all the processes so that after receiving the license, you do not waste time on all the things, and could start working.
Terms and costs of opening a transport company in Poland
Terms and cost of opening a transport company in Poland. It all depends on how quickly you have drawn up a business plan, collected the necessary documents and obtained a license. For example, a trucking license takes 1-1.5 months. As for prices, it all depends on the scale of your business, but there are things you will have to spend on in any case:
- License – about 400 PLN;
- Digital data reading card – 290 PLN.
Opening a company for transportation of people, transportation of goods or a taxi partner company are all great solutions and quite profitable, but you should expect to invest a lot of money and have patience. Our aksis agents are well experienced in starting a transport business in Poland and we are ready to help you by providing an individual approach for your case!
