For EuroCG 17 conference, I will be travelling to Sweden and I am thinking of Airbnb. However, the trip is going to be paid by the Special Account of National Funds, thus I need a invoice (τιμολόγιο) to justify my stay.
Does a typical Airbnb stay (in general or Sweden, I think it will be the same) provide such a document, or should I explicitly ask the host for an invoice?
Your AirBnB stay will need to be booked up front by a credit card. So unless your place of work has an account with AirBnB you will have to use a personal credit card to make the booking.
AirBnB will not generate an invoice1 but it will generate a receipt showing the name of person the booking was made under, the address of the accommodation, the dates of the booking and the amount paid per night as well as total cost, and finally the last 4 digits of the credit card that the booking was charged for.
You can print off this receipt from your account on the AirBnB website.
1. In English I understand the word "Invoice" to mean a request for payment. EG I send you an invoice for work and/or service that I have done for you and that you will pay me sometime (I hope!!) in the future. A receipt is a statement of payments that have already been made and I will send one to you to confirm/validate that I have received the money you owed me.
I just googled for the word that you use "τιμολόγιο" and using Google to translate it, it appears that the word has a totally different meaning in Greek than in English and appears to be issued by the seller. But I don't speak Greek and definitely don't know Greek accounting principles.
You will receive a billing receipt, after you pay, by email. You can print it yourself or view it online at any time.
The receipt includes the traveller's name, the dates of the stay, a reference number, a description and address of the place you stayed, the host's name and contact information, a breakdown of the charges, the total cost and the payment method.
I have claimed expenses back from several public sector organizations by using AirBnB receipts, but not the Greek government. I have not had any problems. But, I know that the Greek authorities can be meticulous to the point of exasperation in desiring very particular paperwork. If you haven't claimed from them before, I would advise you find out exactly what paperwork will satisfy them.
An invoice in English is a formal document requesting payment, issued before the payment is made. You will not receive an invoice, only a receipt proving you paid, after you pay.
You can access the receipt for each booking on your Airbnb profile:
To find your receipt:
Go to Your Trips on airbnb.com.
Next to the reservation you want to see the receipt for, click View Itinerary.
Under Billing click Detailed receipt. For receipts from past trips, click See Trip Details.
You can then click the print button on the invoice page to print it out. I have used these printed receipts several times as a proof of expenses for my employer without a problem. However, do contact whomever will receive the invoice before you book to check if they accept it.
