HERMES-GROUP: reviews & investigation
This firm says it has worked in EU immigration since 2013. The registered legal entity behind it was incorporated on April 8, 2022. That's a nine-year gap, and nobody at the company explains it anywhere on their website.
Who is HERMES-GROUP and what do they do
Services: EU citizenship assistance (Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia), Schengen and national type-D visas, EU residence permits (VNJ/PMJ), business setup in Europe, international job placement consulting.
Claimed office: Presnenskaya Naberezhnaya 6, bld. 2, Moscow (Imperiya Business Center, Moscow City district).
Legal address on file: Valentina Skorokhodova St. 2, office 208, Lipetsk.
Claims founded: 2013 (10+ years stated on site). Actual registration date: April 8, 2022.
Phone: +7 (995) 016-63-38
Email: [email protected]
Website: hermes-grup.ru
Legal entity: OOO "Yuridicheskaya Kompaniya Sozidanie"
INN: 4826154386 | OGRN: 1224800005968
Director & 100% owner: Akulshin Mikhail Vladimirovich
Prices: Romania from €3,500; Bulgaria from €4,000; Spain Digital Nomad from €3,000.
Key fact: The company's only verifiable legal entity was incorporated in April 2022, yet its website claims over a decade of work. A nine-year discrepancy with no explanation is not a typo. It's a pattern.
Trust Score: 1.64 / 5
Based on 1.64/5 from verified data points across registry records, court files, and review platform presence.
Who's behind HERMES-GROUP: checking the paperwork
Five minutes in Russia's Federal Tax Service database tells you more than the entire hermes-grup.ru website. The operating entity is OOO "Yuridicheskaya Kompaniya Sozidanie" (translated: Law Company Sozidanie). It was registered on April 8, 2022, with INN 4826154386 and OGRN 1224800005968. Primary activity code: 69.10, "Activities in the field of law." One person owns and runs it: Akulshin Mikhail Vladimirovich, listed as both founder and general director with a 100% stake.
Now let's talk about the address situation. The website advertises a Moscow City office at Presnenskaya Naberezhnaya 6, building 2, which is the Imperiya Business Center. That's a well-known serviced office complex where companies rent desk space by the hour. The legal address on state records is a different city entirely: Lipetsk, Valentina Skorokhodova St. 2, office 208, roughly 500 kilometers from Moscow. Both addresses may be real in some sense. But you should know which one governs any legal dispute before you sign.
The WHOIS record for hermes-grup.ru returned no public registration date or owner data at the time of this investigation. The Web Archive shows the domain has been crawled, but no early snapshots confirm the claimed 2013 founding. No Trustpilot profile exists. No BBB listing was found at bbb.org.
One civil court case appeared in Russian open court records where OOO YK Sozidanie is listed as the defendant. No arbitration cases were found. Tax filings for 2023-2024 show near-zero declared taxes, which points to very low official revenue or minimal bookkeeping. Either way, it's not the picture of a busy firm with 10+ years of satisfied clients.
HERMES-GROUP risk analysis: 5 things to know
| Area | Risk | What we found | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | high | Fees range from €3,000 to €6,500+ depending on country. No public price list is posted. Quotes are given only after a consultation call. | Get the full breakdown in writing before your first payment. Ask what happens to your money if the application is rejected. |
| Contract | high | The contract is signed with OOO YK Sozidanie, whose legal address is in Lipetsk. The website shows Moscow. In a dispute, which jurisdiction applies? The contract does not clarify this publicly. | Have an independent lawyer read the contract before you sign. Pay attention to which court is named as the venue for disputes. |
| Timelines | medium | Romanian citizenship via repatriation runs 12-24 months under Romanian Law 21/1991. Bulgarian citizenship paths vary. These are government timelines, not agency timelines. | Any agency promising faster results than official government processing times is either misinformed or exaggerating. Ask for a written timeline tied to specific government steps. |
| Guarantees | high | The site advertises "100% guarantee" of citizenship results. EU citizenship decisions come from foreign government agencies. No private company has authority over those decisions. | "100% guarantee" in this context carries no legal weight. Ask what specific refund or compensation you receive if the government rejects your application. |
| Refunds | high | The company claims payment is split into three stages with no upfront fee. But no public refund policy was found. What happens at stage two if stage one's results don't satisfy? | Demand a written refund clause tied to specific outcomes before transferring any money. Do not rely on verbal assurances. |
HERMES-GROUP: red flags and green lights
| ✅ | Active legal entity exists. OOO YK Sozidanie (INN 4826154386) is a registered, currently active legal entity in Russia. The owner is not hidden: Akulshin Mikhail Vladimirovich is listed as 100% founder and director in EGRUL records. |
| ✅ | Three-stage payment structure claimed. The company says you do not pay the full fee upfront. Payments are split by completed stages. If accurate, that reduces the risk of losing your entire budget at once. Confirm this in writing before starting. |
| ✅ | No criminal cases or blacklist entries found. A search of Russian Central Bank blacklists, scam registries (baxov.net, plohotron.online, moshennik.eu), and court records returned no criminal proceedings or regulatory blacklisting linked to this company or its director. |
| ⚠ | Two addresses, two different cities. The public-facing office address (Moscow City) and the legal registration address (Lipetsk) do not match. Moscow City business centers commonly rent virtual office space. This is legal but worth clarifying before you sign. |
| ⚠ | Near-zero taxes in 2023-2024. Filed tax data for OOO YK Sozidanie shows minimal declared taxes for both years. That either means very low revenue or creative accounting. It does not match the image of a busy firm handling thousands-of-euro contracts. |
| ⚠ | All positive reviews are on controlled platforms. Testimonials appear on the company's own website, Pabliko (a self-publication platform), and Yandex Zen (a blogging service). The company explains anonymous reviews by citing "the sensitive nature of immigration topics." That's convenient. |
| ❌ | Nine-year gap in claimed experience. The website states the company has worked "for more than 10 years" since 2013. OOO YK Sozidanie was registered on April 8, 2022. That is a 9-year discrepancy with no explanation anywhere on the site. This is not a small rounding error. |
| ❌ | "100% guarantee" on EU government decisions. No private company can guarantee the outcome of a citizenship application reviewed by Bulgarian, Romanian, or Slovenian authorities. Using this language is either a misunderstanding of how the law works or a deliberate sales tactic. |
| ❌ | Part of a larger network of clone immigration sites. Deep search links hermes-grup.ru to a network including gootoeu.com (registered 2017), greeneufuture.com (2019), oxfordpassport.com (2019), immigrantagency.com (2019), trust-group.pro, europriority.com, and others. Clone site networks are a common structure for high-volume, low-accountability migration services. |
| ❌ | Zero independent reviews on any major platform. Searches on Trustpilot, Google Reviews, Otzovik, irecommend.ru, and Glassdoor return nothing for hermes-grup.ru. A company claiming a decade of work should have left at least some trace on review platforms by now. |
HERMES-GROUP vs competitors: which is better value
The highlighted column is the company under review. best = best value. worst = most problematic. mixed = unclear.
| Parameter | HERMES-GROUP ★ | Established EU Immigration Firm | DIY (self-filing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (Romania) | From €3,500 expensive | From €2,500-4,000 mixed | Gov fees + docs only (~€200-500) cheapest |
| Price (Bulgaria) | From €4,000 to €6,500 | Varies, quoted on request | Translation + notary costs only |
| Timelines | 12-24 months (EU gov pace) | 12-24 months (same EU gov pace) | 12-24+ months same |
| Guarantees | "100% guarantee" (unenforceable) red flag | Realistic disclaimers, no false promises honest | None (you carry all risk yourself) |
| Public Pricing | Partial, quote-based opaque | Often quote-based too mixed | Gov fee schedules are public transparent |
| Independent Reviews | None found on Trustpilot / Google none | Real reviews on Trustpilot or Google verifiable | N/A (forums, expat groups) |
| Verified Age | Legal entity: April 2022 (claims 2013) mismatch | Matches stated founding year consistent | N/A |
Note: "Established EU Immigration Firm" represents the category average for transparent agencies with verifiable track records, not a single specific company. DIY costs assume the Romanian repatriation path where no agency fee applies to the government process itself.
What to check before paying HERMES-GROUP
- Legal identity: Ask for a copy of the company's registration certificate showing OOO "Yuridicheskaya Kompaniya Sozidanie," INN 4826154386, OGRN 1224800005968. Then verify it yourself at egrul.nalog.ru. Don't take their word for it.
- Contract signatory: Check who actually signs the contract. It should be Akulshin Mikhail Vladimirovich (or someone with a documented power of attorney from him). A contract signed by a "manager" with no stated authority is problematic in Russian courts.
- Office visit: Go in person before paying. If the Moscow City address is a real office, they'll welcome you. If it's a virtual address, you'll find out fast. Don't send money to a firm you've only spoken to by phone or chat.
- Refund clause: Read the contract for what happens if the EU government denies your application. The company claims a staged payment structure. Make sure each stage has a clear deliverable and a clear refund path if that deliverable fails.
- The "10+ years" claim: Ask them directly: which entity operated before April 2022, and where are the records? A legitimate company with pre-2022 history can show you contracts, tax filings, or registration documents from that period.
- No original documents: Do not hand over original passports, birth certificates, or other documents until you have signed a contract with a document receipt clause. Copies only until then.
- Independent legal check: Have a lawyer who is NOT affiliated with HERMES-GROUP look at the contract before you sign. The fee for a one-hour consultation is far less than the €3,500+ you're about to commit.
- Talk to real clients: Ask the company for direct contact with two or three clients who have already completed the full process. Not names on a website. Phone calls. Real conversations. If they can't provide that, draw your own conclusions.
Frequently asked questions about HERMES-GROUP
Is HERMES-GROUP a legitimate company?
The legal entity behind the brand (OOO YK Sozidanie, INN 4826154386) is registered and active in Russia. So in a technical sense, yes, there is a real company. But "legitimate" covers more than just registration. The nine-year gap between the claimed founding date (2013) and the actual registration date (April 8, 2022), the "100% guarantee" language, and the complete absence of independent reviews all point to serious due diligence concerns. Approach with significant caution.
How much does HERMES-GROUP charge for EU citizenship?
Based on published materials: Romanian citizenship from €3,500 to €4,000; Bulgarian citizenship from €4,000 to €6,500; Israeli citizenship from €4,300; Spanish Digital Nomad residence permit from €3,000. Business setup in Austria runs roughly 3% of the deal value (up to 7% for business sourcing). No comprehensive price list is publicly available, so exact fees depend on your consultation.
Does HERMES-GROUP really have 10+ years of experience?
The website claims operation since 2013. The only legal entity verifiably tied to this brand, OOO YK Sozidanie, was incorporated on April 8, 2022. That's a nine-year discrepancy. Either there was a previous unregistered structure (which creates its own legal questions), or this is a false claim. The company does not explain this on its site.
What does the "100% guarantee" from HERMES-GROUP actually mean?
Nothing legally binding. Citizenship and residence permit decisions are made by the government of Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, or Spain, not by any private agency. A Russian company cannot compel a foreign government to approve your application. Ask the company to put the "guarantee" into the contract with a specific financial remedy for non-delivery. Most agencies that use this language can't.
Are there any independent HERMES-GROUP reviews on Trustpilot or Google?
No. Searches across Trustpilot, Google Reviews, Otzovik, irecommend.ru, and Glassdoor returned zero results for hermes-grup.ru at the time of this investigation. All testimonials found were on the company's own website or on platforms like Pabliko and Yandex Zen, where anyone can publish content. The company attributes this to client privacy preferences, which is a reasonable explanation. But it also makes independent verification impossible.
Is HERMES-GROUP connected to other immigration sites?
Research links the brand to a broader network of immigration sites with similar structures and overlapping content patterns. Sites in the network include gootoeu.com (registered 2017), greeneufuture.com (2019), oxfordpassport.com (2019), and trust-group.pro, among others. Whether these share management, referral arrangements, or are independent is not confirmed. But the pattern is common in the Russian-speaking migration services space and warrants extra caution.
Where can I leave a review about HERMES-GROUP?
You can post your experience at proverj.com, which aggregates independent feedback on immigration companies including HERMES-GROUP. Real client reviews on independent platforms are the most useful thing for people making decisions about where to spend thousands of euros. Your account, positive or negative, matters.
Expert verdict on HERMES-GROUP
I've been in the immigration business since 2011, and I've built Second Passport into a network of 50+ offices serving Russian-speaking clients across the former Soviet space. I say this not to brag but to explain that I know this market from the inside. And what I see with HERMES-GROUP is a pattern I've watched repeat itself many times.
The nine-year gap between the claimed founding date and the actual registration is the most telling detail. Every legitimate immigration firm I know of can prove its track record with old contracts, old tax filings, or basic timeline documentation. If your company says it started in 2013, show me the 2015 and 2018 entity records. This isn't complicated. The fact that HERMES-GROUP cannot or does not do this is, in my experience, a deliberate choice.
The "100% guarantee" language also concerns me. I've been qualified as a lawyer. I know that no one, in any jurisdiction, can guarantee the sovereign decision of a foreign government. When a company promises that, one of two things is happening: they're either misleading clients about what they're buying, or they've found some genuinely clever workaround that they should be explaining in detail on their site. I've seen nothing suggesting the second option.
On the positive side: at least OOO YK Sozidanie exists and is findable. The director's name is public. The company isn't hiding behind layers of offshore ownership. And claiming staged payments rather than a full upfront fee shows some awareness of client concerns. These are minor points, but they mean this isn't necessarily an outright fraud operation.
Still. No independent reviews after three-plus years of operation. A legal address in Lipetsk while marketing a Moscow City presence. A clone site network. Tax filings showing near-zero activity. If you're thinking about handing this firm €4,000 or more for Bulgarian citizenship assistance, I'd strongly recommend you spend a few hundred euros talking to an independent immigration lawyer first. Romanian repatriation, as one example, is something you can actually pursue yourself with the right documents. The process is slow and bureaucratic, but it's real and it's free. Paying €3,500 to an agency with this risk profile for a process you could handle independently is a gamble I wouldn't take.
Don't decide blind
Marketing language is cheap. A "100% guarantee" and a Moscow City address cost nothing to put on a website. What matters is what real clients report after paying €3,500 or more. Read those accounts before you commit.
Read real reviews about HERMES-GROUP