That feels like an exaggeration. I did that last year. They took several months to process the registration itself.

And this was just to freelance as a developer. In my case I was allowed to start while they were processing the registration. But had it been something that would require their permission, I'd have to wait several months before I could start my business, while they wave through a form that basically says "I'll be selling goods".

I'm not one to blindly hate on all bureaucracy. But in this case it feels unnecessarily complex.