Interest in moving to Georgia has picked up again since summer 2026. Citizens of about 95 countries, including the US, the UK, EU member states, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, can still live here visa-free for up to a year. However, the right to stay in the country and the right to work in it are now confirmed by separate documents: a temporary residence permit on its own no longer lets you take a job or run a business, and a separate work permit is needed for that.
Below we look at the grounds for a Georgian residence permit in 2026, what the application costs and in what order to collect the documents. We also explain how to access your money in the first months, before you have a local card or residence status.
Can you live in Georgia without a residence permit?
Yes, as long as you do not work for the Georgian market and are ready to leave the country at least once a year. A visa-free stay lasts up to 365 days, counted from the date of your last entry. Cross into Armenia at Sadakhlo or into Turkey at Sarpi, come back, and you have a full year again.
Formally there is no limit on how many times you can do this, but the decision to let you in rests with the border officer each time, and frequent visa runs raise questions. Refusals are rarely explained in detail, and there is no point arguing at the border. Officers also check that you have health insurance with coverage of at least 30,000 GEL for the whole stay.
Overstaying is expensive: up to six months costs 1,000 GEL, up to a year 2,000 GEL, and more than a year 3,000 GEL. On top of the fine, you may be banned from entering for one to three years.
A residence permit removes these worries. You no longer have to leave every year or buy insurance to enter, and it is easier to show a bank or a landlord that you live in Georgia permanently. Years spent on a residence permit also count towards permanent residence.
Who can work without a permit
As a general rule, any paid activity connected to Georgia requires a work permit. The exception covers people who work for non-resident clients when the services are used outside Georgia. If even one of your clients is a Georgian company, it is safer to assume you need a permit.
| Situation | Work permit needed? |
|---|---|
| Remote work for a foreign company, no clients in Georgia | No |
| Individual entrepreneur whose clients are all abroad and use the services outside Georgia | No |
| Employment contract with a Georgian company | Yes |
| Director or co-owner of a Georgian company who earns income from it | Yes |
| Individual entrepreneur or freelancer with clients in Georgia | Yes |
The exception only removes the need for a work permit and does not extend your stay: to live in Georgia for more than a year without leaving, you still need a residence permit. Practice under this rule is still taking shape, so in borderline cases it is worth showing your contracts to an immigration lawyer.
How legalisation works: work permit first, residence permit second
To work or run a business legally, a foreign national needs two documents at the same time: a right-to-work permit and a residence permit or D1 visa. Neither of them allows you to work on its own. Registering as an individual entrepreneur and getting small business status do not replace the permit either: those are tax matters, while the right to work is granted by a different agency under its own procedure.
How to get a work permit
Applications are filed on the labourmigration.moh.gov.ge portal. The employer applies on behalf of an employee, while entrepreneurs apply themselves. Standard processing takes up to 30 calendar days and costs 200 GEL; the expedited option takes 10 working days and costs 400 GEL.
Self-employed applicants have to show that their activity is real. An existing business submits a turnover certificate from the Revenue Service, and a new one needs a business plan setting out investment, expected turnover and sources of funds. After applying, every self-employed applicant goes through a mandatory video interview, and the queue for it can slow things down. The permit is issued for a specific position with a specific employer or for a specific type of activity, usually for one year. It only takes legal effect together with a residence permit.
What employers have to do
Before hiring a foreigner, a Georgian company must advertise the vacancy on the worknet.moh.gov.ge portal for 10 working days. Companies with international company status are exempt from this check, as are employers offering more than 15,000 GEL a month for a position that requires a relevant university degree. Courier work, passenger transport and tour guiding are closed to foreigners, with the only exception made for mountain guides.
Who does not need a permit and what happens without one
Holders of permanent and investment residence permits, refugees, staff of diplomatic missions and international organisations, and accredited journalists can work without a permit. Foreigners who were registered in the labour migration database as of 1 March 2026 have until 1 January 2027 to obtain their documents under the new rules. Newcomers get no grace period.
Working without a permit costs the worker and the company 2,000 GEL each, and repeat violations within a year double and then triple the fine. It is now also a ground for expulsion from the country.
Grounds for a residence permit
A Georgian residence permit is always issued on a specific ground. If your circumstances change, you can switch to another ground without leaving the country. Below are the options newcomers choose most often.
Employment
This option suits people taking a job with a Georgian company. The employer first obtains a work permit for the employee, who then applies for a residence permit with the employment contract. Monthly income must be at least five times the subsistence minimum for an average consumer, and the employer's annual turnover must be at least 50,000 GEL per foreign employee (35,000 GEL for medical and educational institutions). Geostat, the National Statistics Office of Georgia, publishes the subsistence minimum every month, so check the current figure before applying.
If income is hard to prove with employment documents, the migration authorities may take into account money held in your personal bank account. The balance has to cover the same five subsistence minimums for each month of the permit's validity. The first permit is usually issued for up to a year.
Individual entrepreneur or your own company
An individual entrepreneur (IE) is registered at the Public Service Hall for 26 GEL with next-working-day processing or 75 GEL on the same day. Many people apply for small business status straight away, which means a 1% tax on turnover as long as it stays below 500,000 GEL a year. Not everyone qualifies: the status is closed to licensed activities and to legal, medical, audit, notarial and consulting services. For a residence permit, an entrepreneur needs a work permit and turnover of at least 50,000 GEL over the last 12 months for each foreigner in the business.
New businesses get some relief. If the company or IE is no more than three months old, has no more than three foreign staff and the residence permit is a first application, turnover does not have to be confirmed. Such a permit is issued for six months only, and actual financial results are checked at renewal.
IT residence permit
This permit is designed for IT specialists in employment, IEs with small business status in software development and related fields, and managers of international IT companies, as well as their family members. You need at least two years of IT experience and income of at least $25,000 over the last year, received in at least two payments at least 30 days apart. Foreign documents must be apostilled.
You have to apply within 10 days of receiving your work permit. Even if you work only for foreign clients and are formally exempt from the work permit, you will still need one for the IT residence permit. Business turnover does not have to be confirmed, and the permit is issued for three years straight away, renewable for up to 12 years in total. The key condition: if you spend 183 days or more outside Georgia within 12 months, the permit is cancelled. The fee is higher than for other permits: 500, 750 or 1,000 GEL depending on processing time.
Real estate
You need property, other than agricultural land, with a market value above $150,000. The value is confirmed by an accredited appraiser, and the price in the purchase contract does not count. This short-term residence permit also covers the owner's spouse and children. Those who obtained a permit under the previous $100,000 threshold can renew it without a new valuation as long as they keep the property. This permit does not give the right to work. Buyers should order a valuation before the deal: if the contract price is just over $150,000 but the appraiser values the property lower, there will be no ground for a permit.
Investment
You need an investment of at least $300,000 in the Georgian economy, confirmed by an auditor's report, or property worth more than $300,000. The application must include a recommendation from a member of the Georgian government or from three Georgian citizens who represent local companies. The permit is issued for five years straight away, the spouse and children can apply too, and holders do not need a work permit. For business investments, turnover must be confirmed every year: $50,000 in the first year, $100,000 in the second and $120,000 in each year after that. After five years you can obtain a permit for indefinite stay.
Family and study
The spouse of a Georgian citizen receives a one-year permit that is then extended for two years, and can apply for permanent residence only after five years. Applications are reviewed within 90 days, and the fee is 500 GEL. Marriages are checked by an inter-agency commission that may interview spouses separately and visit their home, and a sham marriage is now a criminal offence. Family members of a foreigner with a residence permit can apply for family reunification by proving the relationship and a monthly income of at least twice the subsistence minimum.
A study permit is issued to adult students at accredited universities and vocational institutions, while minors now receive a D6 visa instead. The status can be cancelled for academic leave longer than 90 days, for earning less than a third of the required credits, or for spending 183 days or more outside Georgia within a year.
Main options compared
| Ground | Key requirement | First permit term | Can work without a separate permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Income of at least five subsistence minimums, employer turnover of at least 50,000 GEL per foreigner | Up to a year | No |
| IE or own company | Turnover of at least 50,000 GEL, not required for businesses under three months old | Up to a year, 6 months for a new business | No |
| IT permit | At least two years in IT, income of at least $25,000 a year | 3 years | No |
| Real estate | Property worth more than $150,000 | Up to a year | No |
| Investment | Investment or property of at least $300,000 | 5 years | Yes |
How to apply for a residence permit
You apply in Georgia while staying there legally: at the Public Service Hall, at an office of the Public Service Development Agency, or online for some permit types. As a general rule, the application must be filed at least 40 days before your legal stay ends, which on a visa-free stay means no later than day 325 after entry. This rule does not apply to investment, real estate and IT permits. If processing takes longer than expected, you can ask to postpone the obligation to leave the country: such requests are reviewed within five days for a fee of 65 GEL.
The basic set of documents is the same for most permit types:
- the application form and a copy of your passport;
- proof of legal stay, such as an entry stamp;
- documents for your ground: employment contract, work permit, turnover certificate, title deed;
- proof of income or a bank statement showing the funds in your account;
- a 3×4 colour photo in electronic form and proof of fee payment.
Documents are submitted in Georgian, and foreign documents need a certified translation. A passport is usually accepted without translation if your personal details are shown in Latin script.
For most permit types, processing costs 300 GEL for 30 days, 450 GEL for 20 days and 600 GEL for 10 days. Once the permit is approved, you must order your residence card within a month: from 60 GEL for 10 working days to 150 GEL for same-day issue. If you do not order the card within six months, the permit may be cancelled.
In practice, getting from arrival to a residence card through the IE route takes two to three months. In the first days you get a Georgian SIM card and a rental agreement, then register as an IE. The work permit takes up to 30 days, the residence permit up to another 30, and then the card is produced. Throughout this time you have no residence status and often no local bank account.
Renewal, refusal and losing your status
Renewal follows the same procedure as the first application: you apply 40 days before expiry and confirm your ground and income again. Your work permit has its own term, which does not match that of the residence permit. If either document expires, your work becomes illegal even though the other one is still valid. In practice, people most often renew the residence permit and forget about the work permit.
A residence permit can be cancelled in several cases:
- an IT permit holder or a student has spent 183 days or more outside Georgia within 12 months;
- the property on which the permit was granted has been sold;
- an investor has not confirmed turnover for the year;
- the residence card was not ordered within six months.
An expulsion decision can only be appealed within 10 calendar days, and an appeal does not always suspend it. If you receive any negative decision, contact a lawyer straight away.
Georgia is also introducing a certificate of legal stay. It may be requested for public and some private services, including opening a bank account, and the government will set the exact list of cases. At the same time, a single database of foreign nationals is being built to track terms and statuses automatically.
As a general rule, permanent residence becomes available after 10 years on temporary residence permits, and years of study do not count. Spouses of Georgian citizens and investors need five years. For permanent residence you have to show income of at least the state pension, and money in your bank account can count towards it. The fee is 500 GEL for 30 days or 650 GEL for 20 days. Permanent residents can work without a separate permit.
Money in the first months after moving
Until you have a residence permit and a local account, the main question is how to access your own money. A licensed crypto exchange solves this problem. At GeCrypto you can exchange savings or a salary from a foreign client paid in USDT for cash dollars at the office in central Tbilisi, and once you have an account, receive lari, dollars or euros to TBC, Bank of Georgia or another local bank, usually within an hour, or send money abroad via SWIFT and SEPA. Every deal comes with a receipt in the client's name and documents confirming the source of funds. As a result, the bank can see where the money came from, and the migration authorities may count funds with a clear history in your account as income when you apply for an employment, study or family reunification permit. If a client pays you in crypto, conversion documents together with the contract and invoices also help confirm income for the IT permit, although the final assessment of the documents rests with the migration authorities. You can check any exchange in the VASP register on the National Bank of Georgia website: GeCrypto has been operating since 2022 and is registered under number 0018-9404. An exchange gives you access to your money, but a work permit still has to be obtained separately.
Conclusion
Start with the question of how you will earn a living, and choose your ground based on the answer. Freelancers who work only for foreign clients may not need a work permit at all. IT specialists earning $25,000 a year or more are best served by the three-year IT permit, entrepreneurs can start with an IE permit under the new-business relief, and those with $300,000 in capital can obtain a five-year investment permit.
The rules are still being refined, and the government will set out some details in separate resolutions. Before applying, check the legislative portal matsne.gov.ge and the Public Service Development Agency website sda.gov.ge, and consult an immigration lawyer in borderline cases. Sort out your money early: you will need documents on the source of your funds both at the bank and when applying for a residence permit.