Georgia Residence Permit: Types, Requirements and How to Apply

If you plan to live, work or run a business in Georgia beyond your visa-free period, the residence permit is the document that establishes your legal residency in the country. Georgia is known for a liberal entry regime — many nationalities can visit for up to a year — but visiting is not the same as the right to live and work here long term, and it does not permit employment. This guide explains the permit types, who qualifies, the important 2026 labour rules, the documents you need, how to apply through the Public Service Development Agency, the fees, and how residence works in the long term.

In short, non-nationals who work for a Georgian company or run a Georgian business use the work residence permit, and from 2026, they must first obtain a new labour permit, the Right to Work, which introduces a labour market test. Georgia is not in the EU or the Schengen Area, so a Georgian permit does not give European travel rights. The country uses the Georgian lari and is known for low taxes and light bureaucracy. Permanent residence generally follows ten years.

What is a Georgian residence permit?

A Georgian residence permit is an official authorisation that allows a foreign national to legally reside in Georgia beyond the visa-free or visa period, for work, business, study, family or investment. It is issued by the Public Service Development Agency, under the Ministry of Justice, and processed at the Public Service Halls (Houses of Justice) as a residence card, which serves as your main legal ID for banking, leases and services. It is important to understand that visa-free entry and the residence permit are different: staying visa-free does not grant the right to work, and it is not the same as legal residence. Georgia is not in the EU or Schengen, so the permit does not allow travel to European countries.

Types of residence permits in Georgia

Georgia’s main routes are:

• Work residence permit: for those employed by a Georgian company or engaged in entrepreneurial activity in Georgia.
• Short-term residence permit: for owners of property in Georgia above a set value.
• Investment residence permit: for those making a qualifying investment, leading to permanent residence.
• Study, family and other permits, plus permanent residence for long-term residents.

There is also a permit route for qualifying IT professionals. Each category has its own conditions and documents.

Who can apply?

The work residence permit is for foreign nationals employed by a company registered in Georgia or by a Georgian business they own. From 2026, most employees must first obtain the new labour permit, the Right to Work, before the residence permit. The employing company generally needs to show a minimum annual turnover for each foreign employee, and the worker’s monthly salary must be at least five times the official subsistence minimum. Property owners, investors and qualifying IT specialists apply under their own routes. Confirm which category fits your situation before you begin.

Do you need a visa first?

Many nationalities can enter Georgia visa-free for up to a year, but that status does not permit employment and is not a form of legal residence. For work, you generally first obtain the Right to Work labour permit, then, if you are abroad, an immigration (D) visa to enter, and then apply for the residence permit at a Public Service Hall inside Georgia. You must be physically present in Georgia to submit a first application, and you should apply well before any visa-free stay would otherwise expire. Confirm your entry requirements before you travel.

Documents you need

Prepare a complete, well-organised package — a first application is submitted in person:

• A valid passport with copies of used pages
• The Right to Work labour permit, where required
• Your employment contract and the employer’s company documents, including proof of turnover
• Proof that your salary meets the minimum multiple of the subsistence figure
• A photograph and, where applying from abroad, the immigration (D) visa
• Supporting documents for your specific route, such as a property extract for owners

Foreign documents generally need to be translated into Georgian and notarised. Confirm the current checklist with the Public Service Development Agency before submitting.

Establish your legal purpose.

Georgia significantly reformed labour migration for 2026. From the start of March 2026, an employer must generally advertise the vacancy on the state jobs portal for at least 10 business days to demonstrate that no suitable Georgian candidate is available; priority is given to local workers, and self-employed applicants may be required to complete a video interview with the employment agency. The employing company must meet the turnover requirement for each foreign employee, and the salary must be at least five times the subsistence minimum. Certain groups — remote workers serving foreign clients, company directors and founders, and qualifying investors — are exempt from the Right to Work. The purpose must be genuine and documented.

Apply for and collect your card.

The first applications are submitted in person at a Public Service Hall in Georgia. After a decision, you collect your residence card, and the card must generally be collected within a set period after approval. There is no long registration window like some countries’ systems; instead, the residence card itself is your proof of legal residence. Keep your details current, and file any renewal well in advance — at least forty days before your permit expires — to avoid a gap in status.

How to get a residence permit in Georgia, step by step

1. Confirm your route — work, property, investment, IT, family or study.
2. For work, the employer advertises the vacancy, and you obtain the Right to Work labour permit.
3. If you are abroad, obtain an immigration (D) visa to enter Georgia.
4. Prepare your documents, translated into Georgian and notarised.
5. Submit your residence permit application in person at a Public Service Hall.
6. Wait for the decision, typically issued within about ten to thirty days.
7. Collect your residence card within the set period after approval.
8. Keep your status current and renew in good time.

Processing time

A residence permit decision is typically issued within about ten to thirty days of a complete application, and the residence card can then be produced quickly — standard service in around ten business days, with faster same-day options at a higher fee. The Right to Work step adds time, including the advertising period. Missing documents will pause the process. Please prepare thoroughly and renew at least 40 days before expiry to maintain your continuous residence.

Government fees and costs

Georgian government fees are low by international standards: the residence card costs around 60 lari for standard processing, rising to around 150 lari or more for faster service, alongside any fee for the labour permit and the immigration visa. Add the cost of Georgian translations and notarisation. Pay only through official channels and keep every receipt. Fees are updated periodically, so confirm the current schedule at a Public Service Hall before you pay.

Validity and renewal

A work residence permit is generally issued for a short initial period — often six months to a year — and is renewable, with the total time on temporary residence permits able to build up over the years. Renew at least forty days before your permit expires, keeping your employment, salary and company documents in order, and, from 2026, maintaining the labour permit where it applies. Because permanent residence is based on continuous years, gaps and lapses can set the clock back, so track your dates carefully.

Changing employer or purpose

Because the work residence permit is tied to your employer and, from 2026, to the labour permit obtained for that job, changing employer generally means obtaining a new Right to Work and a residence permit reflecting the new employment. Moving from a work route to a property, investment, or family route constitutes a change of basis and requires a fresh application. Always keep your work and residence documents aligned, because working outside your permitted basis, or without the required labour permit, can lead to problems at renewal and to penalties.

Benefits of holding a permit

A valid permit gives you legal identity in Georgia and access to banking, leases, and services in a country known for low taxes—including favourable regimes for small businesses and companies—and a low cost of living. It is important to understand, though, that a Georgian residence permit does not give European travel rights, because Georgia is not in the EU or the Schengen Area; the permit is for Georgia. Continuous legal residence counts toward permanent residence and, in time, citizenship, and Georgia’s light bureaucracy makes daily administration straightforward.

Family reunification

Family members of a residence permit holder or a Georgian citizen — a spouse and dependent children — can generally apply for residence on a family basis, showing the family relationship and sufficient means, commonly evidenced by funds in a Georgian bank account. Each family member files their own application with translated, notarised documents. Confirm the current income and documentary requirements before applying, as they are updated from time to time.

Pathway to permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence generally becomes available after ten years of continuous residence on temporary permits, while the investment route can lead to permanent residence sooner. Georgian citizenship by naturalisation generally requires ten years of continuous residence, together with examinations in the Georgian language, history and the basics of law, and Georgia does not generally allow dual citizenship — it is granted only by exception — so you would usually have to give up your previous nationality. See our Georgian citizenship guide.

For professional drivers in Georgia

Georgia sits on important transit routes, and there is genuine freight activity: the country is a key link on the Middle Corridor between Central Asia and Europe, the Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumi handle cargo, the East–West Highway crosses the country, and routes connect Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia. An honest and important point, however: from 2026, Georgia will introduce a Right to Work regime with a labour market test, and the annual quota for taxi drivers and couriers has been set at zero, effectively closing those roles to foreign nationals, while Georgian carriers largely operate cross-border haulage. In practice, work-based residence for driving roles is now heavily restricted for foreigners. If you have a genuine, qualifying Georgian job offer, please confirm the current rules before relying on this route.

• Browse driver vacancies in Georgia.
• Register a driver profile.
• For employers — hire international drivers with compliance support

Residence permits by Georgian region

Georgia has a capital and several regions. The process is the same everywhere — obtain the labour permit where required, apply at a Public Service Hall, and collect your card — but here is what each region offers, especially for drivers.

Tbilisi

The capital and by far the largest job market, the administrative and commercial centre where distribution and business are concentrated. Tbilisi is where most logistics companies, warehouses and head offices are based, and it sits at the meeting point of the routes running east toward Azerbaijan, west toward the Black Sea ports and north toward the Russian border. Driver jobs in Tbilisi.

Adjara

The Black Sea region around Batumi, with a major port, oil terminal and a strong tourism industry, generates transport work. Driver jobs in Adjara.

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti

A western region home to the port of Poti, Georgia’s principal cargo port and a key hub for freight on the Middle Corridor. Driver jobs in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.

Imereti

A central region around Kutaisi, Georgia’s second city, with industry, an international airport and a position on the East–West Highway. Driver jobs in Imereti.

Kvemo Kartli

A southern industrial region around Rustavi on the border with Azerbaijan and Armenia, with manufacturing and cross-border freight. Driver jobs in Kvemo Kartli.

Shida Kartli

A central region around Gori on the East–West Highway, with agriculture and transit traffic across the country. Driver jobs in Shida Kartli.

Kakheti

An eastern region famous for wine and agriculture, on the routes toward the Azerbaijan border, generating farm and goods freight. Driver jobs in Kakheti.

Samtskhe-Javakheti

A southern region toward the Turkish and Armenian borders, on the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway corridor, with cross-border transport. Driver jobs in Samtskhe-Javakheti.

Mtskheta-Mtianeti

A region just north of Tbilisi on the highway toward the Russian border crossing, an important north–south transit route. Driver jobs in Mtskheta-Mtianeti.

Guria

A small western coastal region near the Black Sea, with agriculture and regional transport. Driver jobs in Guria.

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti

A remote mountainous region in the northwest, with agriculture, tourism and local supply transport. Driver jobs in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti.

Related guides

• Europe residence permits — all countries
• Georgian citizenship
• Health insurance in Georgia
• Georgia short-stay visa

Official government sources

• Public Service Development Agency — residence permits.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs — visa and consular services.
• Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs — labour permits.
• Ministry of Justice of Georgia — civil and migration services.

Information only — not legal advice. The Georgian authorities make final decisions, and rules and fees can change without notice. Always verify on the official portals above before you apply or pay anyone.