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Georgian work permit 2026: what changes for overseas professionals

Mariam

RegHub Georgia Specialist

Foreign professionals in Georgia face revised employment and business rules from 1 March 2026. Parliament has tightened regulatory supervision of migrant employment and replaced basic registration with prior state approval. Under the former framework, visa-free entrants could take local positions or register as entrepreneurs after completing only basic registration. Almost every foreign professional must now obtain a Georgian work permit before undertaking paid work or providing services.

This guide explains the current statutory rules and every stage of online filing. It also sets out the state charges, transitional dates and specific conditions required of overseas specialists and local employers for a lawful work arrangement. The filing party, required evidence and subsequent residence stage are addressed for each applicant category.

How the new framework created a distinct work status

Georgia has replaced simple notification with an authorisation regime for its labour market. The main practical change is that neither visa-free admission nor an entry stamp provides a legal basis for earning income. Lawful immigration status does not itself confer Georgian work authorisation.

Prior authorisation is mandatory under the country's Labour Migration Law before a foreign national takes a paid assignment or supplies a service. A valid passport from a visa-exempt state may establish lawful presence, but it does not authorise professional activity.

In this context, the term labour immigrant covers an individual without permanent residence who plans to take employment, run a business or supply services. The activity becomes lawful only when the required data have been entered in the unified state electronic database and the competent body has issued the relevant administrative decision.

Who needs work authorisation

Foreign nationals are generally covered when they receive Georgian-source remuneration or physically carry out professional duties in Georgia. Approval applies irrespective of the contract type or form of presence. Verification therefore covers locally hired employees, people working independently, business owners and contractors accepting individual assignments. To avoid risk and delay, applicants should identify the correct category and assemble the corresponding set of documents before applying for a Georgian work permit.

The table matches each principal form of work to its filing arrangement.

Online professionals residing locally and serving Georgian organisations also fall within the regime. Working remotely does not alter the result: physical presence in Georgia makes authorisation mandatory for an overseas remote worker.

Statutory exemptions from the authorisation procedure

The legislation provides an exhaustive set of grounds on which particular professionals do not have to complete the standard electronic verification procedure. Each category has defined criteria, ranging from the way in which the duties are performed to the applicant's particular public status.

For Georgian work permit purposes, the following categories are exempt:

• asylum seekers registered in Georgia;

• professionals who serve a Georgian employer wholly from abroad and have no need to enter the country;

• service providers engaged by a non-resident for operations conducted abroad, except an independent entrepreneur who needs residence status as the legal basis for staying;

• special-residence holders granted that status on a Government member's written initiative;

• persons performing professional duties for public institutions or enterprises in which the state has a share;

• managers and executives of Category I–III organisations and public-interest entities, as well as members of audit committees;

• professionals engaged for the restoration, conservation or rehabilitation of cultural heritage sites;

• holders of temporary-stay rights under Article 60 of the Georgian Law governing the legal status of aliens and stateless persons; and

• people whose qualifying short professional assignments occupy an aggregate maximum of four months in any calendar year and who use the free simplified route.

Before starting work, applicants must check their status against the current subordinate legislation. Government Resolution No. 70 is amended periodically, so exempt categories and the final authorisation conditions for a particular case may change.

Application responsibilities and the electronic procedure

Responsibility for filing depends on the applicant's working status. Under the Georgian work permit requirements, a host company that hires an overseas national is under a strict duty to obtain the authorisation. The company completes the forms, uploads its corporate particulars and signs the contract with the overseas employee. Employees cannot initiate the procedure through their personal accounts.

The route is different for independent professionals: entrepreneurs, freelancers and consultants complete every stage themselves. Applicants deal directly with the competent authority and upload proof of business registration. They must also show that the business is genuinely operating.

Using the government portal

Processing is electronic, so applicants need not attend a public office and decisions can be made sooner. The portal at labourmigration.moh.gov.ge integrates the records of companies, employees, entrepreneurs and independent contractors. Five filing stages follow, each forming part of the required electronic procedure.

Application fees

The applicable rules prescribe both the charge for each route and the period allowed for the decision. Ordinary processing costs GEL 200; accelerated review carries a GEL 400 charge. An extension under the ordinary timetable is also GEL 200.

The fee is paid electronically upon final submission of the form, either through the portal's integrated payment facility or at a bank branch using the stated details. A receipt is generated automatically and added to the electronic case. The charge depends on the selected processing timetable, and the fee stage ends once payment is made.

Documents required for a Georgian work permit

Accurate preparation matters because a technical mismatch or translation error may suspend review. Officials check whether the applicant's status is properly evidenced, notarisation is correct and all mandatory particulars are present. Applicants should therefore assemble the complete file in advance.

The Georgian work permit requirements include:

• a valid foreign passport with at least six months remaining before expiry;

• an officially registered employment contract stating the salary and employment terms;

• a company extract from Georgia's Public Registry;

• an entrepreneur-registration certificate;

• evidence of qualifications, including diplomas and professional certificates;

• financial statements and account records showing genuine business activity and regular income; and

• a colour electronic photograph in the prescribed format.

The applicant must arrange a translation of every foreign document into the state language and have it notarised. If this rule is not observed, the authority returns the application without examining its substance.

Georgian work permit validity, renewal and employer changes

Initial approval normally corresponds to the contract term but cannot exceed one year. Continuation requires the holder to submit another request 30 days or more before expiry, together with updated documents and the relevant fee.

Changing employer automatically terminates the previous authorisation. The incoming company must repeat the complete process and obtain fresh approval for its overseas hire. Working for the new company under the former Georgian work permit is strictly prohibited by law.

Employer turnover and financial eligibility thresholds

Government authorities assess the contractual relationship and the parties' actual financial position. Company turnover must reach GEL 50,000 a year for each foreign professional engaged.

Educational and medical institutions are subject to a reduced threshold of GEL 35,000. Pay is tested separately: the employee's contractual income must reach five times the statutory average-consumer subsistence minimum. When the holder of a Georgian work permit submits the documents required for work-based residence, the authorities automatically verify compliance with both financial conditions.

Rules for particular applicant categories

People working independently and registered entrepreneurs undergo enhanced verification. A foreign entrepreneur must prove that the business is genuinely operating and that taxes are being paid. Merely purchasing a legal address or holding a shell company with no movement of funds through its bank account will result in refusal of a Georgian work permit.

The same underlying approach applies to remote professionals. An overseas national based in Tbilisi or Batumi and working online for a local entity needs remote-work approval. Their physical presence in Georgia brings the arrangement within the ordinary migration rules.

Citizens of visa-exempt states may remain for as long as 365 days without obtaining an entry authorisation, but cannot conduct commercial activity without work approval. Once that approval is secured, an eligible person may seek residence from inside Georgia without departing first.

Visa nationals follow a fixed sequence. They complete the electronic procedure first and receive formal work approval. That document supports the subsequent application at an embassy or consulate for an immigration visa in category D1; the temporary residence card comes afterwards.

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Transition rules, liability and appeals

While migration authorities and employers adapt to the reform, the state has set a regularisation timetable and enforcement measures. The revised framework governs continued activity during that period.

Existing workers and the transitional deadline

Professionals already working before the reform receive transitional protection. Eligibility required the health ministry's unified database to show active registration as at 1 March 2026. Work may continue temporarily on the former basis, but every existing worker must complete the full procedure and obtain the correct status during 2026.

All current workers must satisfy the Georgian work permit requirements before 1 January 2027. Each professional must submit every mandatory document, receive approval and establish the correct migration status. Missing the deadline makes the activity unlawful and deprives the existing employment contract of legal effect.

Penalties, refusal grounds and appeals

Non-compliance attracts an administrative monetary penalty for every participant in the working relationship. Even a single instance of performing or organising activity without the required approval attracts a sanction. For arranging unauthorised work, the company receives a fine, while the authority imposes a separate monetary penalty on the foreign professional under the applicable Administrative Offences Code.

An application may be rejected, or the legal status cancelled, in any of these circumstances:

• incomplete information or documents are not corrected within ten calendar days, or the deficiencies are not corrected on the first attempt;

• an extension application is filed outside the prescribed period;

• an approved quota is exceeded, no places remain under the occupational quota, or the role is inconsistent with real labour-market demand;

• the authorities have ordered expulsion or opened the corresponding administrative proceedings;

• documents proving that the financial eligibility criteria are met have not been supplied;

• the complete set of mandatory migration-registration documents is not provided;

• a self-employed individual does not confirm the completed application, attend the required video interview or present the original passport.

An applicant receiving an adverse decision may appeal to a higher administrative authority or a court. The challenge does not postpone departure once the applicant's permitted stay has expired.

Tax position of a foreign professional

Formal employment approval brings corresponding tax obligations. For employees, the principal charge is personal income tax, which the employer withholds and remits at the standard rate of 20%. Reporting for a Georgian work permit holder must record every payment.

Individual entrepreneurs may qualify for preferential regimes. Small-business status carries a 1% tax on gross income while yearly turnover remains within GEL 500,000. The foreign entrepreneur must file returns on time through the taxpayer's online account. Tax residence arises automatically after the individual spends more than 183 days in Georgia during any consecutive 12-month period.

Comparing the rules before and after March 2026

The Parliament and Government of Georgia changed the way foreign professionals are authorised. Instead of the former emphasis on basic registration, the Georgian labour migration rules now form part of a controlled approval regime.

The main differences appear below.

Under the revised authorisation system, three matters form a single regulatory sequence: authorisation for economic activity, the company's financial position and the professional's migration status.

Conclusion

Migrant professionals now deal with the authorities through a procedure governed by the Georgian work permit requirements. A single online portal, corporate turnover thresholds and a fixed transition deadline require careful coordination. Where applicable, the applicant proceeds from timely verification to a D1 filing or employment-based residence application. Following that sequence is necessary to avoid administrative penalties and preserve lawful grounds for both business activity and residence.