Georgia work residence and right to work in 2026

Georgia materially changed the legal position for foreign workers on 1 March 2026. Most foreign nationals without permanent residence who will work for a Georgian employer, or otherwise carry out covered paid labour in Georgia, must now separate three questions:

  1. do I need the Georgian right to work;
  2. do I need a D1 immigration visa; and
  3. do I qualify for a work residence permit.

One approval does not automatically replace the others.

Who obtains the right to work

Under the Law on Labour Migration, a Georgian employer normally applies for the foreign employee's right to work. A self-employed foreigner uses a different applicant route, covered separately in the freelancer/self-employed guide.

The law also contains exemptions and allows the Government to define additional cases where the labour-migration framework does not apply. Do not assume that every foreign contract, foreign payment or visa-free stay automatically removes the work-right requirement.

After approval: the 30-day and 10-day rules

For a labour migrant who has obtained the right to work:

  • if the person is outside Georgia, the law generally requires an application for a D1 immigration visa within 30 calendar days;
  • if the person is already in Georgia, the law generally requires an application for a work residence permit or qualifying IT residence permit within 10 calendar days.

The same provision contains exceptions, including for people who already hold a qualifying Georgian residence permit and for certain activity performed completely remotely without needing to enter Georgia.

Transitional rule for workers already registered

Foreign labour migrants who had an active registration in the former labour-migration database on 1 March 2026 have until 1 January 2027 to obtain the right to work and the appropriate residence permit.

This transition should not be confused with a general postponement of the new system for new workers.

D1 visa

The Law on the Legal Status of Aliens identifies D1 as the principal immigration-visa category connected with labour activity and entrepreneurial activity. The current 2026 wording must be read together with the Labour Migration Law.

A visa is entry/stay permission. It is not the same document as the right-to-work decision or the residence permit.

Work residence permit

The State Services Development Agency publishes the work-residence requirements. These include proof of lawful stay and the employment or entrepreneurial basis.

Where qualifying income cannot be shown entirely through employment or business documents, SDA says money held in a personal bank account may be considered; the monthly amount, taking account of the requested permit term, must not be less than five times the subsistence minimum for the average consumer.

SDA also publishes a turnover test for the employer or enterprise:

  • normally at least GEL 50,000 annual turnover per foreign applicant;
  • for an educational or medical institution, at least GEL 35,000 per foreign applicant.

SDA currently publishes processing options of 30, 20 and 10 calendar days with different service fees.

Right to work does not equal residence

A frequent mistake is to treat employer registration, tax registration, a Georgian company, a D1 visa and a residence permit as one status. They are separate.

For a founder or independent professional, start with the actual economic activity and beneficiary before choosing between the freelancer/self-employed route, IT residence, or another residence basis.

Related Georgia routes

Editorial note: This page summarises public legal and agency material. Eligibility and exemptions can turn on the employer, activity, contract, existing status and where the work is actually performed.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Georgia