A work residence permit in Georgia used to be one application at one counter. Since 1 March 2026 it is two applications, at two different bodies, in a fixed order. File them in the wrong order, or too late, and you get refused on procedure rather than on merit. Here is what the agency actually asks for, what the new right to work adds on top, and where the file breaks.
What the permit actually is
The work residence permit is one of the temporary categories listed in Article 15 of the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons. It goes to a labour immigrant registered with the Ministry, and to a foreign national carrying out entrepreneurial activity here.
Article 16 gives it an initial term of six months to one year, extendable to a ceiling of twelve years of temporary residence.
It is an immigration status and nothing else. It does not make you a Georgian tax resident, and since March 2026 it does not on its own permit you to work. Tax runs on a separate test, set out in our guide to Georgian tax residency rules.
The permit is now the second application, not the first
Amendments to the Law of Georgia on Labour Migration brought a new block of articles into force on 1 March 2026. They create a separate administrative status: the right to work.
Article 13¹ sets the sequence. A labour immigrant or a self-employed foreign national needs the right to work in order to carry out paid activity in Georgia, and the residence permit sits on top of that rather than replacing it.
A local employer applies for an employee's right to work after concluding a written employment agreement. A self-employed foreign national applies on their own account. Review is capped at 30 calendar days and the service fee at GEL 500.
Two duties follow and both are easy to forget. Extensions have to be applied for 30 days before the current right expires, and any termination, amendment or extension has to be reported within five calendar days.
Labour immigrants who already held active registration on 1 March 2026 were given until 1 January 2027 to hold both the right to work and an appropriate residence permit. That is a hard date, not a rolling grace period.
Who is caught, and who is exempt
A labour immigrant is a foreign national without a permanent residence permit who is employed by a local employer for paid work. The self-employed definition is broader than most people expect: it reaches traders, service providers, independent contractors and company partners who derive benefit from activity carried out in Georgia.
Article 1(4) lists the exemptions:
- refugees and people with supplementary or temporary protection
- asylum seekers registered in Georgia
- staff of diplomatic and consular missions and of international organisations
- accredited foreign journalists
- people covered by a different rule under an international treaty
- holders of a valid investment residence permit
Permanent residence permit holders sit outside the definition entirely, which is why the ten-year route matters more than it looks.
The unsettled case is the remote worker. Article 13¹ contemplates a labour immigrant working remotely for a Georgian employer. It says nothing clean about a person sitting in Tbilisi invoicing a foreign company with no Georgian presence. Get that assessed in writing, because the self-employed limb is drafted broadly.
Which route fits your situation
Not everyone who wants to work here needs the work category. Four other permits in Article 15 suit some people better.
| Permit | Who it fits | Initial term | Work rights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work | Employees of a Georgian employer, and self-employed foreign nationals | 6 months to 1 year | Only alongside a separate right to work |
| IT sector | Foreign staff and IT individual entrepreneurs | 3 years | Only alongside a separate right to work |
| Investment, USD 300,000 or more | Investors in the Georgian economy | 5 years | Exempt from the labour migration rules |
| Family reunification | Family members of a permit holder | 6 months to 1 year | Not included; applied for separately |
| Permanent | Ten years on temporary permits, or spouse or child of a Georgian citizen | Indefinite | Outside the labour immigrant definition |
The IT category is the one most people miss. Three years against six to twelve months, and it reaches individual entrepreneurs with small business status as well as employees. Our wider guide to Georgian residence permit routes compares all of them side by side.
What the agency asks for
Applications go to the Public Service Development Agency. Its published document list and fees is the authoritative checklist, and it is short:
- the approved application form carrying the unique registration code
- a copy of the travel document
- proof of lawful stay in Georgia
- the employment contract or equivalent proof of business activity
- proof of monthly income at not less than five times the subsistence minimum
- a Revenue Service certificate of the employer's annual turnover
- a certificate stating how many foreign nationals in the enterprise are applying
- a 3x4 colour photograph in electronic form
- the fee receipt
Three of those are tests rather than paperwork, and they are where files die.
| Test | The published rule | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Income | Monthly income of at least five times the subsistence minimum | Recompute it every time; the base figure moves monthly |
| Employer turnover | GEL 50,000 per applicant, or GEL 35,000 for educational and medical institutions | Small and newly formed employers fail here first |
| Lawful stay | You must already be in Georgia lawfully when you apply | Overstaying first and applying second does not work |
Geostat publishes the subsistence minimum series monthly, so the income threshold moves with it. Take the current month's figure for a working-age male, multiply by five, and check the contract clears it before anyone signs.
The turnover certificate is the hardest line for a small employer, because GEL 50,000 per foreign applicant scales with every hire. Carve-outs for recently registered enterprises have been amended more than once, so confirm the current list on the agency page the day you file. Producing the certificate cleanly is a job for whoever keeps your books, and we list the accountants worth calling for it.
Fees and how fast the decision comes
The agency publishes three speeds. These are state charges only, with no lawyer, translator or notary included.
| Track | Decision within | Fee | Sensible when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 30 days | 300 GEL | You filed with the full 40 days of runway |
| Expedited | 20 days | 450 GEL | A contract start date is closing in |
| Fast | 10 days | 600 GEL | Your lawful stay is genuinely close to expiry |
Paying double to save twenty days is a tax on bad scheduling, and it does not fix the deadline problem underneath.
The 40-day rule that decides most refusals
The ministerial order setting the procedure for residence permit applications requires you to apply 40 calendar days before your lawful stay in Georgia expires. The same order caps the decision period at 30 days from the point all documents are in.
The 40 days is not advice about being organised. It is an admissibility condition, assessed against the date you file, not the date you started gathering documents.
If your lawful stay ends on 1 October, the application has to be lodged by roughly 22 August. Turn up in mid-September with a perfect file and the answer is still no, and the fee is gone. Anyone arriving on the 365-day visa-free stay should diarise the 40-day date on the day they land.
We research the immigration lawyers working in Tbilisi and rank the ones worth paying. Independently researched, re-checked quarterly, free to read.
See the ranked list
Renewals and what comes after
A first permit at six months feels short, and it is meant to. Renewals reapply the turnover and income tests each time rather than taking them on trust from the previous file.
Article 15 opens permanent residence to someone who has lived in Georgia for the last ten years on temporary permits, with study, medical treatment and diplomatic service periods stripped out of the count. Ten years of work permits counts. Ten years split between study and work does not.
Refusal grounds sit in Article 18: state security concerns, a criminal conviction or pending prosecution within the last five years, forged documents, concealed information, and simple failure to meet the Article 15 requirements. Most refusals we see are the last one. We work through the appeal mechanics in our guide to permit renewals and refusals.
Where files actually fail
Treating company ownership as a work right
Registering a Georgian LLC is quick and proves nothing about your immigration status. Partners fall inside the self-employed definition, so the right to work is a live question for owners as well as employees. Run our note on company registration firms alongside the immigration file, not after it.
Filing for the family at the wrong time
Family reunification permits attach to a principal holder but are assessed on their own evidence. Sequence them badly and a spouse's lawful stay expires while the principal file is still open. The mechanics are in our guide to family residence permits in Georgia.
Assuming the two clocks are synchronised
The right to work and the residence permit have separate expiry dates, separate extension deadlines and separate consequences for lapsing. One calendar with both dates on it prevents most of the damage. Self-employment, partner structures and anything filed close to an expiry date are worth handing to one of the immigration lawyers in Tbilisi who files work permits weekly.
Key takeaways
- Since 1 March 2026 the right to work is a separate status from the work residence permit, granted by a different body, and it comes first.
- The employer applies for an employee's right to work; a self-employed foreign national applies for their own. Review is capped at 30 calendar days, the fee at GEL 500.
- The permit runs six months to one year initially, extendable up to twelve years of temporary residence.
- Agency fees are 300 GEL for 30 days, 450 GEL for 20 days, 600 GEL for 10 days.
- The financial gates are five times the subsistence minimum in monthly income and GEL 50,000 of employer turnover per foreign applicant.
- Apply 40 calendar days before your lawful stay expires. That deadline decides more outcomes than the paperwork does.
- Company partners and the self-employed are inside the rules, not outside them.
FAQ
Do I need a work residence permit to work in Georgia?
If you are working for a Georgian employer or running your own activity here, yes, in almost all cases. Since 1 March 2026 you also need a separate right to work granted under the Law on Labour Migration. Holders of a permanent residence permit or a valid investment residence permit are exempt, along with diplomats, accredited journalists and registered asylum seekers.
What is the difference between the right to work and a work residence permit?
The right to work is permission to carry out the activity, granted under the Law on Labour Migration. The work residence permit is permission to live here, granted by the Public Service Development Agency. They are two applications to two bodies with two expiry dates, and the work right is the prerequisite.
How much does a work residence permit in Georgia cost?
The agency publishes 300 GEL for a decision within 30 days, 450 GEL within 20 days and 600 GEL within 10 days, and the right-to-work service fee is capped by law at GEL 500. Translation, notarisation and legal help are separate and usually larger than the state charges. Confirm the fees on the agency's page before you pay, since they are revised periodically.
How long is a work residence permit valid?
Article 16 sets an initial term of six months to one year, extendable up to an overall ceiling of twelve years of temporary residence. Each renewal reapplies the income and turnover tests rather than carrying them forward. Plan on a short first permit and a longer second one.
Can I get a work residence permit if I own a Georgian company?
Yes, entrepreneurial activity is an accepted basis for the work category. You will need proof of the business activity plus the Revenue Service turnover certificate, and company partners now fall inside the self-employed definition for right-to-work purposes. Owning the company is not itself a work authorisation.
What is the GEL 50,000 turnover requirement?
The agency asks for a Revenue Service certificate showing annual turnover of at least GEL 50,000 per foreign applicant, or GEL 35,000 for educational and medical institutions. It is applied per person, not once for the company, which is what stops most small employers. The rules around newly registered enterprises have been amended more than once, so check the current list on the day you file.
When exactly do I have to apply?
At least 40 calendar days before your lawful stay in Georgia expires. This is a condition of the application, not a scheduling suggestion, and filing later is the most common procedural refusal. The agency then has up to 30 days to decide once the file is complete.
Can I work remotely for a foreign employer without any of this?
The position is not clean, and anyone telling you otherwise is guessing. The rules define self-employment broadly enough to capture contractors and partners deriving benefit from activity carried out in Georgia, and the remote-working provision is written around Georgian employers rather than foreign ones. Get a written opinion on your setup before relying on being outside the rules.
Can my family come with me?
Yes, through a family reunification residence permit, which attaches to your status as the principal permit holder. It carries the same initial term of six months to one year and is assessed on its own documents. It does not include work rights, so a working spouse needs their own route.
What happens if my application is refused?
Article 18 lists the grounds, which run from security concerns and recent criminal proceedings to forged documents and simple failure to meet the Article 15 requirements. A decision on a residence permit can be appealed under general Georgian administrative procedure, but fixing the evidence and refiling is often faster. Understand which limb you failed before you choose.
Does a work residence permit lead to permanent residence?
It can. Permanent residence is open to someone who has lived in Georgia for the last ten years on temporary permits, with study, medical treatment and diplomatic service periods excluded from the count. Years on a work permit do count toward it. Gaps between permits are what quietly resets people, which is why renewal dates matter more than they seem to.