Residence Permit in Tbilisi, Georgia

Legal help with Georgian residence permits, renewals and refusals. We assist employees, business owners, property buyers, IT professionals, students and families with preparing and presenting their applications.

A residence application needs a clear legal basis and documents that support it. Before you commit to a property purchase, arrange employment or apply through your Georgian business, our immigration lawyers can check whether the proposed application meets the requirements.

We deal with the Public Service Development Agency, coordinate Georgian translations and document formalities, respond to requests for further evidence and represent clients in residence disputes.

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Your current immigration status and the filing deadline

Start with your passport, the date you entered Georgia and the legal basis for your stay. Visa-free entry based on nationality and entry based on another country's visa or residence permit are treated differently.

For many applications, the Agency must be approached at least 40 calendar days before lawful stay expires. Exceptions include short-term property residence, investment residence, IT residence and specified special categories. An exception to this deadline does not, by itself, waive the other conditions for obtaining a permit.

An ordinary C-category visa, or admission based only on a qualifying foreign visa or residence permit, generally does not support an ordinary work, study or family residence application. The law provides exceptions for particular categories, including IT and investment residence. We check the entry basis before preparing the file.

Work residence permits and business owners

Company registration and an employment contract do not, on their own, establish eligibility. The application must demonstrate the employment or business activity relied on and satisfy the applicable financial requirements.

The Agency's published checklist for the ordinary work category includes:

• Monthly income or remuneration of at least five times the subsistence minimum for an average consumer in Georgia. This is a changing statistical amount, rather than a fixed salary figure.
• Annual turnover of at least GEL 50,000 for each foreign applicant at the employing enterprise or the enterprise established by the applicant. The published figure for educational institutions and medical facilities is GEL 35,000 per applicant.
• Documents supporting the employment or entrepreneurial activity, the enterprise's turnover and the number of foreign applicants.

The checklist permits bank-funds evidence in specified circumstances. Its use and the required amount must be assessed against the requested permit period and the rest of the application.

For an LLC owner or Individual Entrepreneur, we review the registration, actual activity, contracts, invoices, tax records, turnover and the applicant's role. Registering a business shortly before filing may leave gaps in the evidence.

The right to work is a separate requirement

The labour-migration framework introduced from 1 March 2026 requires a right to work where the law applies. An employer applies for an employee; a self-employed foreign national applies personally. The law also contains exemptions, including qualifying services connected with a non-resident's activities outside Georgia. The contracts and actual activity determine whether an exemption applies.

Unless an exception applies, a person already in Georgia must apply for the relevant work or IT residence permit within 10 calendar days after obtaining the right to work. A person abroad must apply for a D1 immigration visa within 30 calendar days. These steps also need to fit the applicant's lawful-stay position.

Labour immigrants whose registration in the Ministry's database was active on 1 March 2026 have a specific transitional deadline: they must obtain the right to work and the appropriate residence permit by 1 January 2027. Reliance on that provision requires evidence of the qualifying registration.

IT residence permits

The dedicated IT category covers eligible IT employees, Individual Entrepreneurs with Small Business Status carrying out the prescribed IT activities, authorised managers or representatives of qualifying IT international companies, and qualifying family members.

For the employee and qualifying Individual Entrepreneur categories, the principal evidence includes at least two years of IT experience and at least USD 25,000 equivalent in GEL from qualifying IT work during the preceding year. The published requirements call for evidence of at least two receipts of remuneration, at least 30 days apart.

The rules for representatives of an enterprise with International Company Status have their own document requirements. Virtual Zone Status and International Company Status are different tax statuses; the documents must establish the status actually required for the application.

Where the activity is exempt from the Labour Migration Law, the residence procedure provides for evidence of that exempt activity in place of the right-to-work decision. The permit is initially issued for three years. We can assess the category and supporting evidence before you apply. Further information is available at ITResidency.ge.

Residence through property ownership

A short-term property residence permit is available for qualifying non-agricultural real estate in Georgia with a market value above USD 150,000 equivalent in GEL. The purchase price written in the contract is not the deciding valuation.

The application requires ownership evidence and a valuation by a certified assessor of a body accredited by the Georgian Accreditation Centre. The category also provides for the owner's spouse and children, subject to the applicable documents and conditions.

Before a purchase intended to support residence, we check the title, land category and proposed immigration basis. If you already own the property, send the Public Registry extract and any existing valuation.

The permit is renewable for one year at a time. The law waives a fresh market valuation when the holder retains the property on which the permit was issued. Existing permit holders should have the original grant and renewal position checked before assuming that a new application threshold changes their existing rights.

Investment residence

The investment category requires either a qualifying investment of at least USD 300,000 equivalent in GEL, or qualifying non-agricultural real estate with a market value above USD 300,000 equivalent in GEL. The business-investment and property grounds have different supporting evidence and continuing obligations.

An investment permit may be issued for five years. For a business investment, the continuing turnover requirements are USD 50,000 in the first year, USD 100,000 in the second, and USD 120,000 in each of years three to five, in GEL equivalents. A property-based investor must retain the qualifying ownership, subject to the statutory replacement provisions.

After the qualifying five-year period, the holder and eligible family members may apply for an indefinite residence permit if the relevant conditions are met. The application must be made before the investment permit expires. We review the evidence for the full qualifying period and the applicable family-member definition.

Family reunification and marriage to a Georgian citizen

Family reunification with a foreign resident requires proof of the qualifying relationship and the sponsor's residence status. The published requirements also include evidence of lawful income or qualifying bank funds. For the bank-funds calculation, the ordinary family-reunification checklist uses twice the average-consumer subsistence minimum per month over the requested permit period.

Marriage to a Georgian citizen is now covered by a separate spouse category. The rules effective from 1 September 2026 are already in force. The initial permit is for one year, followed by extensions of two years at a time, up to five years in total. The law provides for permanent residence after the required five years under this category, provided the marriage continues.

An interagency commission can interview the spouses separately or together, examine documents and verify the household, including through a visit. Cooperation with lawful verification requests is part of the procedure. A marriage certificate alone does not settle all the requirements.

Applications lodged before 1 September 2026 need to be checked against the transitional rules. A parent of a minor Georgian citizen or a minor child of a Georgian citizen has a different statutory basis and should be assessed separately.

Study and permanent residence

The study category is for adults enrolled in a higher or vocational educational programme at an authorised Georgian institution. The institution must confirm the programme and expected study period. Financial evidence and the applicant's current immigration position also need to support the application.

The general long-residence basis for permanent residence requires the last ten years under temporary residence permits. Time spent for study or medical treatment, and service at diplomatic or equivalent missions, is excluded from that calculation. Visa-free visits do not replace the required permit history.

Permanent residence through a qualifying family relationship and indefinite residence following qualifying investment are separate legal grounds. We check the actual permit history before advising on long-term eligibility.

Government processing fees

The Agency publishes the following residence-application service options. The days below are calendar days.

These charges are separate from our legal fees, residence-card production, translation, notarisation, property valuation, legalisation and courier costs. A statutory suspension or a request requiring further action can affect completion of the case. We confirm the relevant service option and costs before filing.

Documents and representation

The document list depends on the category. It commonly includes the passport, evidence of lawful stay, employment or business records, a property extract and valuation, educational confirmation, or marriage and birth certificates.

Foreign public documents may require an apostille or consular legalisation unless an applicable treaty provides otherwise. Supporting documents usually need Georgian translation. A passport containing the required personal data in Latin transliteration may be accepted without a Georgian translation.

We can act under a suitable power of attorney and coordinate the application locally. Representation does not remove a requirement to attend an interview, provide biometrics or cooperate with verification. Applicants and permit holders must immediately notify the Agency of changes to their mobile number or actual residential address.

If your residence permit is refused

A residence decision by the Agency is challenged in court within 10 calendar days after service. It is not appealed to a higher administrative official. Keep the complete decision and evidence of when it was served, and arrange legal review immediately.

We examine the stated refusal grounds, the original application, the evidence and the time remaining. A new application on the same basis is subject to a minimum one-month waiting period after the refusal decision. It does not replace a court challenge where an unlawful decision needs to be contested.

An appeal does not, by itself, prevent consideration or enforcement of expulsion. Your right to remain in Georgia must be assessed alongside the litigation. Do not assume that sending a complaint or preparing another application extends lawful stay.

Send the refusal for review →

How our Tbilisi immigration lawyers can help

Send your nationality, current location, last entry date, the basis and expiry of your lawful stay, and the residence ground you want to use. Include any previous permit or refusal and the principal supporting documents already available.

We will identify the eligibility questions, explain what evidence is missing and agree the work and fee before proceeding. Our assistance can include document review, Georgian translations and notarial arrangements, preparation and submission, responses to the Agency, renewals and court representation. The residence decision remains with the competent authority.

Immigration residence and tax residence are separate. If you are also moving a business or your personal tax affairs to Georgia, we can arrange advice on those questions alongside the residence application.

Contact Lawyers.ge +995 555 940 077 · info@lawyers.ge

Official legal sources

• Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, particularly Articles 14–21².
• Law of Georgia on Labour Migration, including the exemptions, work-authorisation provisions and Article 17 transitional rules.
• Government Ordinance No. 416 of 26 August 2026, amending the residence procedure from 1 September 2026.
• Public Service Development Agency: residence documents, fees and service options.