Work Permit (WP) in Georgia for Foreigners: Who Needs One and How to Get It in 2026

A work permit in Georgia is required for a foreigner who has registered a business and pays taxes inside the country, or whose activity requires physical presence in Georgia — not for Georgian citizens as such.

In short

• A work permit is unnecessary only for those working exclusively with clients unconnected to Georgia — everyone else needs some form of legalization.
• An LLC director obtains a WP as a self-employed person, not as a labor migrant, and can be dismissed without HR procedures.
• Marking “not planning to travel” when applying for a WP permanently blocks the path to a residence permit via that permit — a new application is required.
• For a WP, a company must confirm turnover of at least 50,000 GEL, except for firms younger than 3 months or with no more than 3 staff.
• The quota for foreign employees without extra requests is 5 per company, and posting a job vacancy is no longer required.

Who Needs a Work Permit: Sole Proprietors, Remote Work, Georgian and Foreign Clients

Whether a work permit (WP) is required depends on three factors: where the foreign entrepreneur or employee lives, where their clients are located, and whether physical presence in Georgia is necessary. These three variables produce several different scenarios, and the labor migration law does not apply to all of them.

A foreign sole proprietor living in Georgia:

• with Georgian clients — needs both a work permit and a residence permit or a D1 visa;
• with exclusively foreign clients unconnected to Georgia — needs neither a work permit nor a residence permit: the labor migration law does not apply to such an entrepreneur at all.

A sole proprietor living abroad:

• with foreign (non-Georgian) counterparties — no work permit or residence permit required;
• a Georgian sole proprietorship registered in Georgia but run from abroad, with Georgian counterparties, where no presence on Georgian territory is needed for the activity — a work permit is still required, but a residence permit or D1 visa for activation is not.

Remote work under an employment contract. If a foreigner is formally employed by a Georgian company under a labor contract but stays outside Georgia and has no plans to travel there as part of their duties, the labor migration law does not apply — no work permit is needed in this case.

The status of a sole proprietor or an individual working under a service agreement is assessed by the same criteria — presence in the country and the Georgian origin of the clientele, not the formal type of contract.

LLC Founder and Director: When a Work Permit and Residence Permit Are Needed

A founder of a Georgian LLC does not need a work permit: the labor migration law does not apply to founders. The situation is different for a director — for the company to operate at all, the director must hold at least a work permit.

Whether the director also needs a residence permit depends on the nature of the work. If the job requires presence in Georgia — travel, personal involvement in on-site processes — the director needs a residence permit as well. If the director manages the company remotely and physical presence in Georgia isn’t required, neither a residence permit nor a D1 visa is needed. This conclusion is debatable, but it reflects the practice in question.

The logic stems from the director’s own status. A director is not considered a hired employee and does not work under a labor contract — the Labor Code of Georgia does not apply to them. Instead of an employment contract, a director is given a task-based contract — an agreement to perform a specific task rather than ongoing employment. The practical consequence: a director can be dismissed without notice and without following HR procedures, unless the contract explicitly states otherwise. A separate severance payment upon dismissal is only possible if it was fixed in advance in the contract — but the typical situation is the opposite: in most cases, no contract is signed with the director at all, or the arrangement is verbal, or a formal contract exists solely for payroll purposes.

A director can be dismissed without notice and without following HR procedures, unless the contract explicitly states otherwise.

Because the Labor Code doesn’t apply to the director, they obtain a work permit not as a labor migrant but as a self-employed person — following the same logic applied to sole proprietors.

Two Types of Work Permit and the Changes to the Law Since March 1

The labor migration law splits the work permit (WP) into two application tracks: for the self-employed and for labor migrants. The difference lies in who files the application. A self-employed person applies on their own behalf, while for an employed migrant, the employer company files the application.

Since the law took effect on March 1, around seven or eight major changes have been made to the rules. One of the main ones is the split of the WP by activation type into two options.

When filling out the form on the portal, the applicant — whether self-employed or an employed migrant — must indicate whether they plan to physically travel to Georgia as part of their activity. If the answer is “no,” the WP is activated immediately, with no conditions attached. If the answer is “yes,” the permit is activated only after the applicant obtains labor-type legalization — a visa or a residence permit.

Here lies the risk: a WP activated under the “not planning to travel” option does not grant the right to obtain a residence permit or visa on its basis — the very logic of this permit type does not assume physical presence in Georgia. In practice, there are many cases where a person initially selected “no” and then changed their mind, or the company’s business model shifted. As a result, when filing for a residence permit, migration authorities either refuse to accept the application or deny it outright — because the applicant doesn’t hold the right type of work permit. Such applicants have to go through the entire procedure again and obtain a second WP — this time marked with an intention to travel to Georgia.

A WP activated under the “not planning to travel” option does not grant the right to obtain a residence permit or visa on its basis

Work Permit Validity Period and Its Link to the Residence Permit

The minimum period for which a work permit is issued is 6 months: authorities are not entitled to issue the document for a shorter term. This restriction does not apply to a residence permit — in practice, there have been cases of a residence permit issued for less than six months.

The terms of the WP and the residence permit are tightly linked. If a work permit is tied to a residence permit, the residence permit is issued for exactly the same period as the work permit. This also works the other way around: if a person already holds a valid residence permit, the work permit is issued for the remainder of that permit’s validity.

For the labor-type legalization track, the work permit is activated only after legalization is obtained — a visa, a residence permit, or an existing residence permit already held. Until legalization is in place, the permit cannot be activated: activation of the work permit happens based on obtaining a separate document confirming legal stay in the country.

Company Turnover Requirements for Obtaining a Work Permit

To get a work permit, a company turnover certificate is now required: if it doesn’t show turnover above 50,000 GEL, the WP is denied specifically on that basis.

There are two exceptions to this rule:

• the company has been registered for less than 3 months — turnover confirmation isn’t required, as long as less than that period has passed since registration;
• the staff has no more than 3 employees — this also applies to sole proprietors, since an individual entrepreneur can also hire staff. In that case, there’s no obligation to confirm income.

Even when turnover confirmation isn’t required, the certificate itself still has to be uploaded into the system — with zero figures entered: without filling in that field, the application simply cannot be submitted.

Additionally, a VAT payer status certificate is required in all cases. If the company is not a VAT payer — for example, an LLC not registered as such — turnover cannot be shown through that certificate. In that case, turnover is confirmed via bank account statements.

Quotas on Foreign Employees and Employment Contract Requirements

A quota of 5 foreign employees per company applies — that many can be hired without any additional requests. Previously, hiring required posting a job vacancy and waiting 10 days — that procedure was scrapped and replaced with the quota.

If a company has more than five foreign employees on staff, it must request additional quotas. The law does provide an exception regarding the ratio of foreign to local staff, but it applies only to companies with 100 or more employees — at smaller headcounts, this exception is not relevant.

For each foreign employee hired, the company must confirm turnover of 50,000 GEL — the requirement doesn’t apply to companies younger than 3 months with no more than three staff members, where the director counts as an employee. If the director is themselves a foreigner, up to two more foreign employees can be hired alongside them.

A mandatory condition for filing a WP application is an employment contract signed with an electronic signature or stamp. A company director or sole proprietor can only obtain an electronic signature cheaply if they hold a residence permit: in that case the setup is inexpensive — the device costs 30 GEL, and signature activation costs another 10 GEL.

If the responsible person doesn’t have a residence permit, the only remaining option is a company-level electronic signature, which costs noticeably more — around 400 GEL.

Short-Term Residence Permit for New Companies Without Turnover

The short-term residence permit was introduced as a separate path for new companies that physically cannot have turnover yet: it allows obtaining a labor-based residence permit without a company turnover certificate. It’s available to a company registered no more than 3 months ago with no more than three employees. This requires a certificate confirming that only these three employees work at the company — issued by an authorized person, the director or chief accountant.

The short-term residence permit is issued for 6 months, and this type cannot be used twice: a second application isn’t accepted. This six-month window should be used to the fullest to grow the company’s turnover and manage to apply for a regular residence permit under the general scheme — with confirmed turnover — in time. It’s also important to factor in the time needed to obtain the work permit: it’s the first stage toward a residence permit, and without it, moving on to the residence permit itself isn’t possible.

Renewing a Work Permit, Processing Times, and the Interview

An application to renew a work permit must be filed 1 month before its expiry. If the WP was issued on January 1, the renewal application must be filed no later than the end of May.

A mandatory part of the process is an interview, conducted in English or Georgian. In practice, interview invitations are often sent just a few hours before the appointment — sometimes only an hour ahead. That’s why it’s worth checking email regularly, including the spam folder: there have been cases where an applicant didn’t receive the interview link precisely because of a spam filter, and had to prove to support staff that the problem wasn’t on their end.

In practice, interview invitations are often sent just a few hours before the appointment — sometimes only an hour ahead.

The application processing time is one of two options: 30 calendar days or 10 business days. If the deadline is approaching and no notification has arrived, it’s best to call support a day or two in advance to confirm the link was actually sent.

The original passport must be brought to the interview — not a domestic ID, not a copy, not a photocopy, not a photo. The law explicitly requires the original document, and a notarized copy does not qualify: this is one of the common causes of lost time and money on retakes.

If a work permit application is denied, a repeat application for the same activity can only be filed after 1 month — 30 calendar days must pass in any case, plus the filing fee has to be paid again. A work permit is issued for one specific activity only, so a repeat application for a different activity is not bound by that same restriction.

In case of denial on the grounds of a threat to the Georgian state (based on a security services opinion), stricter appeal rules apply: the deadline to file a court appeal was shortened from 30 to 10 days. In practice, courts review such appeals in writing, without a court hearing. Previously, an investigation was required for a denial on this ground — now, according to available information, a reasonable suspicion that a person may pose a threat to the state is enough for a denial.

What You Need for the Work Permit Interview

• Original passportrequireda copy, photocopy, or notarized copy does not qualify
• Readiness to answer in English or Georgianrequiredthe interview is conducted in one of these languages
• Regular email checks, including the spam folderrequiredthe interview link may be sent an hour before the appointment
• Call support if the notification is delayeda day or two before the processing deadline expires

When a Residence Permit Can Be Obtained Without a Work Permit

The labor migration law allows applying for a residence permit without a work permit — but only for those to whom the law doesn’t apply at all. Formally, such an application requires a certificate confirming that a work permit isn’t required for the person. In practice, no such certificate exists: neither the issuing authority nor its form has been defined anywhere, and the matter remains unresolved.

So only people with a specific document confirming an exemption can claim a labor-type residence permit without a work permit — not anyone who simply decides the law doesn’t apply to them. One example of such a document is permanent residency (PR): formally, this grants the right to a residence permit without a WP, though there’s little point in such a filing for someone who already holds permanent residency. Another category is diplomatic staff: the law also allows them to apply for a residence permit without a work permit.

Separately from the residence permit question is the issue of working at all without a work permit. The exemption from the labor migration law covers anyone working with foreign counterparties and clients unconnected to Georgia — in that case no permit is needed at all. If a short-term residence permit application isn’t an option for someone — say, the project was registered less than 2 years ago — the only remaining way to obtain a work permit through the regular route is to build turnover of at least 50,000 US dollars a year specifically from work with such foreign clients (this is a separate threshold in dollars, not the same as the GEL threshold for companies). In practice, no other way around this requirement has been seen.

A separate problem concerns sole proprietors on a flat tax: since such a sole proprietor doesn’t record turnover, it can’t be confirmed via an income certificate. One option is to obtain a certificate confirming the sole proprietor is not a VAT payer and confirm turnover through a bank statement, but this criterion usually applies precisely to sole proprietors with low turnover — who still can’t reach the required 50,000 dollars. As a result, sole proprietors on a flat tax generally cannot obtain a work permit this way in practice.

Work Permit for IT Specialists (ITNG)

A work permit under the ITNG program is issued for 3 years — in most cases, exactly that term, though one-year approvals also occur. A separate category, ITVNG, has recently also started being issued for 3 years, so the difference between the two options has essentially disappeared.

The main reason for denials isn’t the eligibility for ITNG itself, but an incomplete document package: applicants fail to confirm income the way the procedure requires. The key requirement is an annual income of at least 25,000 US dollars. It can be confirmed in three ways: as an individual, as a sole proprietor, or as an LLC partner who earned that amount.

An income certificate is needed for this, and it must meet a number of requirements:

• the income must come specifically from activity in the IT field;
• there must be a gap of more than 30 days between the payments (tranches) used to confirm turnover;
• the certificate must state at least 2 years of work experience;
• an activity code must be stated — Georgian or the international ISIC code (for IT — code 25);
• the payment schedule and method must be specified;
• payments must go through a bank account, preferably a Georgian one;
• the payment purpose must explicitly state that it’s payment for a service or for labor, not a transfer between individuals;
• the certificate must be notarized and apostilled if necessary — the specific requirement depends on the issuing country;
• the person who signed the certificate must have the authority to do so: if it’s a company director, a notarized company extract is additionally required.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if a WP is already activated under the “not planning to travel” option but plans change and a residence permit is needed

You need to go through the entire procedure again and obtain a second WP — this time marked with an intention to travel to Georgia. A WP activated under the “not planning to travel” option does not grant the right to obtain a residence permit or visa on its basis, so migration authorities either refuse to accept the residence permit application or deny it.

Can an LLC director be dismissed without severance and without notice

Yes, because the director works under a task-based contract rather than an employment contract, and the Labor Code of Georgia doesn’t apply to them — they can be dismissed without notice and without HR procedures unless the contract explicitly states otherwise. A separate severance payment is only owed if it was fixed in advance in the contract.

What if a company isn’t a VAT payer and can’t confirm turnover via a certificate

In that case, turnover is confirmed through bank account statements instead of a VAT payer status certificate. A VAT payer status certificate is required in any case, but if the company isn’t registered as a VAT payer, turnover cannot be shown through it.

Can you reapply for a short-term residence permit if it’s about to expire and the company’s turnover still isn’t built up

No, this type of residence permit cannot be used twice — a second application isn’t accepted. That’s why the allotted six months should be used to the fullest to build up turnover in time to apply for a regular residence permit under the general scheme with confirmed turnover.

How much does an electronic signature for a WP application cost if the director doesn’t have a residence permit

In that case, the only option is a company-level electronic signature, which costs noticeably more — around 400 GEL. With a residence permit, a director or sole proprietor can get a personal electronic signature more cheaply: the device costs 30 GEL, and activation costs another 10 GEL.

Can you get a work permit without confirmed turnover if you only work with foreign clients and the short-term residence permit isn’t an option

The only remaining option is to build turnover of at least 50,000 US dollars a year specifically from work with such foreign clients. This is a separate threshold in dollars, which doesn’t match the 50,000 GEL threshold for companies working with Georgian clients.

What happens if you bring a notarized copy of your passport to the work permit interview instead of the original

Such a copy doesn’t qualify — the law explicitly requires the original document, and notarization doesn’t substitute for that. This is one of the common causes of lost time and money on retakes, so you need to bring the original passport specifically to the interview.

Can you appeal a work permit denial within 10 days regardless of the reason

No, the shortened 10-day appeal deadline applies only to denials on the grounds of a threat to the Georgian state, based on a security services opinion. In practice, courts review such appeals in writing, without a court hearing.