Residence Permit Georgia
What are the benefits?
- Unrestricted stay in a friendly and low-cost nation
- Easy application process
- Simplified access to key services
Georgia is a modern and rapidly developing country with a rich history and traditions, gorgeous landscape, superb food, low taxes, a low cost of living, and one of the world’s lowest crime rates. It is strategically located in the Caucasus area and serves as a hub for businesses seeking to reach both European and Asian markets (Including free trade regimes)
Georgia has one of the world’s most permissive visa policies for expats, digital nomads, and freelancers. There are relatively few nations whose representatives require a visa to visit Georgia. Most countries are exempt from visa requirements.
The following nations’ residents have the right to enter and remain in Georgia without a visa for a full year. Furthermore, holders of visas or resident permits from following countries may come and remain in Georgia without a visa for 90 calendar days in any 180-day period, according to Governmental Ordinance #256. Even if a visa is required, the process is fairly straightforward and takes very little time.
However, if you intend to stay in this welcoming nation for an extended period of time, a need for residency permit may arise.
A Georgian residence permit entitles you to the following benefits:
- Right to unrestricted stay in the beautiful, welcoming and affordable country (See Numbeo ranking)
- Without work permits or other paperwork, you have the right to engage in any legitimate activity, such as doing business, working, learning, or just retiring.
- Path to citizenship (As of 2022, the Georgian passport ranks 48th in the world and permits visa-free travel to 116 countries and territories, including the EU (Schengen) nations, the majority of CIS countries, Iran, and Turkey.)
- Residents of Georgia have easier access to the Georgian banking system since the procedure of interacting with banks is simplified.
- Legal home – For individuals from nations without a double taxation treaty with Georgia, both legal residency and tax residency play a crucial role in showing Georgia as their home and reducing taxes from their country of origin.
- Access to some key services – For example, if you apply for a visa in Georgia for many countries, being a resident or citizen of Georgia is a requirement..
- Furthermore, Georgian residents are not required to serve in the military.
Obtaining a residency permit often takes less than a month. Once your petition is granted, you will be able to obtain your Georgian residency permit within a few days. Only the bare minimum of documentation is necessary. There is no need to give police certificates, proof of address, tax records, or other documentation.
The Ministry of Justice of Georgia issues a residency card to the applicant, which, if temporary, must be renewed on a regular basis. Permanent residence is not up to renewal. A residence permit can also be provided to family members of a resident.
The residency permit is provided after 30 working days if all of the documentation is in order. A special residency permit is provided after 10 working days. If you need your permission as soon as possible, you must pay an additional fee for expedited processing.
Document submission is only permitted in Georgian, with translations notarized.
Important Details
- You must apply for a residence permit at least 40 days before your permitted stay in Georgia expires. The same rules apply to extending a residence permit.
- All first applications must be submitted from within Georgia. Renewals of existing permits can be made online from outside of Georgia, as long as the previous permit is still valid at the time of application.
- Individuals who need a visa to enter Georgia and come with a C-1 (tourist) visa or those who arrive based on a visa or residency permit from a designated country are not eligible to apply for residency while holding such a visa.
Please keep in mind that acquiring a Georgian residence permit does not imply gaining Georgian tax residence status, which requires spending at least 183 days in Georgia or obtaining tax residence under the High Net Worth Individual program. Georgia’s preferential taxation of persons based on territory, as well as foreign-sourced income not being taxable in Georgia even for tax residents, do not apply automatically in this scenario.
Obtaining the Residence Permit Is Easy
Let us guide you through the process
Type of Residence Permits in Georgia
Work – a foreign person who comes to Georgia to engage in business or labor operations. You can apply with an employment agreement, as an LLC owner, or as a sole entrepreneur (See more on how to register an individual entrepreneur in Georgia here). The firm for which you work must have had a revenue of at least 50,000 GEL in the previous 12 months per foreigner in the company. Exceptions apply to educational and medical establishments.
Short-term, dependent on property ownership – Get residence if you own property worth $100,000 USD or more. The application may contain family residency (spouse and dependents).
Investment – If you invest $300,000 in Georgia real estate, company, or other investments (excluding agricultural land), you and your family can apply for 5 years of temporary residency. If additional conditions based on the type of investment have been satisfied, you can transfer that to permanent residency after 5 years of keeping that investment.
For family reunification – You can sponsor your spouse or dependent if you hold a Georgian residence card or citizenship. Apostilled birth or marriage certificates are necessary.
Educational – You need a statement of enrollment from a Georgia-accredited educational institution.
Permanent – A Permanent Residence Permit is valid for an infinite period of time. It is issued to a foreigner who has had a temporary residence permit in Georgia for the previous six years. It is also given to people who have had the previously described Investment Residence Permit for five years. Only after this 5-year term may the investor apply for this form of residency visa.
Special and other cases – a) for a former Georgian citizen b) For foreign citizen who might be a victim of human trafficking c) for an officially proclaimed stateless person d) For a foreigner when a member of the Georgian government presents a written initiative for the issue of a temporary residency permit
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