Georgia Work Residence Permit 2026: The New Rules
If you registered a Georgian Individual Entrepreneur any time this year and tried to work out whether you needed a work permit, you may have gotten three different answers depending on when you checked. That is because the rules genuinely changed three times in five months — in March, April, and July 2026. Here is where things actually stand right now.
Who Is Exempt Under Law №1509
The April 2026 law identified four categories of people who fall outside the Right to Work requirement entirely:
If you are a foreign national physically based in Georgia, running a Georgian Individual Entrepreneur, and all of your clients are outside Georgia — you likely fall under the second exemption above. If any meaningful portion of your work is for Georgian clients, you are likely still in scope for the permit requirement. This distinction — client location, not just your own location — is the detail most other summaries miss.
The 50,000 GEL Question: Removed, or Just Moved?
This is the most confusing point in the entire reform, and different sources describe it differently. Here is the most conservative, best-supported reading:
The 50,000 GEL annual turnover requirement (used to demonstrate genuine business activity as part of a work residence permit application) was taken out of the primary statute. However, Decree No. 317, adopted 9 July 2026, retained a version of this figure at the decree level — as an alternative form of evidence used when a standard income certificate cannot be produced.
In plain terms: the 50,000 GEL test has not been abolished. It has been repositioned as a fallback evidentiary option rather than the primary universal requirement. Anyone telling you it was simply "removed" is oversimplifying a more nuanced change.
The New Start-Up Carve-Out — a Genuine Partial Fix
This is the part that most directly addresses the old "catch-22" — the problem where a brand-new Individual Entrepreneur with no revenue history could not satisfy the turnover test to get a permit, but also could not lawfully earn revenue without one.
Decree No. 317 introduced a specific exception for very new businesses:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | An enterprise no more than 3 months old, employing no more than 3 foreign nationals, applying for a work permit for the first time |
| What changes | The applicant may submit an internal company certificate in place of the usual formal income/turnover certificate |
| The trade-off | The resulting permit is valid for 6 months only — not the standard longer validity period |
| After 6 months | You would need to reapply under the standard route, which likely requires the usual evidentiary documentation by that point |
This is a genuine, practical improvement for new arrivals — but it is a temporary bridge, not a permanent exemption from the turnover question. Plan for what happens at the 6-month mark before you rely on this route.
Costs and Processing Times
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard self-employed application | Approx. 200 GEL, 30-day processing |
| Expedited self-employed application | Approx. 400 GEL, 10 working days |
| Statutory maximum fee | 500 GEL |
| First-offence penalty for working without authorization | 2,000 GEL (applies to both the individual and, where relevant, the engaging party) |
| Repeat offences | Higher penalties — escalating |
| Transition deadline | Those already in the labour-migration database as of 1 March 2026 had until 1 January 2027 to fully comply |
What This Means Practically, Depending on Your Situation
| Your situation | Likely position |
|---|---|
| New to Georgia, no revenue history, foreign clients only | Likely exempt under the foreign-client carve-out in Law №1509 — confirm your specific fact pattern |
| New, business under 3 months old, need proof of activity fast | The start-up route in Decree No. 317 may work — remember the 6-month limit |
| Operating 12+ months, have Georgian-sourced income | Likely still fully in scope — the standard route, including some form of income evidence, still applies |
| Company founder/director only, not drawing a salary | Likely exempt under the founder/director carve-out — confirm your specific corporate role |
| Remote employee of a Georgian company, physically abroad | Likely exempt — this exemption is aimed specifically at your situation |
What Is Still Unclear
Being direct about the limits of current clarity: the specific list of activities that qualify for the "short-term project work" exemption was still pending in a separate implementing decree as of the most recent update available. If your situation depends on that category specifically, this is worth checking with an adviser before assuming you are covered.
What to Do Right Now
1. Work out which category you actually fall into. Are your clients Georgian or foreign? Are you a founder, an employee, or self-employed? This determines everything else.
2. If you are new and short on revenue history, ask about the start-up route. But plan now for what you will need at the 6-month mark.
3. Do not assume the 50,000 GEL question is gone. It has moved, not disappeared — keep documenting your turnover regardless of which exemption you believe applies to you.
4. Get a same-fact-pattern review before relying on any exemption. This area of law has changed three times this year. A general summary — including this one — is not a substitute for a review of your specific situation.
For the broader picture of the March 2026 reforms — who needs the permit, the two-stage application process, and the transition deadlines — see our earlier guide: Georgia Work Permit 2026: What Foreign Entrepreneurs Need to Know. This article you're reading now covers what changed since then.
Questions We Get Asked a Lot
Click any question to expand.
Do I still need a work permit if all my clients are outside Georgia?
Under Law №1509, people physically present in Georgia who serve only non-resident (foreign) clients appear to fall outside the Right to Work requirement. This is a meaningful, favourable change for the typical remote freelancer — but confirm your specific situation, since implementation guidance was still developing at the time of the most recent update.
Was the 50,000 GEL turnover requirement really removed?
Not entirely. It was removed from the primary statute but retained at decree level (Decree No. 317, July 2026) as an alternative form of evidence used when a standard income certificate is unavailable. Treat it as repositioned, not eliminated.
What is the start-up exception and does it fully solve the catch-22?
It is a genuine partial fix: a business under 3 months old with no more than 3 foreign employees can submit an internal certificate instead of the standard income proof. However, the resulting permit only lasts 6 months, so it delays rather than eliminates the underlying requirement.
What happens if I already had a permit application in progress when the rules changed?
Those already registered in the labour-migration database as of 1 March 2026 were given a transition period running to 1 January 2027 to fully comply with the updated framework. If this applies to you, confirm your specific transition status with an adviser rather than assuming automatic coverage.
How do I receive payments as an IE while I sort out my permit status?
Payment method and work authorization are separate questions. See our guide on how Georgian Individual Entrepreneurs receive payments via Stripe, Wise, and PayPal — but note that receiving payment does not, by itself, resolve whether you are required to hold a work permit for the underlying activity.
