A practical sequence for moving to Georgia
Preparation stages have no promised duration. Official service periods are labeled, and they do not include property selection, document preparation or every later administrative step.
01Match the immigration and work routeBefore travel or binding commitments
Confirm nationality-specific entry rules, the intended activity and the exact residence route. Test any labour-migration exception against actual client/employer and activity facts.
Documents & evidence
- Passport, intended activity and employer/client contracts, family details.
- Visa-free entry is not automatically the right permission for every activity.
02Map the tax move and existing assetsBefore changing where the work is performed
Record travel dates, income sources, company management and the departure rules of the current country. Preserve asset acquisition history and values.
Documents & evidence
- Travel/residence history, entity chart, accounts and asset records.
03Assemble the residence evidenceBefore submission; route-dependent preparation
For property, establish title and a qualifying accredited valuation. For investment, establish the correct capital evidence and continuing obligations. Resolve translations/legalisation and family records.
Documents & evidence
- Passport, lawful stay evidence, route-specific investment/title documents, relationship records.
04Submit the applicable applicationProperty/investment services list 30, 20 or 10 calendar days
Select the published service where available and respond to requests. The 40-day-before-stay-expiry rule has express exceptions including these property/investment categories; other admissibility and lawful-stay requirements still apply.
Documents & evidence
- Completed application, photograph, fee and complete supporting file.
05Activate the operating and renewal calendarAfter approval and when activity begins
Complete the issued residence-card requirements, tax/entrepreneur registrations, banking and any work permission that applies. Track property ownership, investment turnover, family status and tax filings.
Documents & evidence
- Approval/card instructions, tax account access, bank evidence and renewal calendar.
Confirm the activity before choosing a permit
Begin with what each adult will do: employment for a local business, self-employment, services for foreign customers, passive investment or retirement. The current Labour Migration Law has scope exceptions, including valid investment-residence holders and certain services to nonresidents linked with their activities outside Georgia. The facts and current implementing conditions matter.
For covered workers, the law generally combines a right to work with the specified visa/residence position. The employer applies for covered employment; a self-employed alien applies for their own right. Do not assume that registering an individual entrepreneur either grants immigration permission or proves that a particular exception applies.
Separate property residence from investment residence
The short-term property route now uses a value exceeding US$150, 000 equivalent in GEL, assessed through the prescribed accredited assessor. Non-agricultural title is required. An ordinary C-category visa and some third-country-permit entry situations face specific restrictions when changing to this residence category.
The investment route uses a different US$300, 000 threshold and evidence package. Business-investment holders must establish the required turnover over time; qualifying property holders need continuing ownership evidence for the longer-term route. Compare those obligations before selecting an asset or wiring funds.
Prepare one evidence trail for the family
The investment route specifically includes a spouse, minor children and defined fully dependent support/disability/incapacity categories. The short-term property provision names a spouse and children; its summary does not settle every adult-child edge case. Obtain a route-specific determination before including an adult child in a budget or timeline.
Georgia does not recognise same-sex marriages or alternative marriage unions under Article 4 of the cited law, including such unions recognised abroad. A spouse-based plan therefore cannot be assumed for those couples; each adult’s independent permission needs examination. For children, establish the actual parentage, custody and documentation rather than assuming the partner’s status supplies it.
Build tax and bank evidence from the beginning
Keep travel days, work location, invoices, contracts and company-decision records from arrival. A foreign client payment for work performed here may need Georgian tax analysis even where the labour-migration law exempts that particular activity from its scope. Immigration and tax use different definitions.
Prepare identity, tax-residence, source-of-funds and business-purpose evidence for the selected bank. Set up reliable access to the Revenue Service account and a filing calendar where needed. Bank acceptance and residence approval are independent decisions.
Track deadlines against the actual permission
The residence agency publishes a general 40-day-before-lawful-stay-expiry filing rule but expressly excludes specified categories, including short-term property and investment residence. An exception to that lead time is not an exemption from lawful stay or documentary requirements. Check the category rather than repeating the general rule to every applicant.
For covered labour-migration cases, the law gives a review period up to 30 calendar days after the complete work-right application. After approval, specified applicants abroad must apply for D 1 within 30 days and those already in Georgia for the relevant residence permit within ten days, subject to statutory exceptions. Keep these dependent steps in the relocation timetable.
Sources & research notes6 references
Sources supporting this guide. Research draft awaiting editorial review.
- Matsne — Labour Migration Law, current consolidated edition including 2026 exceptions
- Matsne — Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, current consolidated edition
- Public Service Development Agency — residence-permit requirements, documents and service periods
- Matsne — Law on Protection of Family Values and Minors, Article 4 marriage recognition
- Matsne — Tax Code, English consolidation 25 June–30 September 2026; September amendment separately reconciled
- National Bank of Georgia — licensed commercial banks register