Georgia requires a Right to Labour Activity permit for work starting March 1

How the Right to Labour Activity permit works

Georgia separated the right to stay from the right to work under amendments to the Labour Migration Law and Government Resolution No. 70, which took effect March 1, 2026. Foreigners without permanent residence now need a Right to Labour Activity permit before taking a job, freelancing or running a business tied to the country.

The State Employment Promotion Agency handles applications through labourmigration.moh.gov.ge. Standard processing runs up to 30 calendar days at roughly 200 GEL, with expedited 10-business-day review at about 400 GEL. Self-employed applicants must submit a business plan or Revenue Service turnover certificate and sit for a mandatory video interview to prove the activity is genuine.

Holding a visa-free stay, D-visa or temporary residence card no longer authorizes paid work on its own.

Who needs the permit and who doesn't

The rules sweep in most foreigners earning money from Georgian sources, but carve out clear exemptions.

• Required: foreigners employed by Georgian companies, self-employed individuals and individual entrepreneurs, freelancers invoicing Georgian clients and partners in profit-sharing arrangements based in the country
• Exempt: permanent and investment residence holders, refugees, accredited diplomats and journalists and remote workers earning exclusively from foreign employers or clients with no Georgian income source
• Restricted by quota: courier work, taxi and ride-share driving and most guiding roles, with limited slots reserved for mountain and ski guides

Digital nomads paid only by foreign companies, with no local clients, fall outside the requirement because they don't compete in the Georgian labor market.

Deadlines, fees and next steps

Foreigners already self-employed in Georgia on March 1 face enforcement starting May 1, 2026. Those who were working in the country before March 1 generally have until Jan. 1, 2027 to obtain the permit and align their residence status.

Approval is only step one. Applicants abroad have 30 days to apply for a D1 immigration visa via geoconsul.gov.ge. Those already inside the country get just 10 days to file for a work residence permit at a Public Service Hall. The residence permit itself carries income thresholds, including a minimum of five times the subsistence level and 50,000 GEL in annual employer turnover per foreign worker.

Employers must first post vacancies on worknet.moh.gov.ge for a 10-business-day labor-market test before applying.

Read our full Georgia guide for the complete picture or browse more visa updates across the region.