Georgia startups skip turnover proof for 3 foreign worker permits

Georgia waives turnover proof for startups sponsoring up to 3 foreign workers

Georgia's migration authority has carved out a startup exemption in its work-based residence permit rules: companies and individual entrepreneurs registered within the last three months can now sponsor up to three foreign workers without producing turnover documents, provided each applicant is filing for a first-time permit. The trade-off is duration. Permits issued under this route are capped at six months, per a July 2026 legal update from Georgian migration practitioners.

What replaced the 50,000 GEL turnover rule

The standard rule, updated by the State Services Development Agency on May 5, 2026, still requires sponsoring employers to show annual turnover of at least 50,000 GEL per foreign employee (or 35,000 GEL for educational and medical institutions). Proof comes from Revenue Service filings, VAT statements or bank records.

For a company or individual entrepreneur registered no more than three months before the application date, that turnover document is dropped entirely. In its place, the foreigner submits a single certificate from the employer confirming the number of foreign staff on the books. All other standard documents still apply: employment contract with at least six months remaining, registration in the Ministry of Labour's unified database and proof of personal funds at roughly 1,272.50 GEL per month of stay.

The concession only works once. It's limited to first-time applicants at the sponsoring entity and it maxes out at three foreign employees per new company.

Who this actually helps and the six-month clock

The exemption is aimed squarely at foreign founders setting up a Georgian LLC or IE and hiring their first employees and at expats joining brand-new Georgian startups that haven't yet posted revenue. Under the broader Right to Labour Activity system that took effect March 1, 2026, most foreigners doing paid work from Georgia need both a work permit and a D1 visa or work residence permit, so the turnover threshold had become a real bottleneck for pre-revenue companies.

Anyone using this route needs to plan the next step now, not later. The six-month permit doesn't renew on the same terms. Extensions fall back under the standard SDA rules, meaning the sponsoring entity must show the full 50,000 GEL turnover per foreign hire by month six or the permit holder loses status. Founders relying on this pathway should treat the first half-year as a revenue deadline, not a grace period. More on the residency framework sits in the Georgia guide.

Remote workers billing only non-resident clients through Small Business IE status remain exempt from the work permit regime entirely after the April 16, 2026 updates and don't need this route at all.