Georgia 1-Year Visa-Free Stay

Georgia lets citizens of a long list of countries enter without a visa and stay for 1 year. The rule comes from Government Ordinance No. 255 and Article 10 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons.

• Status: active, since June 8, 2015
• Who: citizens of the 95 countries and territories on the ordinance's list
• Length: 1 year from entry
• Application and fee: none; the stay is granted at the border
• Insurance: health and accident cover of at least GEL 30,000 for the whole stay, since Jan. 1, 2026

It's the main way remote workers base themselves in Georgia, since the old digital nomad program is suspended. Remote work for foreign employers needs no work permit; local work does. The Georgia guide covers the residence routes for longer stays.

Nationalities: Citizens of the 95 countries and territories in the annex to Government Ordinance No 255, including all EU states, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan and the Gulf states. China is also on the list but gets 30 days for tourism only.

EU citizens may enter on a national ID card, and Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens on an ID document. Travelers who aren't on the list may still be visa-exempt on other grounds, such as holding certain visas or residence permits named by ordinance, but then stay up to 90 days in any 180.

Remote work: No work permit is needed to work from Georgia for a non-resident employer or client when the work relates to that party's activity outside Georgia. Work for Georgian employers, local clients or a Georgian business needs a work permit. This exemption comes from the Law on Labour Migration as amended on April 15, 2026.

Local work: No. Since March 1, 2026, employment or self-employment in Georgia needs a work permit, according to the Foreign Ministry's notice. The visa-free stay itself gives no right to work.

• Travel document: a valid passport, or a national ID card for EU citizens and an ID document for Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens.
• Insurance: since Jan. 1, 2026, health and accident insurance covering the whole stay, with a limit of at least GEL 30,000, in Georgian or English, from a Georgian or foreign insurer.
• Funds: under Article 11 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, border officers can refuse entry to travelers without the required insurance or sufficient funds.

There are no forms. Entry is decided at the border.

• The stay: free.
• Insurance: the premium depends on the insurer, age and length of stay; the policy's limit has to reach at least GEL 30,000.
• Work permit, if needed: GEL 200 when issued on the 30th calendar day after a complete application, under Government Ordinance No. 70 of 2026. Faster issue costs more.

Where to apply: No application or fee: the stay is granted at the border on entry with a valid passport (EU, Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens may use a national ID card). From 1 Jan 2026 travelers must also carry health and accident insurance for the whole stay.

The Foreign Ministry's consular portal lists entry rules by nationality. Travelers who plan to work for Georgian clients or employers apply separately for a work permit through the labour migration portal.

• Length: 1 year from the day of entry.
• Extension or new stay: No extension procedure. Neither the ordinance nor the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens says how the one-year stay restarts after leaving Georgia; restarting the year on re-entry is border practice, not a written right.
• Residence: No. Visa-free days do not lead to a residence permit; residence requires a separate permit (work, IT specialist, property over USD 150,000 or investment of USD 300,000).

Travelers who leave and come back are admitted at the border officer's discretion, so a plan built on repeated fresh years carries risk. Anyone who wants to stay for years should look at a residence permit.

The visa-free stay sets no tax status; days in Georgia do. Under Georgia's Tax Code (Article 34), as the tax authority summarizes it for the OECD, a person who spends 183 days or more in Georgia in any continuous 12-month period ending in the tax year is tax resident. Any part of a day in the country counts as a full day.

A full visa-free year can therefore make a remote worker tax resident. Georgia also lets high-net-worth individuals obtain tax residence by certificate. Freelancers who register as individual entrepreneurs can apply for Small Business Status, a reduced-rate regime; its current rates and turnover cap should be confirmed with the Revenue Service. Anyone near the threshold should check how their foreign income is treated and whether a tax treaty applies.