- Georgia has implemented new labor migration rules effective March 1, 2026, requiring work permits for remote professionals.
- The ‘Remotely from Georgia’ program remains a free alternative for stays up to 12 months with specific income requirements.
- Foreigners must now obtain ministry approval before applying for work residence permits or D1 visas under the new framework.
(GEORGIA) — Georgia has not introduced a dedicated digital nomad visa through final parliamentary approval, and remote workers still rely on visa-free entry for citizens of more than 95 countries and the existing Remotely from Georgia stay regime.
That distinction matters in 2026 because parliament did approve a separate set of labor migration amendments on June 26, 2025, with those rules taking effect on March 1, 2026. The amendments require work permits for foreign workers, including remote workers, self-employed people and entrepreneurs.
Georgia’s current setup leaves foreign professionals with two different tracks. One governs entry and temporary stay, including the route commonly described as a digital nomad visa alternative. The other now governs permission to work.
Under the stay regime already in place, remote workers can apply through the Public Service Hall or the e-visa portal. The program is free, takes about 10 days to process and allows a stay of 12 months, but it is non-renewable.
Applicants for Remotely from Georgia must show $2,000/month in income or $24,000 in savings. They also need health insurance, proof of remote work for foreign employers and a clean criminal record.
Citizens of more than 95 countries can also use Georgia’s visa-free entry rules for stays of up to 365 days. That long visa-free period has made the country a practical base for remote workers even without a standalone digital nomad visa created by parliament.
The parliamentary action that did pass was narrower and more consequential for compliance. Amendments to the Law on Labour Migration and the Law on Legal Status of Foreigners replaced looser rules with a two-stage process for foreigners who work in Georgia, including people working remotely.
First, an applicant must obtain a right to labor or entrepreneurial activity permit from the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health, and Social Affairs. That stage takes up to 30 days.
After that, the foreign worker must obtain a D1 visa or a work residence permit. The structure applies to remote workers, self-employed people and entrepreneurs, widening the scope beyond traditional local employment.
The change has reshaped the practical meaning of “digital nomad visa” in Georgia. A foreign national may still enter or stay under visa-free rules or the Remotely from Georgia regime, but working now falls under the permit framework that took effect on March 1, 2026.
Three categories now define the main routes described in the current framework. The first is the digital nomad stay option, which lasts 12 months and requires either $2,000/month in income or $24,000 in savings, plus health insurance and proof of remote work. It remains free, applies to more than 95 nationalities and does not renew.
The second is a work residence permit. That permit runs for 6-12 months and can extend up to 12 years. It requires income equal to 5x subsistence minimum and GEL 50,000 in turnover, offers a renewal path and can lead to permanent residence after 10 years.
The third is an IT Worker Permit. It lasts 3 years and can also extend up to 12 years. The requirements include 2+ years of experience and a salary of $25,000/year, with a renewal path that also leads to permanent residence after 10 years.
Whether IT workers will receive an exemption remains unresolved in the current material, which describes that point as “exemption TBD.” No final launch of a separate new visa category appears alongside those approved permit changes.
Foreign workers already in Georgia do not face an immediate cut-off. Existing workers have a transition period until January 1, 2027.
Penalties for non-compliance are set out in specific terms. Violations carry fines of 2,000 GEL (~$740), and repeat violations trigger doubled and tripled penalties. The Ministry of Internal Affairs handles inspections.
That enforcement layer changes the position of many remote workers who had previously built their stay around simpler tax and residence arrangements. A common practice has been to register as Individual Entrepreneurs, a structure tied to a 1% tax rate on revenue below GEL 500,000/~$180,000, and then use that status as part of a residence path.
Those workers now need labor approval as well. The documents listed for that process include a passport translation, a registry extract, financial proof, insurance and a fee.
Tax treatment still turns on time spent in the country. Tax residency begins after more than 183 days, and small business status is handled through rs.ge.
The result is a system with separate layers that do not always match the language used in online searches. Someone looking for a digital nomad visa in Georgia will find a country that still offers long stays through visa-free entry and Remotely from Georgia, but now requires work permits once the person falls within the labor migration rules.
That split helps explain why claims about a brand-new digital nomad visa approved by parliament do not match the legal changes described for 2025 and 2026. Parliament approved labor migration amendments in a third reading on June 26, 2025. Those amendments created a work permit framework. They did not create a newly approved dedicated digital nomad visa.
Official material cited in the underlying information also points in the same direction on timing. No 2026 parliamentary approvals for a new visa appear in official sources, even though EY has said Georgia is preparing one alongside Bolivia, the Philippines and Senegal.
That leaves launch talk in a provisional category rather than an active immigration route. Georgia may be preparing a dedicated offer, but the confirmed options available now are the long visa-free stay, the free 12-month Remotely from Georgia regime and the post-March 1, 2026 work permits framework.
Applications for the current stay routes can be made remotely through evisa.gov.ge or in country at the Public Service Hall. The labor permission side now adds a ministry review before a D1 visa or work residence permit for those covered by the new rules.
That combination keeps Georgia open to many foreign remote workers while making compliance more formal than it was before. Long stays remain possible. Work now requires approval.
