What changed on 1 March 2026?
Until 2026, a foreigner could live in Georgia and work there with very little paperwork; the country was known for it. That changed on 1 March 2026, when amendments to the Law on Labour Migration came into force. Since then, most foreign nationals who take a job, work for themselves or run a business in Georgia must first obtain a right to work, a special labour permit issued by the state employment agency, and then a residence permit based on that work. The change applies to newcomers and, after transition periods, to foreigners who were already working in the country.
For a property buyer the question is simple: does owning an apartment and holding the one-year residence permit that comes with it allow you to work? It does not. The property permit gives the right to live in Georgia; it is not among the statuses that exempt their holders from the right-to-work requirement. This page explains who needs the new permission, who does not, how the procedure works, what it costs and what happens to those who work without it.
Who needs the right to work?
The requirement covers a foreigner who carries out employment, self-employment or entrepreneurial activity in Georgia. In practice that means three groups: people hired by a Georgian employer, freelancers and sole traders who sell their services in Georgia, and foreigners who run a business there themselves. The test is the activity, not the passport or the residence permit you already hold.
| Situation | Right to work needed? |
|---|---|
| Employed by a Georgian company | Yes |
| Freelancer or sole trader serving clients in Georgia | Yes |
| Running your own business in Georgia | Yes |
| Holder of the one-year property residence permit who wants to work | Yes: the property permit is not an exemption |
| Holder of an investment residence permit | No |
| Holder of a permanent residence permit | No |
| Working fully remotely, where the work does not require being in Georgia | No, under Article 1(4) |
| Working for a non-resident on its activities outside Georgia | No, under Article 1(4) |
| Refugees, asylum seekers, diplomatic staff, accredited foreign journalists | No |
The two remote-work exemptions matter most to our readers and are covered in detail in our page on digital nomads and remote work. They are narrower than the phrase "remote work" suggests, and a lawyer's view on your own arrangement is worth having before you rely on one.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm the exemption list from the text of the Law on Labour Migration as amended, and whether any exemption applies to holders of the short-term property permit.
What it means for property owners
An owner can do three things without the right to work: live in Georgia on the property permit, let the apartment, and manage their own investment in it. Letting is income from property, taxed under the Tax Code, not employment. What an owner cannot do on the property permit alone is take a job with a Georgian employer, sell professional services to Georgian clients or run a Georgian business. For that, there are three paths: obtain the right to work and then a work residence permit; qualify for the investment permit, whose holders are exempt; or, for IT professionals, the IT residence permit described in our IT residence permit guide, which is built on a right-to-work decision.
Letting your own flats, and where the line is
Owning several apartments and letting them remains an investment, however many there are. The line is crossed when an owner starts doing work for other people: managing someone else's flats for a fee, acting as a broker between buyers and sellers, or building a hospitality business with staff and services around the letting. Those are economic activities carried out in Georgia, and since 2026 they bring the right-to-work question with them unless the owner holds a status that is exempt. If your plans go beyond your own property, put that question to a lawyer before you start.
How does the procedure work?
Check the labour market rule
For most hires, the employer first advertises the vacancy on the state job portal for at least 10 working days. International companies, start-ups and positions paying more than GEL 15,000 a month are among the exceptions.
Apply for the right to work online
The application goes through the Ministry's labour migration portal. Self-employed applicants also attend a video interview.
Get the residence permit that goes with it
If you are in Georgia, apply for a work residence permit within 10 days of the right-to-work decision; if you are abroad, apply for a D1 work visa within 30 days.
Renew in time
Apply to renew at least 30 days before the right to work expires, and renew the residence permit with it.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm the current state fees for the right to work (reported as GEL 200 and GEL 400) and the validity periods, which secondary sources describe differently.
What a Georgian employer now has to do
For a Georgian company, hiring a foreigner now has a lead time. Unless an exception applies, the vacancy is advertised first; the application is then prepared through the portal; and the company is fined as well if the person starts work before the decision. Expect an employer to ask for your passport, diplomas and a CV in a form the portal accepts, and to plan a start date one to two months ahead. Start-ups, international companies and senior roles paid more than GEL 15,000 a month move faster, because the labour market test does not apply to them.
Costs and timelines at a glance
| Item | Amount or time |
|---|---|
| Right to work, standard review | 30 calendar days; GEL 200 as reported |
| Right to work, faster review | 10 working days; GEL 400 as reported |
| Work residence permit | GEL 300 / 450 / 600 for the 30th / 20th / 10th day |
| Work residence permit, conditions | Income at least five times the subsistence minimum; employer turnover at least GEL 50,000 |
| Apply for the work residence permit | Within 10 days of the right-to-work decision |
| Renew the right to work | At least 30 days before expiry |
What happens if you work without it?
The fines are significant and fall on both sides. According to accounting and legal firms in Tbilisi, a first violation costs the foreigner and the employer GEL 2,000 each, and repeated violations are fined at double or triple that amount. Beyond the fine, unauthorised work can affect your residence status and future applications, because the agency deciding on residence permits looks at the lawfulness of your stay. For an owner who plans to live in Georgia for years, a fine is the smaller risk; a refused renewal is the larger one.
Transition periods
- 1 March 2026: the new rules apply to foreigners hired by Georgian employers.
- 1 May 2026: enforcement for self-employed foreigners and individual entrepreneurs who were already working.
- 1 January 2027: the deadline for foreigners who were already registered in the labour migration database to obtain the new right to work and residence permit.
Anyone who was already working in Georgia before March 2026 should check which of these dates applies to them rather than assume they are covered by their earlier status.
Quotas and closed professions
The new system allows the Government to set yearly quotas by profession. Some activities that foreigners commonly took up in recent years, courier work, passenger transport and tourist guiding among them, have a quota of zero, which in practice closes them to new foreign workers. Before you plan to earn a living in Georgia from a particular activity, check whether it is subject to a quota.
Risks and exceptions
- Assuming the property permit lets you work. It does not; it is not among the exemptions.
- Reading "remote work" too widely. The exemptions cover specific arrangements, not all online work done from Georgia.
- Missing the 10-day window. The work residence permit must follow the right-to-work decision promptly.
- Working in a quota-zero profession. Some activities are closed to new foreign workers.
- Starting on a signed contract alone. A contract or an offer letter is not a permission to work; the decision is.
- Fines on both sides. Employers are fined as well as workers, which makes Georgian employers cautious about informal arrangements.
Frequently asked questions
Can I let my apartment without a right to work?
Yes. Letting your own property is income from property, declared and taxed under the Tax Code; it is not employment or entrepreneurial activity that needs the right to work.
Does the investment permit let me work?
Yes. Holders of an investment residence permit are among those exempt from the right-to-work requirement.
I work online for a company abroad. Do I need the right to work?
Probably not, if your work falls within the remote-work exemptions in Article 1(4). Check the conditions in our page on remote work, and ask a lawyer about your specific case.
Who applies: me or my employer?
The application is made through the Ministry's portal; employers prepare the vacancy and the documents for their hires, and self-employed people apply for themselves.
Does the right to work replace a residence permit?
No. It is a permission to work. You still need a lawful basis to stay in Georgia, which for most people is the work residence permit that follows the decision.
Is a job offer enough to start working?
No. Work starts after the right-to-work decision, not after the offer or the signed contract. Starting earlier exposes both you and the employer to fines.
What if I was working before March 2026?
Check the transition dates: 1 May 2026 for the self-employed and 1 January 2027 for those already registered as labour migrants.
Sources
- Georgia work permits, Andersen in Georgia, 23 February 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- New standards for remote work in Georgia (2026), TK Counsel, 3 October 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Special labour permit system (2026), Ants, 23 February 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Health Ministry clarifies new procedure for granting work rights to foreign nationals, 1TV (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Migration and residence permits: work residence permit, Public Service Development Agency (accessed 13 October 2026)
Change log
- - Explainer published from the 2026 Labour Migration Law amendments as summarised by Tbilisi law and accounting firms and the agency's fees; being reviewed by the partner lawyer.