Temporary residence permit in Georgia: every fixed-term permit, its term and its rules

Temporary residence permit: the family name for every Georgian permit with an end date

A temporary residence permit (დროებითი ბინადრობის ნებართვა) is any Georgian residence permit granted for a fixed term, from 6 months to 6 years on first issue depending on its ground and extendable on the same conditions, as opposed to the two permits issued "with the right of permanent living".

The basis is the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, Arts. 15 and 16(1) to (3), as amended by Law No 1803 of 25 June 2026. No article defines the term. Art. 16(1)(ზ) says only the permanent permit, 15(ზ), and the indefinite-stay permit, 15(ლ), "გაიცემა მუდმივი ცხოვრების უფლებით" (are issued with the right of permanent living). Art. 16(1) sets a term for the other grounds, except the domestic-violence permit, for which it states none; some stateless persons also receive the permanent right (Art. 16(4)).

Letters here follow the Georgian text; the English translation differs (15(კ) = j, 15(თ) = h, 15(ზ) = g, 15(ლ) = k), and the new 15(ზ1), in force from 1 September 2026 under Law 1803, has no English letter yet.

Elsewhere the phrase may name one status with its own application. In Georgia the applicant picks a ground, and the permit takes that ground's name and term. A flat buyer holds the short-term permit of 15(კ), covered in our guide to the residence permit by property.

Thirteen grounds in Article 15, eleven of them temporary

After Law 1803, Art. 15 has 13 grounds; Art. 16(1) sets their terms.

Art. 16(2) allows a 5-year first term "in an exceptional case".

Until 1 September 2026 a citizen's spouse received the permanent permit directly. Now the spouse first holds 15(ზ1), and an inter-agency commission may interview the couple and visit the home (Art. 16-1).

In a parliamentary address on 18 February 2026 the Prime Minister said 107,307 residence permits had been issued to citizens of 164 countries, as reported by GBC; no period and no split by type were given.

Extension on the same conditions, and the 12-year ceiling

Art. 16(3) lets temporary permits be extended "on the same conditions on which the permit being extended was issued", to no more than 12 years. Three are excluded and keep their own clocks: the spouse's permit (1 year, then 2-year steps, 5 years at most), the 5-year investment permit, and the IT permit, extended 3 years at a time up to 12 (Art. 16(3-1)).

For owners, the second sentence of Art. 16(3) matters most: keep the property and no new market value report is needed at extension. The permit ends with the ownership (Art. 21(1-1)).

Whether the 12-year ceiling caps the yearly property permit, we could not confirm, though 15(კ) is not in the exclusion list. Nor is it confirmed that those years count towards the 10 years leading to a permanent residence permit; our permanent residence guide weighs both readings.

One procedure for all temporary grounds

Government Resolution No 520 of 1 September 2014, consolidated to Resolution No 416 of 26 August 2026, governs every ground.

• Lawful presence. Required at filing (Art. 14(1)). A category C visa or entry under Ordinance No 256 cannot found the property permit (14(1-3), (1-4)), so buyers file during the visa-free year of Ordinance No 255 or on a D visa.
• Filing windows. Res. 520 Art. 3(4) sets 40 calendar days before lawful stay ends, then says "ეს მოთხოვნა არ ვრცელდება" (this requirement does not apply) to the indefinite-stay, investment, special, 15(ი), short-term and IT permits. Extensions are filed "no earlier than 90 days" before expiry; family and short-term requests need the principal holder's permit to have more than 6 months left.
• Decision. Within 30 days of a complete file; 90 calendar days for the spouse's permit (Art. 13(3)).
• Address checks. During the case and for 1 year after issue (Art. 13-1).
• Registry link. For 15(კ) and 15(თ), the agency sends the Public Registry the holder's details and cadastral code within 2 weeks, and the Registry reports the end of ownership within 2 weeks (Law Art. 20-1).
• Expiry. Automatic on the last day (Res. 520 Art. 15(1)).

The basis is Resolution No 508, Art. 2(23), as amended by Resolution No 390 of 27 August 2025: a service fee plus an "accelerated service fee". Card fees are in our fees and deadlines table.

What a temporary permit gives, what it withholds, and how it ends

The holder enters Georgia visa-free while the permit runs (Art. 10(4)) and has a citizen's rights unless a law says otherwise (Art. 25). Exceptions: no vote (Art. 42); social security equal to a citizen's only when "permanently residing", while for someone "temporarily staying" (დროებით მყოფი) it depends on legislation and treaties (Art. 31); and since 1 March 2026 no right to work from the permit itself, except the investment permit (see work permit).

Art. 21(1) termination grounds include forged documents, false data, the end of the activity or relationship behind the permit and, from 1 September 2026, right-to-work breaches (21(1)(ნ), (ო)). Absence rules cover only IT (21(1-4)) and, since 1 September 2026, study permits (21(1-5)): 183 days or more abroad in any continuous 12 months.

Appeals go to a court within 10 calendar days of service (Art. 21-2(1); Res. 520 Art. 17). A new application on the same ground may follow 1 month after a refusal (Art. 19).

Where "temporary" is printed, and where it is not

• The decision. An individual administrative act "on issuing a residence permit" (Res. 520 Art. 13(7)), naming the ground: an owner's says "მოკლევადიანი ბინადრობის ნებართვა", not "temporary". We found no sample layout.
• The card. Called a "დროებითი ბინადრობის მოწმობა" in the Registration Law. Fields include personal number, address and validity (Registration Law Art. 15(1)). Its end date equals the permit's, capped at 5 years for adults and 4 under 18 (Art. 15(2-1)). Collect it within 1 month (Aliens Law Art. 20(2)); see the residence card page.
• The form. One agency form, version "2026/08", with the ground chosen inside.
• Adverts. "Residence permit" or "ВНЖ" in a brochure names no permit type. Only 15(კ), for property worth more than $150,000, and 15(თ), for more than $300,000 or a USD 300,000 investment, rest on property.

Keep every card: the permanent-permit list for the 10-year route asks for copies of the "temporary residence card/permit".

Worked example: a family of four on the property permit

An owner, a spouse and two children each hold a 15(კ) permit ending on 15 March 2027. By our calculation:

The 90 days: 16 in December, 31 in January, 28 in February, 15 in March. Whether the card fee comes on top at each extension, we could not confirm, nor how the 6-month rule for family requests is applied when all four file together. For the four at the 30th-day rate, five yearly rounds cost GEL 6,000 in permit fees (5 x GEL 1,200); one 5-year investment permit, GEL 1,200. Paperwork: our annual renewal guide.

Easily confused: short-term permit, D5 visa, visa-free stay

A tax resident is someone present 183 days or more in any continuous 12 months, with or without a permit.

The term in five languages

An owner's Georgian decision carries მოკლევადიანი ბინადრობის ნებართვა; the word დროებითი belongs to the card's legal name (Registration Law Art. 15(2-1)).

Mistakes and warning signs

• Calling the property permit "the temporary permit". It is one of eleven.
• Counting back 40 days on an exempt ground. Short-term holders watch the 90-day window and the expiry date.
• Equating card and permit dates. An adult card stops at 5 years; a former citizen's 6-year permit outlives it.
• Leaving the card uncollected. After 6 months the stay may be ended (Art. 21(1)(ლ)).
• Not reporting a new phone number or address. Art. 20-1(6) says "immediately".

Keeping a temporary permit in force step by step

1. Find your ground

   The decision names it; match it to its Art. 15 letter.

2. Note the term

   Art. 16 sets it for that ground.

3. Diary the windows

   90 days before expiry at the earliest; 40 days only if your ground is not exempt.

4. Keep the conditions

   Job, studies, marriage or property, as at issue.

5. Report changes

   A new phone number or address, straight away.

6. Collect and keep the card

   Within 1 month, and file every old card.

Frequently asked questions

Is the property permit temporary?

Yes. The 15(კ) short-term permit runs for 1 year.

How long can a temporary permit last?

6 months to 6 years on first issue, by ground (Art. 16(1)).

Is there a limit on extensions?

12 years for most (Art. 16(3)); for the property permit, not confirmed.

When can I file an extension?

No earlier than 90 days before expiry (Res. 520 Art. 3(4)).

Does the 40-day rule apply to the property permit?

No. Res. 520 Art. 3(4) exempts the short-term permit.

How long does a decision take?

Up to 30 days from a complete file.

Do I need a new valuation to extend?

No, while you keep the same property (Art. 16(3)).

How long do I have to appeal?

10 calendar days from service, to a court (Art. 21-2(1)).

Sources

1. Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, Arts. 6, 10, 14 to 21-2, 25, 31, 42 (accessed 2 November 2026)
2. The same law as published on 15 April 2026
3. Law No 1803 of 25 June 2026, amending the Aliens Law
4. Government Resolution No 520 of 1 September 2014, consolidated to Resolution No 416 of 26 August 2026
5. Government Resolution No 390 of 27 August 2025, amending Resolution No 508, Art. 2(23)
6. Law on Registration of Citizens and Aliens and on Identity (Residence) Cards, Art. 15 (accessed 2 November 2026)
7. Residence permits, Public Service Development Agency (accessed 2 November 2026)
8. Residence card, Public Service Development Agency
9. Georgia issues residence permits to 107,307 foreigners, GBC, 18 February 2026

Change log

• 2 November 2026 - Glossary entry published from the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, Law No 1803, Government Resolutions No 520 and No 390, the Law on Registration of Citizens and Aliens, the Public Service Development Agency and GBC.