Who decides, and where do you file?
The residence permit is decided by the Public Service Development Agency, a public body under Georgia's Ministry of Justice. You do not file at a migration office or a police station. The agency receives residence applications at the Public Service Halls and at its own territorial offices, and it also runs an online application for the short-term permit. Whichever door you use, the same procedure order applies: Government Resolution No 520, which sets the rules for filing, for documents, for the review and for appeals.
This page follows one application from the day you check your deadline to the day you hold the card, and what to do if the answer is no. It assumes the property side is settled: the property is registered to you, it is outside the agricultural categories and an accredited assessor has valued it above $150,000. If any of that is still open, start with what counts towards $150,000, then come back here.
When is the last day you can apply?
The procedure order sets a deadline that many applicants first hear about at the counter. A foreigner has to apply for a residence permit at least 40 calendar days before their lawful stay in Georgia ends. Lawful stay means the period you are allowed to be in the country on your current basis: visa-free entry, a visa or another permit. Citizens of the countries on Georgia's visa-free list, which includes Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the EU states, the UK and the USA, may stay for one full year from entry.
Count back from the end of your stay. If your lawful stay ends on 31 December 2026, the 40th calendar day before it is 21 November 2026, and your application should be in by then. Give yourself more room than that: the valuation, translations and documents from abroad all take time, and a file returned for a correction is not a filed application.
| Lawful stay ends on | Apply no later than |
|---|---|
| 31 December 2026 | 21 November 2026 |
| 31 March 2027 | 19 February 2027 |
| 30 June 2027 | 21 May 2027 |
How does the application go, step by step?
Confirm your deadline
Work out the last day of your lawful stay and count back 40 calendar days. Put that date in your calendar and plan everything else backwards from it.
Collect the documents
Use our documents checklist. Documents issued abroad need an apostille or legalisation and a certified Georgian translation before the agency will accept them.
Fill in the application form
The application is made on the agency's form, available on its website, on paper or online. Use the exact spelling of your passport and the same address and contact details everywhere.
Choose the speed and pay the fee
The agency decides by the 30th calendar day for GEL 300, by the 20th for GEL 450 or by the 10th for GEL 600. If you pay cashless and the agency can verify it, no receipt is needed.
Submit the application
File in person at a Public Service Hall or an agency office, through a representative, or online. An online application needs a live video contact with an agency official, and the paper documents must follow within 10 days.
Answer any request during the review
The agency may ask for additional documents at any stage, or invite you to explain something in person. If you fail to appear without a good reason, it may leave the application unexamined. Messages are published on the agency's website, and you can give an e-mail address as well.
Receive the decision and the card
An authorised official issues a decision granting or refusing the permit. If it is granted, the agency issues a residence card.
Mark the renewal date
The short-term permit is issued for one year and can be extended a year at a time while you keep the property; an owner who keeps the same property needs no new valuation for the extension. A permit holder who is abroad can apply for the extension electronically.
In person, through a representative or online: which suits you?
| Way to file | Who can use it | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| In person | An adult applicant who is in Georgia | At a Public Service Hall or a territorial office of the agency. You hand in the file and can answer questions on the spot. |
| Through a representative | Any applicant, through a person with a power of attorney | The order allows a representative to file. A power of attorney issued abroad needs an apostille or legalisation and a certified translation. |
| Online | An applicant who can hold a live video contact with the agency | The video session is recorded. Paper documents follow within 10 days, or the application may be left unexamined. The agency can refuse online filing if there is a well-founded doubt about identity. |
For a first application, the order lets an adult who is in Georgia file. From abroad, the order allows only an electronic application to extend a permit you already hold. In practice, then, a first application is made while you are in the country, by you or by your representative, and the renewal can be done from wherever you are.
What happens while the agency reviews the file?
The review is longer on paper than at the counter. Within 3 days of receiving the application, the agency asks other state bodies whether any ground for refusal exists. They answer within 5 days, with 2 more days if they need them. If they do not answer in time, the order treats that as no ground for refusal, except for the ground concerning criminal proceedings, and the agency must still decide within the legal period.
The period you paid for counts from a complete file, not from the day you first walked in. That is the practical meaning of the order's rule that all documents are filed with the application: if the agency asks for something that was missing, the clock effectively waits for it. A complete, consistent file is therefore the cheapest way to speed up a decision, cheaper than the highest fee.
What if the answer is no?
A refusal is a written decision, and it can be challenged. The Law on the Legal Status of Aliens sends it straight to a court, within 10 calendar days of the day it is served (Article 21-2); the procedure order mentions one month, so plan around the shorter deadline. Alternatively, you can file a new application on the same ground, but not earlier than one month after the refusal.
Which way to go depends on the reason. The law lists the grounds on which a permit may be refused. For the property route, the ones that matter in practice are failing to meet the conditions of Article 15, filing forged or invalid documents, and giving false or concealing significant information. If the reason is a fact you can change, such as a value below the line or a missing document, a new, corrected application is usually the faster path. If you believe the agency misread a correct file, that is a question for a lawyer and possibly the court.
Risks and exceptions
- Missing the 40-day line. The order expects the application at least 40 calendar days before your lawful stay ends. Planning to the last week leaves no room for a correction.
- An incomplete file. The decision period runs from a complete file; a missing item delays the decision more than the choice of speed shortens it.
- Not answering a summons. If the agency invites you and you do not appear without a good reason, the application may be left unexamined.
- Online without the paper. An electronic application has to be followed by paper documents within 10 days.
- Family applications filed too early. The agency's list for a spouse and children includes a copy of the owner's permit, so their applications follow the owner's decision.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an appointment at the Public Service Hall?
The procedure order does not require one. Check the Public Service Hall or agency page for the branch you plan to use before you go, as services and arrangements differ by location.
Is the decision period counted in working days or calendar days?
The agency states its fees as a decision by the 30th, 20th or 10th calendar day. The period runs from the day the file is complete.
Can I travel while the application is pending?
The order does not forbid it, but the agency may ask for documents or invite you to appear, and failing to appear without a good reason can leave the application unexamined. Stay reachable, and give an e-mail address on the form.
Can I withdraw the application?
Yes. The order lets an applicant ask the agency to end the proceedings at any stage if they are no longer interested in the permit.
Where do I learn about the decision?
The agency communicates by publishing notices on its website, and you can add an e-mail address as an extra channel when you file.
Who can file for my child?
The child's representative. One parent can file without the other's consent for this permit; a person acting under a power of attorney needs the consent of both parents.
The full route, from the law to renewal and selling, is in the complete guide to the residence permit by property. If you would rather not file yourself, our residence permit service handles the file and the renewal.
Sources
- Government Resolution No 520 on the procedures for residence permits (Articles 3, 13, 15, 16 and 17), consolidated 26 August 2026, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Migration and residence permits: short-term residence permit, fees and terms, Public Service Development Agency (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (Articles 15(j), 16 and 18), consolidated 25 June 2026, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Government Ordinance No 255 on visa-free entry, consolidated 24 February 2026, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 11 October 2026)
Change log
- - Guide published from Resolution No 520 and the agency's residence permit page; being reviewed by the partner lawyer.