Right to Work in Georgia for Foreign IT Professionals

The right-to-work system can apply to a foreign national without permanent residence who will be employed by a Georgian employer or carry out paid self-employed or entrepreneurial activity in Georgia. It is separate from lawful entry, a visa and a residence permit.

• A Georgian employer normally files for a foreign employee.
• A self-employed foreigner normally files personally for the stated profession and economic activity.
• The decision is tied to the approved employer and position, or to the approved self-employed profession and activity.
• A foreign company, foreign client or visa-free stay does not answer the work-right question on its own.

For an employee, the Georgian employer supports the application with the proposed position, contract and employer evidence. For a self-employed applicant, the file must explain the actual profession or economic activity, the Georgian business basis and how the work will be carried out.

• Employee: employer details, vacancy/exception position, employment contract, duties, qualifications and supporting company records.
• Self-employed: personal application, passport, activity and Georgian registration evidence, contracts or other business basis, qualifications and financial records relevant to the procedure.
• The self-employed route includes a mandatory video interview; the applicant presents the original passport and may use an interpreter.
• A passport must generally have at least six months’ validity on the filing date.

Before an employee application, the employer may need to advertise the vacancy through the state employment system unless a listed exception applies. The current rules can also require advance annual coordination where the planned foreign headcount or foreign-worker proportion crosses the prescribed level.

• The ordinary vacancy stage runs for at least 10 working days before filing.
• Listed exceptions can apply to specified employers or positions, including qualifying International Company and Innovative Startup employers and certain highly paid, qualified roles.
• Where the employer plans more than five foreign workers or the prescribed foreign-worker ratio is exceeded, the annual request should be addressed before individual applications.
• The general revenue evidence benchmark is GEL 50,000 per foreign applicant, subject to the current exceptions and route-specific rules.

The standard right-to-work service is GEL 200 with a 30-calendar-day decision period; the expedited service is GEL 400 with a 10-working-day period. A successful decision gives the applicant a work-right code and identifies the approved basis.

• A person outside Georgia generally proceeds to the D1 visa step within 30 calendar days.
• A person lawfully in Georgia generally proceeds to a work residence or qualifying IT Residence Permit step within 10 calendar days.
• The correct next step depends on location, current lawful stay, residence eligibility and any applicable exception.
• The work decision does not itself create tax status, a company, bank access or family residence.

An ordinary first decision is generally granted for between six months and one year, while qualifying IT employee and self-employed decisions can be issued for up to three years under the current framework. The exact term follows the approved facts and supporting relationship.

• Apply for renewal at least 30 calendar days before the work right expires.
• A different employer, position, profession or economic activity may require a new decision before the new work begins.
• A material contract ending or employer change can affect the residence basis as well as the work permission.
• Keep passport, contract, role, company and residence records current throughout the approved period.