Work permit rules, tax thresholds, the property residency figure and visa-free terms were verified in July 2026 against the sources linked at the end. Cost-of-living figures are published estimates, not measured data. Georgia's immigration rules changed substantially in March 2026 — confirm your position with a Georgian immigration lawyer before acting.
Georgia is having a moment. Low taxes, low cost of living, visa-free entry for most Western passport holders, and a capital that manages to feel both ancient and genuinely cosmopolitan. More expats, remote workers and entrepreneurs choose Tbilisi every year — and most of them figure it out the hard way. We made the mistakes in Nicaragua so you don't have to. Now we're documenting Georgia in real time, before we even arrive in January 2027.
The short answer. Citizens of more than 95 countries can enter Georgia visa-free and stay up to 365 days. The 1% Small Business Status remains one of the world's most attractive regimes for solo online businesses, on turnover up to 500,000 GEL — roughly $180,000.
But the ground shifted on 1 March 2026. Georgia now requires a work permit for foreign nationals engaged in employment or self-employment, and the property route to residency rose from $100,000 to $150,000. Anything written before 2026 is unreliable.
Cost-of-living figures above are published expat estimates and vary with lifestyle and neighbourhood. Treat them as indicative.
Two changes, both effective 1 March 2026, and both significant enough to invalidate most guides written earlier.
Resolution No. 70, adopted on 20 February 2026, together with amendments to the Law on Labour Migration and the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners, requires most foreign nationals without permanent residence to obtain a Special Labour Permit before undertaking paid employment or entrepreneurial activity.
Crucially, this is not limited to employees. It covers self-employed foreigners — independent contractors, traders and anyone deriving financial benefit from activity conducted in Georgia.
The transition deadline is often misread — including by us, previously. The 1 January 2027 date applies to foreign nationals already registered in Georgia's Labour Migration system with active status as of 1 March 2026. It is a grace period for people who were already there.
If you arrive after that date, you do not inherit the grace period. The full regime applies from the start. Self-employed foreigners already trading as of 1 March 2026 faced enforcement from 1 May 2026.
The minimum real estate investment qualifying for a Georgian temporary residence permit rose from $100,000 to $150,000 on 1 March 2026, following amendments passed in June 2025. It is the third increase since the programme began in 2019.
Georgia has not enacted a dedicated digital nomad visa. The market is full of conflicting claims about this. Most expats rely on visa-free entry or the existing Remotely from Georgia framework — but note that neither of those, on its own, resolves the new work-permit question if you are earning from activity conducted in Georgia.
You register as an Individual Entrepreneur and apply for Small Business Status. The headline is 1% of turnover, and it is genuine — but there are conditions the marketing rarely mentions.
The point most guides have not caught up with. The 1% Individual Entrepreneur route has traditionally been operated by people living in Georgia on the 365-day visa-free stay, without any separate permit. Since 1 March 2026, self-employed foreigners require work authorisation.
If your plan is "arrive visa-free, register as an IE, pay 1%", that plan now has an extra step. Confirm the current position with a Georgian tax adviser before you build a business around it.
This isn't a site run by people who visited Tbilisi once. We are in the middle of it — researching, preparing and documenting the whole process of relocating to Georgia in January 2027.
Every piece of content here comes from the same research we are doing for ourselves. When the rules change, we update it. When we find something that works, we share it. When something doesn't go to plan, we say so — as we did above about the transition deadline, which we had previously read the wrong way round.
We did this for Nicaragua. Now we're doing it for Georgia.
Since 1 March 2026, most foreign nationals without permanent residence need a Special Labour Permit before undertaking paid employment or entrepreneurial activity in Georgia. The requirement covers self-employed foreigners and independent contractors, not just employees. Working without it carries a fine of 2,000 GEL.
Citizens of more than 95 countries can enter Georgia visa-free and stay for up to 365 days with no application or advance approval. Visa-free entry governs your right to be in the country, but since March 2026 it does not by itself authorise you to work or run a business there.
The threshold rose from $100,000 to $150,000 on 1 March 2026. Valuation is based on market value assessed by an accredited appraiser rather than the purchase price, and multiple properties may be combined. Existing permit holders may keep renewing under the old threshold if they retain the qualifying property.
You register as an Individual Entrepreneur and apply for Small Business Status, which taxes turnover at 1% up to 500,000 GEL a year, roughly $180,000. Above that the rate becomes 3% from the month of excess. You must operate as a sole proprietor without employees, and certain professional activities are excluded.
No. Georgia has not enacted a dedicated digital nomad visa despite widespread claims otherwise. Most remote workers rely on visa-free entry or the Remotely from Georgia framework. Neither resolves the work permit requirement introduced in March 2026 for those earning from activity conducted in Georgia.
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Verified July 2026. Georgian immigration and tax rules changed substantially in March 2026 and continue to develop. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your position with a licensed Georgian professional before acting.
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