How to Get a Residence Permit in Georgia in 2026

A Georgian residence permit, known locally as binadroba, lets a foreigner stay in the country beyond the visa-free period. It is a temporary status tied to a purpose: you get it on a specific basis, such as work, property or study, and keep renewing it for as long as that basis applies.

Do You Need a Residence Permit? How It Differs From a Visa

Citizens of most countries can enter Georgia without a visa and stay for up to a year. That is plenty for a tourist or for someone still making up their mind about moving. But if you plan to take a permanent job, run a business, buy property or send your children to a local school, a visa-free year won't be enough, and you will need a residence permit.

A residence permit won't give you a Georgian passport or the right to vote, but it is quicker to get and you keep your own citizenship.

Unlike permanent residency, a residence permit is temporary and depends on the basis you applied on. You can only move on to permanent residency after several years of continuous legal residence on temporary permits.

Five Ways to Qualify

Every permit is issued for a specific purpose: work, property, study, family or one of the special cases set out in the law. The purpose determines which documents you need and what happens to the permit if your circumstances change.

Work and business. Work permits are open to employees, individual entrepreneurs and company directors. Your employer is usually involved, since you will need a contract, proof that the company operates legally and sometimes a salary statement.

Under the rules in force since July 9, 2026, the employer or your own business must turn over at least 50,000 lari a year for each foreign employee (35,000 lari in education and healthcare).

A company registered within the last 3 months and hiring no more than 3 foreigners can get a 6-month permit with no turnover requirement. A company that exists only on paper won't qualify.

Most people who go this way start by registering as an individual entrepreneur in Georgia. An LLC in Georgia works just as well.

Property. This is the most popular option for people who move to Georgia without a job or a business. Since March 1, 2026, the minimum property value has gone up from $100,000 to $150,000. The figure that counts is the market value set by an official valuation, not the cadastral value on your documents, which is often lower.

Invest $300,000 or more in a business or property and a separate route opens up: you get a permit for 5 years from the start, with no yearly renewals.

Study. Study permits are for students at accredited Georgian universities and colleges; schoolchildren don't qualify. The first permit lasts from 6 months to a year and is renewed for as long as you stay enrolled.

Family reunification. If your spouse, parent or child already holds a Georgian residence permit or citizenship, other family members can apply on that basis. A child born in Georgia to foreign parents does not get Georgian citizenship, so after giving birth in Georgia the baby's permit goes through reunification with a resident parent.

Special grounds. The law has a separate category for refugees, participants in state programs and other specific situations. Documents and procedures are decided case by case, so ask about your situation directly at the Public Service Hall.

What Documents You Need

The basic set is almost identical whatever your basis:

• a passport with enough validity left
• a completed application form
• two photos
• papers that back up your basis (an employment contract, property documents, a letter from your university and so on)
• a receipt for the state fee

Any document issued outside Georgia usually needs a notarized Georgian translation. That includes marriage certificates, diplomas, criminal record certificates and other official papers.

Where and How to Apply

Applications are handled by the Public Service Development Agency and filed at the Public Service Hall. In Tbilisi that is the building with eleven white "petals" on the bank of the Mtkvari (Kura) at 2 Zviad Gamsakhurdia Embankment, designed by Studio Fuksas.

There are two ways to apply: in person with the full set of documents, or online first, then bringing in the paper originals within 10 days.

If you already hold a permit and are renewing it or switching to a new basis, file at least 40 days before your current legal stay ends. That way you won't be left without status while you wait.

How Long It Takes and How Much It Costs

The standard fee is 300 lari for a decision within 30 days. If you are in a hurry, you can pay 450 lari for 20 days or 600 lari for 10 days. Special-grounds permits are free.

You can pay by card online when you apply or in cash at any bank in Georgia. The current fees are listed on the Public Service Development Agency website.

Renewing Your Permit

The first permit lasts from 6 months to a year, depending on the basis. If your basis hasn't changed, you can renew remotely without returning to Georgia, which is handy if you travel a lot for work or family.

From Residence Permit to Permanent Residency and Citizenship

After 10 years in Georgia on temporary permits, you can apply for permanent residency. Minor children of Georgian citizens and parents of minor citizens can apply right away, and spouses of citizens after 5 years on a spouse residence permit.

Permanent residency frees you from yearly renewals and depends far less on your original basis. Georgian citizenship, which comes with a full passport, is a separate process.

Permanent status also helps with the move itself: a family can bring in one car with no duty or excise, as long as it was registered in your name for at least 6 months before you got the status. On a temporary permit, importing a car into Georgia is charged at the standard rates, and most of that cost is excise.

The usual path to citizenship is naturalization after 10 years of residence, plus exams in Georgian language, history and law. You have to give up your previous citizenship, because Georgia does not allow dual citizenship by default.

The exception is citizenship granted for special merit or in the national interest (Article 17 of the citizenship law). It comes straight from a presidential decree, with no residence requirement or exams, and you can keep your previous citizenship. Large investors often choose this route, since standard naturalization would take them too long.

Common Reasons for Refusal

Most refusals come down to missing documents, mistakes or inconsistencies in translations, weak evidence for your basis (such as an employment contract with no real job behind it) and legal problems with the property itself when that is your basis.

If you are applying through investment or a business, check ahead of time that your property or company meets this year's requirements, not last year's. Georgia changes its thresholds and rules often, as it did with the property threshold in 2026.