Long-stay route · Europe
Georgia visa-free long stay 2026: requirements and cost
Georgia has no digital nomad visa: citizens of about 95 listed countries, including the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia and Japan, may stay one full year without a visa. Since 1 March 2026 foreigners need a work permit to work in Georgia, and the UK Foreign Office says this includes remote work, so check your case before working during the visa-free year.
Official name: Visa-free entry and stay for one full year under Government Ordinance No 255 of 5 June 2015. Facts updated 2026-10-07 · Not yet reviewed by a person · Dataset 2026.10.7.
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Compiled from the official pages listed below, last read on 2026-10-07. A named person has not yet re-checked it; treat it as a starting point and confirm with the source before you apply.
Who can apply
Set to all because the list is too long to enumerate: Ordinance No 255 of 2015 (as amended, latest consolidation February 2026) names about 95 countries and territories whose citizens may enter and stay for one full year without a visa, covering the EU and EEA, the UK, Switzerland, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel, the Gulf states, Türkiye, most of Latin America, Russia, Ukraine and the CIS. Other nationals need an e-visa or consular visa (usually 90 days in 180) and cannot use this route.
What you need
- Passport (or EU identity card for EU citizens) valid for the stay
- Health and accident insurance policy covering the visit, required for visitors from 1 January 2026
- Proof of sufficient funds for the stay, in case the border officer asks
- Proof of accommodation (booking, lease or host details)
- Return or onward ticket
- For a later residence permit: application form, passport copy, 3x4 colour photos, documents proving the grounds (employment contract, entrepreneur registration and turnover, enrolment or family ties) and proof of lawful stay
Income proof: There is no income test for the visa-free stay. Border officers may ask for proof of funds, insurance, accommodation and a return ticket under the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, and since 1 January 2026 visitors must hold health and accident insurance; a work residence permit, if you later want one, requires income of at least five times the subsistence minimum.
Family: Family members from listed countries enter visa-free on their own passports; no dependant status exists for a visa-free stay. For residence permits, a spouse and children can apply on family-reunification grounds once you hold a permit.
Cost and timeline
| Minimum income | no fixed minimum |
|---|---|
| Fee | freeNothing to pay at the border. A later temporary residence permit costs GEL 300 (about US$115) for a 30-day decision, GEL 450 for 20 days or GEL 600 for 10 days at the Public Service Development Agency. |
| Processing time | noneNo application: the stay is granted on entry with a passport stamp. Residence permits are decided in 10, 20 or 30 days depending on the fee paid. |
| Stay | 1 year |
How to apply
In the country. Nothing to apply for before travel; present your passport at the border. If you later want residence, apply at any Public Service Hall or online with the Public Service Development Agency (sda.gov.ge) while still legally in Georgia.
- Check that your citizenship is on the list annexed to Ordinance No 255 (matsne.gov.ge); if it is not, obtain an e-visa or consular visa instead, which gives shorter stays.
- Buy health and accident insurance covering your stay (mandatory for visitors since 1 January 2026) and carry proof of funds, accommodation and an onward ticket in case the border officer asks.
- Enter Georgia; the stamp allows a stay of one full year with no registration requirement.
- If you will invoice clients or need a tax number, register with the Revenue Service (rs.ge) as an individual entrepreneur, which also opens the 1% small-business tax status and a possible work residence permit later.
- Before day 365, either leave and re-enter, or apply to the Public Service Development Agency for a temporary residence permit with your passport, photos, proof of grounds (employment, entrepreneurship, study or family) and the fee.
After you arrive
Renewal: One full year (365 days) from the date of entry, with no application. There is no formal extension; in practice the count restarts on re-entry after a trip abroad, but the law does not guarantee this and border officers may question back-to-back years. For a settled stay apply for a residence permit before the 365 days run out.
Residence: Visa-free days do not count toward residence. A temporary residence permit (work, entrepreneur, study, family or investment grounds) is issued by the Public Service Development Agency for up to a year at first and extended; according to the Agency, permanent residence is available after ten years on temporary permits, or after five years for investors who keep the required turnover.
Taxes
You become Georgian tax resident after 183 days in any continuous 12-month period and are then taxed on Georgian-source income only, since Georgia uses a territorial system. Many remote workers register as an individual entrepreneur with small-business status, taxed at 1% of turnover up to GEL 500,000 a year; a foreign salary paid for work physically done in Georgia can be treated as Georgian-source, so take advice if you keep an overseas employer.
In practice
- Decision on nomadVisa: false. Georgia's only remote-work scheme, Remotely from Georgia (2020), was a pandemic-era entry permit that is no longer accepting applications and whose portal (stopcov.ge) is offline; the one-year visa-free rule is a general entry right, not a dedicated nomad visa.
- Work permits since 1 March 2026: amendments to the Law on Labour Migration require foreigners who are employed or self-employed in Georgia to hold a work permit. The UK Foreign Office says this covers working remotely. Article 1(4)(k) of the law excludes services for a non-resident person linked to that person's activities outside Georgia, which may cover a foreign employer or foreign clients, but no official guidance yet says how it is applied, so confirm with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs before relying on it.
- The visa-free year is counted from entry, so a short trip to Armenia or Türkiye before day 365 is the common way to reset it; keep the stamps, because overstaying is fined and can bar re-entry.
- Tbilisi (Vake, Vera, Saburtalo) has most of the coworking and the best fibre; Batumi is the summer base and Kutaisi has the budget airport. Cash is still useful outside the big cities.
- Mandatory visitor insurance of at least GEL 30,000 cover applies from 2026; some travel policies qualify, otherwise buy a Georgian policy on arrival.
For your passport
Choose your passport in the ranker and the notes that apply to you move to the top.
- EU, EEA, CH, GB:On the Ordinance 255 list: one full year visa-free, and EU citizens may enter with a national ID card instead of a passport.
- US, CA, AU, NZ, JP, KR, IL:On the list: one full year visa-free with no application or fee.
- IN, CN, PK, PH, NG, EG, VN:Not on the one-year list. You need an e-visa (evisa.gov.ge) or consular visa, typically for 30 to 90 days in 180, or you may enter visa-free for 90 days if you hold a valid visa or residence permit from the EU, US, UK, Canada, Japan or several other listed states.
- All other passports:Check the annex to Ordinance No 255 on matsne.gov.ge. Listed citizens get 365 days; everyone else applies for an e-visa or consular visa and cannot rely on the one-year stay.
Cities in Georgia on Nostos
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Frequently asked
- Who can apply for the Georgia visa-free long stay?
- Set to all because the list is too long to enumerate: Ordinance No 255 of 2015 (as amended, latest consolidation February 2026) names about 95 countries and territories whose citizens may enter and stay for one full year without a visa, covering the EU and EEA, the UK, Switzerland, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel, the Gulf states, Türkiye, most of Latin America, Russia, Ukraine and the CIS. Other nationals need an e-visa or consular visa (usually 90 days in 180) and cannot use this route. Georgia has no digital nomad visa: citizens of about 95 listed countries, including the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia and Japan, may stay one full year without a visa. Since 1 March 2026 foreigners need a work permit to work in Georgia, and the UK Foreign Office says this includes remote work, so check your case before working during the visa-free year.
- How much income do you need for the One-year visa-free stay?
- There is no income test for the visa-free stay. Border officers may ask for proof of funds, insurance, accommodation and a return ticket under the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, and since 1 January 2026 visitors must hold health and accident insurance; a work residence permit, if you later want one, requires income of at least five times the subsistence minimum.
- How much does the One-year visa-free stay cost and how long does it take?
- The fee is free (No fee for visa-free entry); Nothing to pay at the border. A later temporary residence permit costs GEL 300 (about US$115) for a 30-day decision, GEL 450 for 20 days or GEL 600 for 10 days at the Public Service Development Agency. Processing time: none. No application: the stay is granted on entry with a passport stamp. Residence permits are decided in 10, 20 or 30 days depending on the fee paid.
- How long can you stay in Georgia on the One-year visa-free stay, and can it be renewed?
- 1 year. One full year (365 days) from the date of entry, with no application. There is no formal extension; in practice the count restarts on re-entry after a trip abroad, but the law does not guarantee this and border officers may question back-to-back years. For a settled stay apply for a residence permit before the 365 days run out.
- Does the One-year visa-free stay lead to permanent residence in Georgia?
- Not by itself. Visa-free days do not count toward residence. A temporary residence permit (work, entrepreneur, study, family or investment grounds) is issued by the Public Service Development Agency for up to a year at first and extended; according to the Agency, permanent residence is available after ten years on temporary permits, or after five years for investors who keep the required turnover.
- Can family members come with you on the One-year visa-free stay?
- Family members from listed countries enter visa-free on their own passports; no dependant status exists for a visa-free stay. For residence permits, a spouse and children can apply on family-reunification grounds once you hold a permit.
- Do you pay tax in Georgia on the One-year visa-free stay?
- You become Georgian tax resident after 183 days in any continuous 12-month period and are then taxed on Georgian-source income only, since Georgia uses a territorial system. Many remote workers register as an individual entrepreneur with small-business status, taxed at 1% of turnover up to GEL 500,000 a year; a foreign salary paid for work physically done in Georgia can be treated as Georgian-source, so take advice if you keep an overseas employer.
- Where do you apply for the One-year visa-free stay?
- In the country: Nothing to apply for before travel; present your passport at the border. If you later want residence, apply at any Public Service Hall or online with the Public Service Development Agency (sda.gov.ge) while still legally in Georgia.
- Does Georgia have a digital nomad visa in 2026?
- No. The Remotely from Georgia programme launched in 2020 has closed and nothing has replaced it, because citizens of about 95 countries already get one full year visa-free under Ordinance No 255. Since 1 March 2026 working in Georgia needs a work permit; a law exclusion may cover work for foreign employers or clients, so check before you rely on it.
- Can I stay in Georgia for more than a year without a visa?
- Not continuously. The visa-free stay is one full year from entry; after that you must leave, and most people re-enter to begin a new year, or apply for a temporary residence permit from the Public Service Development Agency before the year ends.
Sources
- Ordinance No 255 of the Government of Georgia of 5 June 2015 on Approval of the List of Countries Whose Citizens May Enter Georgia without a Visa (consolidated), Legislative Herald of Georgia (matsne.gov.ge) · retrieved 2026-10-04 · Rule that listed citizens may enter and stay for one full year; the annexed country list (about 95 entries); EU identity cards accepted; consolidated version of February 2026
- Government of Georgia Ordinance No 255, 5 June 2015 (PDF), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Consular Department (gc-pfiles.mfa.gov.ge) · retrieved 2026-10-04 · Same ordinance as published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' consular service
- Visa Information, Embassy of Georgia to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (jordan.mfa.gov.ge) · retrieved 2026-10-04 · One full year visa-free stay stated for listed citizens under Ordinance No 255; residence-permit holders enter without a visa
- Migration / Residence Permits, Public Service Development Agency, Ministry of Justice of Georgia (sda.gov.ge) · retrieved 2026-10-04 · Residence permit types, work-permit income of five times the subsistence minimum, GEL 300/450/600 fees for 30/20/10-day decisions, permanent residence after ten years, application at Public Service Halls
- Georgia travel advice: entry requirements, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gov.uk) · retrieved 2026-10-07 · One year visa-free for British citizens; from 1 March 2026 a work permit is needed to work in Georgia, including working remotely or running a business (page updated 15 Sep 2026)
- Law of Georgia on Labour Migration (consolidated), Legislative Herald of Georgia (matsne.gov.ge) · retrieved 2026-10-07 · Article 1(4) cases the law does not apply to, including (k), added by Law No 862 of 26 June 2025: services for a non-resident person linked to that person's activities outside Georgia; consolidated version of 25 June 2026
- New rules for employed and self-employed aliens without permanent residence in Georgia, Embassy of Georgia to Norway, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia · retrieved 2026-10-07 · Work-permit rules in force from 1 March 2026, covering employment with a local employer in Georgia or remotely (posted 26 Feb 2026)
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