Residence in Georgia

Georgia is a country rich in natural beauty, cultural heritage, and an emerging economy, it is located between Europe and Asia. In recent years, the demand for residence in Georgia has increased. This Eurasian country has attracted many immigrants and investors from around the world due to its high level of security and social freedom, pleasant climate, low cost of living, and favorable economic conditions compared to other countries in the region.

One of the main questions for foreigners is how to get residence in Georgia and what investment opportunities there are when moving into this country. Thanks to Georgia’s economic success, this country has become an attractive option for investors and home buyers. One of the fastest and easiest ways of starting and getting your residential permit is through buying a property, which has been the number one method for investors and homebuyers who have a Georgia residency. The Georgian government also has arranged some other methods to ease up the immigration opportunities, for instance, if you are looking to begin or continue your education in this country, you can obtain temporary residence as a student until you graduate, or if you are looking to work in a company you have found fit to your skills, it’s possible to obtain work residency from your workplace. Our experts at Sisno Group will assist you and will provide the necessary information to you to help you take your first steps towards moving into this beautiful country.

During past years Georgia has been an attractive option for many foreigners because of its advantages and the European Union candidacy since December 2023. It is important to note, that each one of these methods for obtaining residency in Georgia is based on individual circumstances, in the following, these methods will be explained thoroughly.

If you are looking to buy property in Georgia, this can be the most straight forward and easiest way of obtaining residency in Georgia. According to Georgia’s immigration law, foreigners can obtain Georgia residency by purchasing any type of property except agricultural land, which cannot be owned by foreigners. The property or properties should have a total value of at least $100,000. It is also possible to have multiple lower-valued properties that add up to more than $100,000. For example, three properties valued at $35,000 each. These desired properties must be approved by an official government appraiser. This type of residency is short-term and needs to be renewed every year, to renew it you will need to prove that you are still the owner of this property and provide the necessary documents.

The first step is to look for the desired property that suits your preferences and budget, then with the help of a consultant or a lawyer, you can hold a meeting with the seller of the property which is usually from a company or an individual at the Georgian public service hall. There are two methods of transferring the money: cash or through the seller’s account. For the issuance of the property document, you will have 3 options: on the same working day for 350 GEL, 24 hours later for 270 GEL, or 4 working days later for 150 GEL. After the document is signed, the official appraiser needs to appraise the property.

For the appraiser to verify the value of the house, they will require a few photographs of the property, property documents, and a Georgian translation of the passport. This evaluation typically takes 24 hours. After this, you may submit your application, which will be processed within 10 days for 600 GEL, 20 days for 450 GEL, or 30 days for 300 GEL, depending on your preference. Note that, it’s also possible to apply for a residential permit for the buyer’s wife/husband and children (any ages) upon receiving a positive answer for the owner’s residential permit.

After preparing the residency permit for the owner of the property, it is possible to apply for Georgian residency for your spouse and children. The remarkable point about Georgia’s temporary residency by buying property (buying a property worth $100,000) is that you can also obtain Georgia residency for your children regardless of their age, meaning under 18 years of age as well as 18 years and above.

If you are an entrepreneur or just plan to open a company in Georgia, you also can apply for Georgia residency through company registration, however, there are prerequisites to obtain this type of residency that will be discussed further in this section. Under the immigration law of Georgia, if a company has a confirmed income of at least 50,000 GEL per foreign employee within a maximum of one year prior to applying for residency through company registration in Georgia, and if the net salary of the employee applicant is at least 5 times the government-declared minimum wage and their payroll taxes have been paid, they can apply for Georgian residency via company registration. The important point here is that a person who is the owner of a company, whether in the position of managing director or in any other position, can be considered as an employee and to pay salaries and taxes for him/herself so that s/he can apply for residency in Georgia by company registration.
To obtain this type of residence, you can apply for your residence request with the help of experienced lawyers of Sisno Group, while completing the required documents. Your residence permit result will be issued by the Immigration Department in three ways (that can be selected by the applicant): 10 days with a payment of 600 GEL, 20 days with a payment of 450 GEL, and 30 days with a payment of 300 GEL. If the answer is positive, you should go to the immigration office and register your request for the issuance of a residence card. After receiving a positive answer for Georgian residence by registering the company, you can also apply for Georgian residence for your spouse and children under 18 years of age.

If you are looking to start working in Georgia or you have already found a working place, then getting a residential permit is fairly straightforward. However, there are two main requirements which needs to be met to start working in Georgia and obtain a residential permit for it. There are two main regulations.

• The first one is to make sure you are earning 5 times the minimum wage which is set by the government (300 GEL) which equates to 1500 GEL minimum salary requirement
• The second regulation is to make sure the company you are entering has enough annual turnover per foreign employee which is 50,000 GEL (excluding VAT) and it needs to be approved by Georgia’s tax department (the annual turnover approved by the tax department is the sum of cash/deposit inflows and taxes paid by the company).

If you are a company manager or an entrepreneur, you can introduce yourself as an employee and obtain Georgia’s residential permit.

In order to obtain a work residence in Georgia, after finding the desired job that qualifies for obtaining residency, you can proceed to register your residency application with Sisno Group’s lawyers. You may use our services at Sisno Group and submit the necessary documents, all while receiving complimentary guidance from our seasoned professionals. Afterward, you can go to the public service hall with your lawyer to submit your request in one of the following ways: a 10-day process for 600 GEL, a 20-day process for 450 GEL, or a 30-day process for 300 GEL. If your residency request is approved, you must return to the public service hall to formalize your request for the issuance of the residency card. Please be advised that obtaining work residence in Georgia also grants you the ability to petition for residency for your spouse and children under the age of 18.

For students who are looking to start their academic journey to study in Georgia, this method is by far the easiest way to obtain a residential permit. The duration of this permit can vary depending on the duration of the academic period, from 6 months to multiple years. Experts in Sisno Group can help you find your preferred university based on the major you are interested in and your budget, after finding the academic institution that is suitable for you, you should proceed to translate and deliver the documents to the Georgia Ministry of Education in order to receive the approval and student code. It’s possible to receive the confirmation in 2 working days for 250 GEL or 6 days for 120 GEL 15 days for 80 GEL or 30 days for 40 GEL. After you have received your student code from the Georgian Ministry of Education, the university will issue a tuition invoice after which the final contract is signed between the student and the university. After this procedure you can request a certificate of proof of study which can be used to obtain Georgian academic residency.

As long as your student code has not been issued, you may leave Georgia and entrust your affairs to the experienced professionals at Sisno Group. You will only need to be in Georgia to pay tuition, sign the final contract, and complete the steps required to obtain Georgia academic residency, which will take 5 working days. To register your residency request, visit the Public service hall and have a lawyer complete the necessary documents and forms. Your residency request will be answered in three ways: 30 days with a payment of 300 GEL, 20 days with a payment of 450 GEL, or 10 days with a payment of 600 GEL. If the residency answer is positive, you should return to the Public service hall with a lawyer to apply for the residency card. By obtaining Georgia academic residency for students, you can also apply for residence in Georgia for your wife/husband and children under the age of 18.

Similarly to university students, school level students are also able to obtain a residential permit in Georgia if their enrollment in the school is approved by the Georgian ministry of education. With the help of experts in Sisno Group you are able to take advantage of free consultations of our company and find your ideal educational institution based on your future major and budget. In order to obtain the educational certification and student code, you must submit the necessary registration documents to the Georgia Ministry of Education after selecting the desired school. The confirmation of these documents can be issued in four ways: within two working days with a payment of 250 GEL, within six working days with a payment of 120 GEL, within fifteen working days with a payment of 80 GEL, and within thirty working days with a payment of 40 GEL. Afterward, the pre-invoice for the payment of all or a portion of the tuition (subject to the terms of the agreement with the aforementioned school) is generated. During the payment process, parents are required to execute the school’s final contract. You have the option of requesting a certificate of employment from the school after you have signed the final contract.

Once the employment certificate has been prepared by the school, you may visit the Public service hall with a counsel to submit your application for Georgia educational residency for students. The response to this residency will be provided in three distinct formats: 30 days with a payment of 300 GEL, 20 days with a payment of 450 GEL, and 10 days with a payment of 600 GEL. It is important to note that the document verification stage of the Georgia Educational residency procedure for students is only required for the first year. In subsequent years, registration will be facilitated by the deposit and signature of the contract. Parents may also register their residency request by submitting comprehensive documentation following the acquisition of Georgia educational residency for their students.

As we mentioned before, it is possible to obtain permanent residency in Georgia through specific laws. It’s important to note that permanent residency in Georgia does not grant Georgian citizenship or a Georgian passport, However, the rights remain the same when it comes to a person with a Georgia permanent residence permit and a citizen with the exception of voting for election.

According to Georgia’s Immigration Law, to be eligible for a permanent residency permit in Georgia, a foreign national must own property worth at least $300,000 USD. If eligible, the procedure for obtaining permanent residency starts with a 5-year residential permit (long-term permit). After these 5 years, if you still own property appraised at $300,000 or more, you can renew your residential permit to a permanent one. Keep in mind that when applying for the initial 5-year residential permit through property purchase, the application fee is the same as for a short-term residential permit through property purchase.

It is possible to replace this property with another property that is equal in value, After the appraiser has valued your property (which can take a few days), you must pay a visit to the Georgian Public Service Hall with your lawyer and the necessary documents to apply for the permit. The answer to this application will be processed in two ways, either 30 in days with a payment of 350 GEL or in 20 days with a payment of 500 GEL. It is also important to note that if the answer to your application is positive, it is also possible to apply for your husband/wife and children (under 18) for a permit similar to yours. The process will take 20 days for 300 GEL or 30 days for 180 GEL per application.

If a foreign citizen invests at least $300,000 in Georgia, they will initially be granted a five-year investment residency (which has the same fee as the temporary residential permit application). If the investment process results in an approved turnover by the tax authority of at least $50,000 in the first year, at least $100,000 in the second year, and at least $120,000 in the third, fourth, and fifth years, their residency will be converted to Georgia permanent residence by investment after five years. To obtain permanent residency through investment in Georgia, the amount of your investment must first be approved by a government-appointed evaluator.

During the evaluation process, there must be a close connection between the company’s accountant, the official government evaluator, and a lawyer. If you successfully pass this stage, you will need to go to the Public Service Hall with all the necessary documents and your lawyer to submit your application for a Georgian residential permit by investment. For the first time, when you apply for a 5-year residential permit through investment, the application fee is the same as a short-term investment residential permit application. After passing these 5 years and then applying for permanent residency, the response to the application for permanent residency in Georgia will be issued in two-time frames: either within 20 days for a fee of 300 GEL or within 30 days for a fee of 180 GEL. If the application is approved, you must return to the Public Service Development Agency with your lawyer to request the issuance of your residency card.

A person with Georgia permanent investment residency may apply for his/her spouse and children under the age of 18. The response to these applications will be issued in two forms: 20 days with a payment of 300 GEL and 30 days with a payment of 180 GEL (per person). If they receive a positive response, they may apply for their residency card.

Based on Georgian immigration laws, anyone who marries a Georgian citizen, regardless of whether a Georgian man marries a foreign woman or vice versa, the foreign spouse will be granted a permanent residential permit upon officially marrying a Georgian citizen, however, there are certain requirements for the spouse to become a Georgian citizen. The requirements are: at least live in Georgia for 5 years after marrying, and pass citizenship tests which include history, Georgian language, and Georgian laws, after these requirements have been met, the person can become a Georgian citizen. It’s very important to know, that the Georgian government takes this very seriously and will check everything to make sure your marriage is real. After going to the public service hall with the necessary documents, they will provide an answer to your request in 20 days for 500 GEL or in 30 days for 350 GEL.