- Digital nomad visa
- Yes
"Remotely from Georgia" digital nomad visa/status
Overall10/10Among the 1% easiest cities for visas
Good to know
Good to Know
- Always check your specific passport against the current list on geoconsul.gov.ge before booking — the visa-free country list is set by government decree and does change periodically, and different sources cite slightly different country counts (roughly 90-98) depending on when they were last updated.
- The new 2026 mandatory travel insurance rule (minimum 30,000 GEL / ~$11,000 coverage) catches many visa-free travelers off guard because it's a separate requirement layered on top of visa-free eligibility — bring proof of a compliant policy even though you don't need a visa.
- Because the 365-day clock resets on exit/re-entry rather than being a rolling annual cap, many long-term nomads do a quick border hop (e.g., to Turkey or Armenia) to refresh their stay, but immigration officers can push back if they think you're using repeated hops purely to avoid getting proper residency.
- Visa-free status lets you work remotely for foreign clients/employers, but it is not a substitute for a work permit if you want to take a local Georgian job.
- For most nomad nationalities the 'Remotely from Georgia' visa doesn't actually add extra time in-country — you already get 365 days visa-free — its real value is formal residency registration and eligibility for local healthcare/banking.
- Tax residency in Georgia is triggered automatically the moment you hit 183 days in the country within any rolling 12-month window, with no paperwork needed to trigger it — plan your travel dates deliberately if you want to control when (or whether) this happens.
- The famous '1% tax' isn't a nomad-visa perk by itself — you have to separately register as an Individual Entrepreneur and apply for Small Business Status with the Revenue Service, and getting professional tax advice is worthwhile since the rules on which income counts as 'Georgian-sourced' are genuinely nuanced.
- Many long-term nomads from visa-exempt countries simply do a quick border run (commonly to Armenia or Turkey) to reset their 365-day visa-free clock instead of going through digital-nomad-visa renewal.
Visa Free Entry
- Process
- There is no visa application for eligible nationalities — you simply arrive with a valid passport, get it stamped, and are admitted. No pre-registration or online application is required for the visa-free stay itself.
- Max Stay
- Up to 365 days (one full year) per entry for eligible nationalities — far more generous than the 90-day norm most countries offer. This is confirmed directly for US citizens by the U.S. State Department, which states U.S. citizens may enter, reside, work or study in Georgia without a visa for up to 365 days.
- Overview
- Georgia (the country) operates one of the most generous visa-free entry regimes in the world, which is the default baseline most nomads arriving in Batumi will use. There is no Batumi-specific rule — entry conditions are set nationally and apply identically whether you land in Batumi, Tbilisi, or Kutaisi.
- Who Qualifies
- Citizens of roughly 95-98 countries and territories qualify for visa-free entry, including all EU/Schengen states, the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel, Turkey, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the GCC states.
- Official Source
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (Consular Department) — geoconsul.gov.ge, which hosts the current visa-free country list and a passport-checker tool, since the exact list is set by government decree and can change.
- Overstay Consequences
- Overstaying the visa-free period leads to fines rather than criminal penalties for short overstays; figures commonly cited are in the range of 360 GEL for overstays up to 90 days and 720 GEL for longer overstays, with unpaid fines able to block future entry.
- Stay Basis And Re Entry
- The 365-day allowance is per entry, not a rolling or cumulative annual cap — if you exit Georgia, even briefly, and re-enter, the clock restarts on a fresh 365-day period. There is no fixed formal limit on how many times you can do this, though immigration officers retain discretion to deny entry if they suspect the visa-free arrangement is being used as a substitute for proper long-term residence status.
- Documents Typically Checked
- A passport valid for the intended stay (many officers informally want 6 months' remaining validity), proof of accommodation, and — as of 2026 — proof of the mandatory travel insurance. Onward-ticket and sufficient-funds checks are possible but not codified as a strict legal requirement.
- Remote Work Under Visa Free Status
- Working remotely for a foreign employer or foreign clients while on visa-free status is permitted. The visa-free regime does not by itself authorize taking a local job with a Georgian employer — that requires a separate work or residence permit route.
If Not Visa Free
- E Visa
- Citizens of countries not on the visa-free list can generally apply for an e-visa online via evisa.gov.ge, typically valid for a 90-day stay; standard processing takes about 5 working days, with an expedited 2-day option for an extra fee, and a total fee in the roughly $50-80 range depending on nationality and speed.
- Embassy Visa
- A small number of nationalities must obtain a sticker (embassy) visa in advance from a Georgian diplomatic mission rather than using the e-visa system.
Mandatory Travel Insurance Since 2026
- Exemptions
- Diplomats, certain treaty-country nationals, and air transit passengers who do not clear passport control are exempt.
- Legal Basis
- Established by Decree No. 602 of the Government of Georgia, adopted 26 December 2025.
- Minimum Coverage
- GEL 30,000
- Note
- This insurance rule applies on top of, and separately from, the visa-free entry rule itself — visa-free status does not exempt a traveler from carrying this insurance.
- Description
- Since 1 January 2026, all foreign nationals entering Georgia — including visa-free travelers — are required to hold travel medical/accident insurance valid for the full duration of stay, with a minimum coverage limit.
Digital Nomad Visa And Tax
- Visa fee
- No application fee — the program is free of charge.
- Visa Name
- "Remotely from Georgia" digital nomad visa/status
- Renewal Path
- Extension is possible for continued stays, though in practice many nomads from visa-exempt countries simply do a short border exit/re-entry (e.g. to Armenia or Turkey) to reset a fresh 365-day visa-free period rather than formally renewing the digital nomad status.
- Stay Duration
- Up to one year, matching (rather than extending, for most nationalities) the standard visa-free allowance.
- Who Qualifies
- Remote employees, freelancers, and owners of a location-independent business whose income/clients are outside Georgia.
- Processing Time
- Typically about 7-10 business days.
- Family Inclusion
- Spouses/dependents can be included on the application; they must show proof of relationship (marriage/birth certificates) but are not held to the applicant's income requirement themselves.
- Application Process
- Entirely online via Georgia's official Nomad Visa portal; no embassy visit or in-person appearance is required for most applicants.
- Eligibility Countries
- Open to citizens of roughly 90-95 countries that already qualify for visa-free entry to Georgia.
- Tax Residency Trigger
- You automatically become a Georgian tax resident once you have been physically present in Georgia for 183 days or more within any rolling 12-month period — this triggers with no separate application, and there is also a High-Net-Worth-Individual route (net worth over 3,000,000 GEL, or income over 200,000 GEL/year for 3 years plus at least 25,000 GEL of Georgian-source income) that grants tax residency without a day-count requirement.
- Baseline Visa Free Stay
- Citizens of the US, UK, EU/EEA, Canada, Australia and 90+ other countries can already enter Georgia visa-free and stay up to 365 days on just a passport, which is one of the most generous visa-free allowances of any country and is the main reason many nomads skip the formal digital nomad application entirely.
Tax Regime
- Standard Flat Rate
- 20% flat personal income tax applies to Georgian-sourced income for individuals; there are no separate social-security/payroll contributions for the self-employed.
- Double Taxation Note
- If you spend under 183 days in Georgia in a tax year you are not a Georgian tax resident, and Georgia's double-taxation treaties generally will not shield you from tax obligations back in your home/domicile country — this is standard international tax practice, not unique to Georgia.
Micro Business Status
- Annual Turnover Threshold
- GEL 30,000
- Description
- For very low annual turnover, Micro Business Status gives a 0% income tax rate but does not permit hiring employees.
Small Business Status
- Rate
- 1% of gross turnover up to the annual threshold; 3% on any excess up to a second, higher threshold.
- Caveat
- Sources disagree on whether the 1% rate covers all of a nomad's foreign-client income or only income legally deemed 'Georgian-sourced' (which some tax advisors say includes work physically performed while sitting in Georgia); several restricted professions (legal, tax/audit consulting, medical, architecture, financial services) are excluded from SBS eligibility.
- Annual Turnover Threshold For 1pct
- GEL 500,000
- Description
- Registering as an Individual Entrepreneur (IE) and obtaining Small Business Status (SBS) is the mechanism most freelancers/nomads use to access Georgia's famous low-tax regime — this is not automatic just from holding the digital nomad visa/status and requires a separate registration step with the Revenue Service.
- Registration Note
- No Georgian residency or citizenship is required to register as an IE and apply for SBS; registration is digital and can be completed within days.
Documents Required
- Valid passport
- Proof of remote income or savings (bank statements, freelance contracts, employer letter, or certificate of incorporation for business owners)
- Health insurance certificate valid for the intended stay
- Completed online application form
- Travel/accommodation details (flight booking, rental agreement or hotel reservation)
Income Requirement
- Monthly Income Option
- GEL 5,260
- Savings Alternative Option
- GEL 63,160
- Note
- The government-stated thresholds are denominated in USD ($2,000/month or $24,000 in savings); GEL figures above are the approximate local-currency equivalent at current exchange rates, not a fixed local-currency requirement.
Visa Ease Tier
Very high
Visa Ease Tier Rationale
A 365-day visa-free entry for most nationalities, a free and fully online digital-nomad registration on top of that, and easy access to a low-bureaucracy 1% small-business tax status combine to make long-term legal remote work in Georgia unusually simple compared with most countries.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.