Overall9/10Among the 5% easiest cities for visas
Good to know
Good to Know
- The 365-day visa-free allowance applies per entry, not as a lifetime or single-calendar-year cap — many long-term nomads do a quick border run (e.g., to Armenia) once a year to reset the clock, though this is not a guaranteed right and officers can push back if they suspect long-term residence abuse.
- As of 2026, don't skip the new mandatory travel insurance rule (min. 30,000 GEL coverage) — it applies even to visa-free nationalities like US and EU citizens, and travelers without it risk a fine or being turned back at the border.
- Visa-free entry lets you work remotely for a foreign employer or clients, but it does not let you take a local job with a Georgian company without a separate work permit.
- Only use the official portals — geoconsul.gov.ge for entry rules and evisa.gov.ge for e-visas — third-party 'visa agency' sites often overcharge for the same service.
- Most nomads never apply for anything at all — the 365-day visa-free entry that citizens of ~95 countries already have is the de facto 'digital nomad visa' for Georgia.
- Don't assume that having a visa-free stamp or a residence permit means tax is settled: Georgian tax residency triggers automatically at 183 days in any rolling 12-month window, completely independent of your immigration status.
- If you plan to stay long-term and bill foreign clients, registering as an Individual Entrepreneur with Small Business Status early is what actually unlocks the famous 1% tax rate — simply living in Georgia does not.
- A March 2026 work-permit law is reshaping the practical rules for foreign workers in Georgia; if you plan a long stay, check the latest guidance before assuming pure remote work for a foreign employer is unaffected.
- Watch out for outdated blog content still describing the 2020 'Remotely from Georgia' program as the main visa route — verify its current status before relying on it.
Tax Regime
- Standard Income Tax Rate
- 20% flat rate applies to Georgian-source income for residents and non-residents; no separate social security contributions for the self-employed.
- System
- Territorial taxation for individuals: Georgian tax residents are taxed only on Georgian-source income; foreign-sourced income (salary from foreign employers, freelance income from foreign clients, dividends, interest, and cryptocurrency gains) is generally exempt from Georgian tax, even when paid into a Georgian bank account.
- Crypto Treatment
- Personal cryptocurrency trading and holding income is treated as non-Georgian-sourced and is not taxed for individuals, since it is not considered tied to a geographic location; running crypto activity as a registered Georgian business changes this treatment.
- Double Taxation Treaties
- Georgia has double taxation avoidance treaties with roughly 57 countries; under these, a genuine Georgian tax resident's home country generally cannot also tax the same income, but this depends heavily on whether ties to the home country (residence, family, property) have actually been cut.
Individual Entrepreneur Small Business Status
- Rate Above Cap
- 3% tax on turnover above the cap
- Registration
- Registration is done through the Revenue Service of Georgia (revenue.gov.ge), can be completed remotely via notarized power of attorney or video call, and typically takes 1–3 business days. Georgian residency or citizenship is not required to register as an IE, but genuine Georgian tax residency (183+ days) is generally needed to actually benefit from the 1% rate rather than owing 20% on income earned before approval.
- Turnover Cap
- GEL 500,000
- Excluded Activities
- Certain activities, notably general 'consulting' work, are excluded from SBS and taxed at the standard 20% rate.
- Description
- Foreigners can register as an Individual Entrepreneur (IE) and apply for Small Business Status (SBS) to pay a flat 1% tax on gross turnover instead of the 1standard rate, provided the underlying income would otherwise be considered Georgian-source or the individual is a Georgian tax resident.
Micro Business Status
- Turnover Cap
- GEL 30,000
- Description
- For very small turnover, a Micro Business status offers 0% income tax.
Alternative Pathway D2 Visa
- Visa fee
- $20
- Name
- D2 Immigration Visa (Freelancer and Entrepreneurial Activity)
- Processing Time
- Typically 10–30 business days depending on submission method.
- Description
- A short-term immigration visa allowing remote workers and freelancers to legally live and work in Georgia for up to 90 days.
Documents Required
- 3–6 months of bank statements
- Employment contract or freelance agreements
- Tax returns
- Officially translated documents if not in Georgian or English
Income Requirement
- Basis
- Set at roughly five times the Georgian subsistence minimum for a working-age male.
- Monthly Income
- GEL 1,417
Secondary Pathway Remotely From Georgia
- Name
- Remotely from Georgia
- Status
- Originally launched August 2020 as a dedicated state program for remote workers; several current sources describe it as effectively defunct/discontinued since most eligible nationalities can simply use the 365-day visa-free entry instead, while other sources still list it as an active free application route. Confirm current status directly with Georgian authorities before relying on it.
- Processing Time
- Historically free and processed in a matter of days when active; current availability and timeline should be verified with Georgian immigration authorities.
- Eligibility When Active
- Remote employees of foreign companies, freelancers/contractors with international clients, and location-independent business owners intending to stay at least 180 days.
Documents Required
- Valid passport
- Proof of remote employment or freelance/business activity (employment contract, freelance agreements, or business incorporation certificate)
- Bank statements or other evidence of stable foreign-sourced income or savings
- International health insurance covering Georgia
- Completed application form
Income Requirement
- Monthly Income
- GEL 5,400
- Alternative Savings
- GEL 64,600
Visa Free Entry
- Process
- No advance application, embassy visit, or online form is required for eligible nationalities. Travelers simply present a valid passport at passport control (air or land border) and receive an entry stamp on arrival.
- Max Stay
- Up to 365 consecutive days per entry for citizens of the main visa-free list; 90 days within any 180-day period for the secondary 'valid visa/residence permit' category.
- Overview
- Georgia (the country) operates one of the most permissive entry regimes in the world for nomads. Citizens of roughly 95-98 countries — including the US, all EU/Schengen states, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Turkey, Ukraine, and all GCC states — can enter without a visa and stay up to 365 days per entry, far beyond the standard 90-day norm most countries offer.
- Stay Reset
- The 365-day period is per visit/entry rather than a hard annual cap. Leaving Georgia and re-entering generally starts a new 365-day allowance, and there is no official minimum time you must spend outside before re-entering, which is why short 'border run' trips (e.g., to Armenia or Azerbaijan) are common among long-stay nomads. That said, border officers have discretion and can question or deny entry if they suspect someone is using repeated visa-free entries to effectively reside long-term without proper status.
- Who Qualifies
- Citizens of the visa-free list (roughly 95-98 countries per current government decree) qualify for the full 365-day stay. Separately, holders of a valid visa or residence permit from the US, Schengen area, UK, Canada, Japan, or GCC states can enter visa-free for 90 days within a 180-day period even if their own nationality is not on the main visa-free list.
- Work And Income
- Visa-free status permits remote work for employers or clients based outside Georgia. It does not authorize taking a local job with a Georgian employer — that requires a work or residence permit. Georgia also runs a separate 'Remotely from Georgia' program aimed at remote workers wanting a more formal long-term status.
- Not On Visa Free List
- Citizens of countries not on the visa-free list (e.g., India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and a number of African and Asian countries) generally need an e-Visa via the official portal (evisa.gov.ge), typically valid for around 90 days, or a sticker visa from a Georgian embassy for a smaller subset of nationalities.
Official Sources
Entry Requirements
- Valid passport (a biometric passport is recommended; some EU nationals may use a national ID card instead)
- No strict minimum passport validity is set by law, but 3-6 months of validity beyond the stay is commonly recommended
- Proof of accommodation, onward travel, or sufficient funds may be requested by border officers at their discretion, though this is not always enforced
- As of 1 January 2026, mandatory travel medical/accident insurance covering the full stay, with minimum coverage of 30,000 GEL
Overstay Penalties
- Fine Over 90 Days Overstay
- GEL 720
- Fine Up To 90 Days Overstay
- GEL 360
- Description
- Overstaying the visa-free or e-visa period is handled administratively for most short overstays and can result in a fine, with unpaid fines potentially blocking future entry.
Mandatory Travel Insurance 2026
- Minimum Coverage
- GEL 30,000
- Description
- Since 1 January 2026, all foreign nationals entering Georgia — including visa-free travelers — must hold travel medical insurance valid for their whole stay, per Government Decree No. 602 (adopted 26 December 2025). Diplomats, certain treaty-country nationals, and air transit passengers who don't clear passport control are exempt.
Georgia does not currently have a single, formally-branded 'digital nomad visa' in active operation. Most remote workers instead rely on Georgia's very generous visa-free entry policy, historically supplemented by a COVID-era program called 'Remotely from Georgia.' Multiple current sources disagree on whether that specific program is still technically open or has quietly lapsed, and a March 2026 work-permit law has added a new compliance layer that specifically affects foreign nationals working while in Georgia.
Renewal Path
The visa-free stay and the (if applicable) Remotely from Georgia authorization are generally not described as renewable in place; the common practical approach is to exit and re-enter Georgia to restart the visa-free clock, or to transition into a longer-term route such as the work residence permit or Individual Entrepreneur registration with residency if a multi-year stay is planned.
Visa Ease Tier
Very high
Tax Residency Trigger
- Rule
- 183 days or more of physical presence in Georgia within any rolling 12-month period (not tied to the calendar year) automatically triggers Georgian tax residency — no application or approval is needed, and it applies regardless of what visa/entry status is held. Arrival and departure days both count as full days.
- High Net Worth Exception
- Individuals classified as High-Net-Worth (net worth exceeding roughly GEL 3,000,000, or annual income exceeding roughly GEL 200,000 in each of the last three years) can qualify for tax residency without meeting the 183-day count, provided they also earn at least GEL 25,000 from Georgian sources and make at least one visit per year.
Visa Ease Tier Rationale
Most nomads qualify for a no-application 365-day visa-free stay with simple territorial taxation and an optional low-cost 1% Individual Entrepreneur regime, making Georgia one of the easiest places to reside and work remotely long-term.
Primary Pathway Visa Free Entry
- Name
- Visa-free entry regime
- Max Stay
- Up to 365 days per entry; some travelers reset the clock with a border run, though this is a practical workaround rather than an officially documented renewal mechanism.
- Work Rights Caveat
- Since March 1, 2026, a new labour migration law separates the right to stay from the right to work. Holding visa-free status or a residence permit no longer automatically grants a legal right to work; most foreign nationals performing paid work, self-employment, or entrepreneurial activity in Georgia are now expected to obtain a 'Right to Labour Activity' work permit. It remains genuinely unclear and inconsistently reported whether remote work performed for a foreign employer/clients (with no Georgian income) falls under this requirement in practice — treat this as an evolving area, not settled law.
- Description
- Citizens of roughly 95 countries (including the US, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia) can enter Georgia without a visa and stay for up to 365 days. This is the route the large majority of digital nomads actually use.
Longer Term Option Work Residence Permit
- Requirements
- Personal income of at least five times the Georgian subsistence minimum, plus a minimum annual business turnover of roughly GEL 50,000 for entrepreneurial applicants.
- Note
- From March 2026 a separate Work Permit fee of GEL 200–400 applies alongside this permit, and applications must be lodged at least 40 days before the current legal stay expires.
- Description
- For nomads wanting a multi-year base, a work residence permit is available, running 6–12 months and extendable up to 12 years, potentially leading to permanent residence after 10 years.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.