Before you start

Valid passport (visa-free for ~95 nationalities)
Travel medical insurance (mandatory on entry from Jan 1, 2026)
Proof of income / employment / investment (for residence permits)

Step-by-step

1
Visa-free 365-day stay — no application needed
Citizens of ~95 countries (including the US, UK, all EU/EEA, Canada, Australia, and the Gulf states) enter visa-free and may stay a full 365 days, then exit and re-enter to reset the clock. You get a stamp on arrival — no form, no fee. You may live, and (in a legal grey area) work remotely for foreign clients. Note: from Jan 1, 2026 you must hold travel medical insurance (min GEL 30,000 cover) to enter.
In personWho: Citizens of ~95 visa-free countriesImmediate on arrivalFree
2
Register as an Individual Entrepreneur (IE) to formalise freelancing
Most long-staying nomads register as an Individual Entrepreneur at the Public Service Hall — this gives you a legal basis to invoice, a tax ID, and (if eligible) access to the 1% Small Business regime. It also strengthens a residence-permit or bank application by showing economic substance. Registration is same-day and cheap. See the Taxes guide for the 1% details and who is excluded.
In personWho: Freelancers / sole traders staying long-termSame dayFree (IE registration); GEL 5 for certain certificates
3
Special Labour Activity Permit — new from March 1, 2026
A new permit regime taking effect March 1, 2026 is designed to capture foreign nationals performing 'labour activity' in Georgia, including some freelancers and remote workers. Critically, whether it applies to remote work performed purely for FOREIGN clients is, as of mid-2026, officially unresolved and contested among practitioners — treat this as a live, uncertain area and consult a Georgian immigration lawyer before relying on the old 'just work remotely visa-free' model. Enforcement detail and exemptions are still being clarified.
In personWho: Foreign nationals working in Georgia (scope being clarified)Effective March 1, 2026TBC — fees not finalised at time of writing
4
Work / IT / Investment residence permits — for permanent roots
For residency beyond the visa-free year you apply at the Public Service Hall (decision ~30 days). Main routes: (1) Work residence permit — requires employment and the company meeting turnover-per-employee thresholds. (2) IT residence permit (introduced Sept 2025) — 3 years, for IT professionals with ≥2 years' experience and ≥US$25,000/year income. (3) Short-term (investment) residence permit via real estate — minimum property value raised to US$150,000 from March 1, 2026. Permanent residency now requires 10 years of continuous temporary residency (raised from 6).
In personWho: Employees, IT professionals, property investors~30 days for a decisionGEL 180-410 depending on permit type and processing speed

Documents you’ll need

Passport (visa-free entry for ~95 nationalities)
Travel medical insurance certificate (min GEL 30,000 — mandatory from Jan 1, 2026)
For IE: passport + Georgian address
For residence permits: proof of income/employment/property, photos, application fee receipt
Apostilled/translated documents for some permit categories

Things most newcomers don’t know

The 365-day visa-free stay is uniquely generous, but the era of casual border-running is ending — Georgia launched an illegal-presence database in late 2025 and overstay fines start around GEL 1,000.

The government is moving from passive tolerance to active tracking; regularising via IE status or a residence permit is the safe path for anyone staying long-term.

Source: police.ge / sda.gov.ge

The 'Remotely from Georgia' digital-nomad programme from 2020 is defunct — don't apply for it. The current vehicle for nomads is visa-free entry plus IE registration, with the new labour permit looming.

That COVID-era programme was wound down; outdated blog posts still reference it.

The real-estate residency bar more than doubles to US$150,000 from March 1, 2026, and permanent residency now takes 10 years (up from 6) — Georgia is quietly raising the cost of settling.

A policy shift toward higher-value residents and away from the ultra-easy access of 2020-2023.

Source: sda.gov.ge

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming the visa-free year means you can border-run forever with no consequences — the 2025 illegal-presence database and overstay fines have changed the calculus
Relying on the defunct 'Remotely from Georgia' programme from old blog posts
Ignoring the March 1, 2026 Special Labour Activity Permit because its scope is unclear — get current legal advice rather than guessing
Forgetting the new mandatory entry insurance (Jan 1, 2026) — you can be refused entry without it