Can Freelancers and Remote Workers Still Live in Georgia in 2026?

Overview

If you work remotely for a company or clients outside Georgia, you don't need a Georgian work permit. An April 2026 amendment made this clear.
The exemption stops when you sell to clients in Georgia, take a job with a Georgian company, or need a residence permit to stay here legally.
If you registered as an Individual Entrepreneur for the 1% tax rate, the safer reading is that you need a permit.
Americans, Brits, Canadians and Australians can still stay up to a year without a visa. For a longer, more stable stay, the 3-year IT residence permit is the route most remote workers look at.

Yes, you can still live in Georgia and work remotely in 2026. The new work permit system that started on March 1 scared a lot of people, and some left. Most of them didn't need to. The rules hit people who work in the Georgian market. They mostly leave alone people who live here and earn from abroad.

The details matter, though, and the line is easy to cross without noticing.

Rules current as of October 28, 2026.

What changed in 2026

On March 1, 2026, Georgia started to require a work permit for most foreigners who work or run a business here. Before that, if you were in Georgia legally, you could work. The first version of the law was broad, and it read as if it covered remote work too.

On April 16, 2026, Parliament narrowed it. Work done for a person or company that isn't resident in Georgia, tied to their business outside Georgia, no longer needs a permit. The same amendment took LLC owners out of the rule and exempted directors of larger companies.

Parliament also approved a new C5 visa in April for people who come to Georgia but earn from foreign employers or clients. More on that below.

For the full list of who needs a permit and the January 1, 2027 deadline for people already working here, see our guide to Georgia's work permit deadline.

You probably don't need a permit if

All of these are true:

You work for an employer based outside Georgia, or you invoice clients based outside Georgia.
The work is about their business outside Georgia. Building software for a London company counts. Doing marketing for a Tbilisi restaurant doesn't.
You don't need a residence permit to be in Georgia legally. If you're here on the visa-free stay, you don't.

A US software engineer on a US payroll who spends eight months in Tbilisi fits this. So does a British copywriter with clients in Manchester and Leeds.

You probably do need one if

You take a job with a Georgian company, even a remote one with a Tbilisi office.
You sell to clients in Georgia. One local client is enough to put you in the market.
You run your freelance work through a Georgian Individual Entrepreneur.

That last one catches the most people. Many remote workers set up an Individual Entrepreneur to get Small Business Status and the 1% tax on turnover. That's a Georgian business. The law lists Individual Entrepreneurs among the people who need a permit, and nothing yet says plainly that an IE with only foreign clients is exempt. Until the government says so, we advise IE holders to get the permit.

The self-employed permit has a catch of its own. You have to show turnover of at least 50,000 GEL over the last 12 months, unless you registered the business in the last 3 months. If your IE earns less than that, get advice before you apply.

Your options for staying

The visa-free year

Citizens of the US, UK, Canada and Australia can enter Georgia without a visa and stay up to a year. That hasn't changed. For many remote workers it's enough on its own. You come, you work for your foreign employer, and you leave before the year is up.

It gives you no long-term status, though, and it doesn't count toward permanent residence.

The C5 visa

The C5 is the new visa Parliament approved in April 2026 for people who earn from outside Georgia. The government avoids calling it a digital nomad visa, but that's who it's for. As reported, it's a multiple-entry visa valid for up to 5 years, with stays of up to a year at a time. It costs $300 through the e-Visa system, and decisions take about 5 to 10 working days. Spouses and minor children can apply too.

If you already get a year visa-free, the C5 doesn't give you a longer single stay. Its value is that it puts your remote work on paper. That helps if you ever have to explain to a border officer what you do here. The government can refuse it on broad policy grounds, and some refusals can't be appealed. Check the e-Visa portal for its current status before you count on it.

The IT residence permit

If you work in software or IT and want to stay for years, this is the one to look at. It lasts 3 years and you renew it for 3 more on the same terms.

To qualify, you need:

a work permit first. You then have 10 days to file for the residence permit.
at least 2 years of IT experience.
at least $25,000 of IT income in the last 12 months, paid in at least two payments that are 30 or more days apart.
an IT job code that fits the official list. Software development, programming and IT consulting are on it.

The government fee for the decision is 500 GEL for 90 days or 750 GEL for 60 days. The card costs more on top.

There's a condition that surprises people. You must spend at least 183 days in Georgia in any 12-month period. That's also the number of days that makes you a Georgian tax resident, so the permit and your tax position move together. If you're a US citizen, the US still taxes you wherever you live, so talk to a US tax adviser before you plan around the 1% rate.

What we'd do in your place

If you work for a foreign employer, have no Georgian business and plan to stay less than a year, you probably need nothing. Keep your employment contract and pay slips handy in case you're asked.

If you have an Individual Entrepreneur, get the work permit now. The rules for people already self-employed started on May 1, 2026, so you're already late.

If you want to stay for years and you work in IT, plan for the IT residence permit. It takes 2 to 4 months from start to card, and the work permit has to come first.

How we can help

We look at how you earn, tell you which of these applies to you, and handle the work permit and residence application if you need them. You get the price in writing first, and we can start by video call before you move. Tell us your plan or see what we do.

Still picking where to live? Our guide to Tbilisi neighborhoods covers Vake, Vera, Saburtalo and the rest.