Georgia Announces New Work Permit System For Foreign Nationals And Travelers In 2026

Published on August 14, 2025

Beginning March 1, 2026, foreigners aspirants of employment aliases self-employed visitors will request to get a activity licence to activity wrong nan borders of Georgia. This alteration is meant to trim down connected nan number of foreigners moving connected a tourer visa, thing that has been a problem. This alteration will besides activity to separator power Georgia’s labour market. These changes will require a batch of Georgia businesses and foreigners’ companies to accommodate to make judge they enactment wrong nan ineligible limits of nan caller Georgia activity visa laws. Georgia has besides put hefty fines for non-compliance.

Starting March 1, 2026, Georgia will present a general activity licence strategy for overseas workers and nan self-employed, marking a important displacement from nan existent policies. Until then, astir overseas nationals had nan state to activity without a circumstantial activity permit. Under nan caller regulations, however, astir each overseas labor and self-employed individuals will beryllium required to get a activity permit, pinch terrible penalties for non-compliance. Let’s dive into what these changes mean for occupation seekers, expatriates, freelancers, and businesses successful Georgia.

New Work Permit System Overview

Up until now, Georgia has had 1 of nan region’s astir relaxed employment policies. Foreign nationals, arsenic agelong arsenic they held a valid visa, residence permit, aliases were exempt from visa requirements, could activity freely without needing a activity permit. This straightforward strategy will alteration drastically starting March 1, 2026.

From this date, overseas nationals looking to activity aliases run businesses successful Georgia will request to unafraid a activity permit. This includes labor moving for Georgian companies arsenic good arsenic self-employed individuals, specified arsenic freelancers and consultants. Businesses that prosecute overseas workers will beryllium responsible for applying connected behalf of their employees.

Who Will Be Affected?

The caller activity licence regulations will broadly effect overseas nationals looking to activity successful Georgia. However, definite categories of individuals will beryllium exempt from these rules.

Individuals Who Must Apply for a Work Permit:

• Foreign labor moving for companies successful Georgia
• Self-employed overseas nationals, including freelancers, consultants, and contractors

Exemptions:

The pursuing categories of individuals will not beryllium required to get a activity permit:

• Permanent residents of Georgia
• Refugees and asylum seekers
• Holders of valid finance residence permits
• Other exemptions whitethorn beryllium defined successful nan last regulations to beryllium released by nan government.

What About Those Already Working successful Georgia?

If you’re presently moving successful Georgia earlier nan caller rule takes effect, you won’t beryllium required to use for a activity licence immediately. However, you will request to unafraid 1 by January 1, 2027. This gives overseas workers already successful Georgia a one-year modulation play to comply pinch nan caller regulations.

Work Permit Processing Timeline

The Georgian authorities has stated that nan processing clip for a activity licence will return up to 30 almanac days. However, nan specifics of nan process, including really elemental aliases analyzable it will be, are still unclear. Applicants tin expect a caller administrative furniture added to nan existing visa and residence licence processes, perchance starring to further delays successful hiring overseas staff.

Consequences for Non-Compliance

Failure to unafraid a activity licence could lead to hefty fines for some overseas workers and their employers. If a overseas worker is caught moving without a permit, penalties will beryllium imposed, and repetition offenders whitethorn look escalating fines—potentially doubling aliases tripling pinch consequent offenses. This makes compliance a captious rumor for some labor and businesses that employment overseas nationals.

For businesses, ensuring compliance pinch these caller regulations will require observant readying and administrative attention, arsenic nonaccomplishment to comply tin lead to important financial consequences.

What This Means for Employers

For businesses operating successful Georgia, this caller activity licence strategy adds different furniture of bureaucracy to nan hiring process. Employers will now request to facet successful further administrative tasks, other costs, and longer onboarding timelines. With nan anticipation of delays aliases denials successful activity licence applications, companies could look difficulties successful bringing cardinal overseas unit into nan country.

The effect of these caller rules connected hiring strategies could beryllium far-reaching. For industries that trust heavy connected world talent, specified arsenic tech, consulting, aliases finance, nan caller strategy could consequence successful longer lead times for recruitment and perchance disrupt business operations.

Why nan Change?

The Georgian authorities has introduced these caller rules to bring much building and oversight to nan labour market. The extremity is to forestall overseas nationals from entering nan state connected tourer visas and moving illegally, which has been a increasing concern. By instituting a general activity licence system, nan authorities hopes to:

• Monitor and way overseas labour information much effectively
• Clamp down connected unauthorized labor
• Protect section workers and guarantee adjacent employment practices

These measures are designed to create a much regulated and transparent employment situation successful Georgia, benefiting some section workers and overseas nationals.

The wide outline of nan caller activity licence strategy has been laid out, but nan afloat specifications are yet to come. In nan coming months, nan Georgian authorities is expected to merchandise much circumstantial regulations that will clarify:

• The nonstop eligibility criteria for activity permits
• Detailed exertion procedures
• Additional exemptions that whitethorn apply

If you are readying to unrecorded and activity successful Georgia, aliases if your business depends connected overseas talent, it’s basal to enactment updated connected these upcoming regulations.

Starting March 1, 2026, Georgia will require overseas workers and self-employed travelers to get a activity licence to guarantee amended oversight of its labour marketplace and forestall unauthorized activity nether tourer visas. This caller argumentation intends to protect section workers and modulate overseas labour participation.

Georgia’s move to instrumentality a general activity licence strategy is simply a important alteration for overseas workers and businesses successful nan country. If you are a overseas nationalist aliases employer successful Georgia, now is nan clip to commencement preparing for nan caller requirements. The days of moving successful Georgia without nan request for a activity licence are coming to an end, and nan displacement to a much regulated labour marketplace will effect occupation seekers, freelancers, and businesses alike. Be judge to enactment informed astir nan last regulations and statesman readying for this modulation arsenic soon arsenic possible.