Our team of immigration lawyers in Georgia offers complete services to all those interests in obtaining a Georgian visa and getting settled in the country. Visa-free travel is possible for citizens of certain states, however, for all those interested in staying in the country long-term, obtaining a residence permit is essential.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Entry visa requirement (from EU) |
No |
|
Entry visa requirement (outside EU) |
Yes, depending on nationality |
|
Types of visas available |
Diplomatic Special Ordinary Immigration Transit |
| Time frame for obtaining work visa (approx.) |
30 calendar days |
| Validity of the temporary residence permit |
1 year |
| Time frame for obtaining permanent residence (approx.) |
10 – 30 calendar days |
| Investor Visa Availability |
Yes |
| Sponsorship requirement |
No |
| Time frame for obtaining citizenship | 10 years under the ordinary procedure |
| Citizenship/Residency by investment scheme availability | Yes |
| Tax benefits for expats |
A special tax regime for individuals (not exclusively expats) can apply in some cases. |
| Georgian authority that processes residence permit applications | The Public Service Development Agency |
|
Changing the residence permit type |
Possible, if the applicant meets the conditions for the new type of permit. |
|
Conditions for renewing temporary residence permit |
Renewal is possible when the initial conditions for the permit continue to be observed. |
| Restrictions on foreign investors | Not applicable |
| Types of investments for the investor residence permit |
Immovable property, entrepreneurial activities. |
| Minimum investment amount for the investor’s residence permit |
USD 300,000 (the equivalent in GEL) for immovable property. |
| Conditions for citizenship by naturalization |
Lawful residence for at least 10 consecutive years in Georgia; knowledge of Georgian language, history and law; proof of doing business or having a job in Georgia |
| Dual citizenship |
Yes. Can be subject to approval in some cases. |
| Advantages for those who immigrate to Georgia |
Low living costs, work opportunities, the possibility to start one’s own business, etc. |
| How we can help you | Our immigration lawyers in Georgia assist with a wide range of issues, from residence permit/ citizenship applications to appeals, and other matters of interest for immigrants. |
| When to reach out to us |
As soon as you decide to apply for a temporary residence permit. |
We offer complete pre and post-arrival services that include but are not limited to, visa and residence permit in Georgia applications, citizenship applications as well as other related services including those for families that are interested in reunification.
Valeri Bendianishvili is our immigration lawyer in Georgia who has been a member of the Georgia Bar Association starting with 2006. His experience as a lawyer is an all-encompassing one, having worked in the field since 2004 and having served as an assistant investigator for the District Prosecutor’s Office of Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Valeri Bendianishvili obtained his master’s degree in jurisprudence attended a number of specialization courses in Civil Law as well as in many other branches, such as Insurance Law and Practice. He is fluent in two foreign languages, English and Russian, and has experience in assisting foreign clients.
Our team of immigration lawyers in Georgia is ready to provide assistance in all matters related not only to the Immigration Law, but also for obtaining Georgian citizenship, after the minimum amount of lawfully residence has passed.
Georgia immigration services
Our team can help foreign nationals to immigrate to Georgia and apply for all of the types of Georgian visas. Understanding the categories and the application requirements is important before submitting the documents. This is how one can ensure that the process of immigrating to Georgia will run smoothly and that the file will be accepted rather than rejected for incompleteness.
The types of visas that can be applied for in Georgia are the following:
- Short-term visas: these can be single or multiple-entry ones and for the first type, maximum stay is for no more than 30 days;
- Diplomatic visa: for foreign officials and executive as well as legislative authorities, for members of high-level delegations;
- Special visa: for working visits, accompanying family members, for personnel of foreign diplomatic missions, for individuals who arrive in the country under a treaty or for military contingents;
- Ordinary visa: for business meetings and negotiations, for offering humanitarian assistance or for people arriving in the country for treatment;
- Immigration visa: for work purposes, for scientific, sports, cultural activities as well as for freelancers and investors or those interested in family reunification;
- Transit visa: for a maximum period of ten days, only for those transiting the country for the purpose of entering another state.
Please keep in mind that this list of short and long-term visas is only a brief one. Each category has several sub-categories, for example, the D immigration visa has five distinct ones, according to the purpose of the stay.
Our team can help you apply for any of these types of visas and our assistance is not limited to the visa application process. We can also assist foreign nationals who are interested in obtaining Georgia permanent residence. Moreover, we can help individuals who want to immigrate to Georgia to handle a number of post-arrival issues such as renting or buying a property, signing utility agreements, opening a bank account, and many others.
Our team of immigration lawyers in Georgia is an experienced one and we can answer any questions you may have on the pre and post-arrival steps and the residence permit in Georgia in general.
Steps for moving to Georgia
Those who wish to emigrate to Georgia have to consider a number of important steps. The process will be unique to each new expat as it will concern one’s personal situation, whether or not a job is secured and whether or not the family is also joining. Below, we list some of the most important things to consider for those who move to Georgia:
- Work: employment is one of the main reasons why many foreign nationals choose to move to Georgia; in most cases, they enter into a work agreement or a business venture before they make their move permanent;
- Accommodation: looking for accommodation, namely renting or purchasing property can also take place before arriving in the country, unless other options are possible (such as temporarily living with a Georgian resident);
- Location: choosing where one will live in Georgia can influence existing employment or business opportunities; Tbilisi is a city of choice for many expats;
- Language: learning to speak Georgian is mandatory for those who wish to emigrate to Georgia; a language test is taken when applying for citizenship.
Of course, there are many other aspects to consider, and the ones listed above are simply four of the main ones. Expats who move to the country with their children will also want to find out more information about the education system, schools, or high schools near their location.
Staying in Georgia visa-free and types of visas
Foreign nationals of certain countries can enter Georgia visa-free and remain in the country for one year. Examples of such countries include the United States of America, New Zealand, Austria, Albania, Belgium, Belize, the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, Ireland, Canada, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Russia, Norway, Poland, Singapore, and others. Nevertheless, those who wish to relocate to Georgia will often do so for a period longer than the permitted visa-free year. In this case, the following types of immigration visas are available and can be renewed according to the purpose of the stay:
- D1: issued for contracted work as well as those who will be involved in entrepreneurship;
- D2: scientists, athletes, those who will engage in cultural or educational activities, foreign press workers, interns or volunteers as well as freelancers who move to Georgia;
- D3: the study visa, issued to those who have been admitted to an authorized educational institution, for example, the Tbilisi State Medical University or an international educational programme;
- D4: this is the visa applied for by those who are interested in family reunification;
- D5: the investor visa, issued for those who have purchased property other than agricultural land that exceeds a certain market value.
Foreign nationals who relocate to Georgia based on these types of visas, namely reasons for the prolonged stay, will apply for the residence permit in Georgia that suits the purpose (for example the residence permit for family reunification, the study, or the work residence permit).
Interested individuals should note that the type D immigration visa is the one applies for by those who move to Georgia. The other types of available visas, such as the T- transit, C- ordinary, B – special, or D-diplomatic serve various purposes, however, are destined for short-term purposes and
Obtain the residence permit in Georgia with our help
While some foreign travelers may simply need to apply for a short-term business visa or a diplomatic visa, services with which our team can assist, others will wish to apply directly for a residence permit that will allow them to remain in the country for long-term purposes, according to a specific reason for the stay.
Working with our team of Georgia immigration agents has many advantages, including the fact that the applicant will be aware of the conditions for a chosen type of residence permit beforehand, thus reducing the overall time needed to prepare the application. In turn, this can also mean that you can schedule your departure for Georgia accordingly, a step that is recommended only once your permit application is approved (to avoid the situation in which your permit application would be rejected, especially for foreign nationals from countries that have specific entry requirements based on a visa or a permit).
We can help you apply for the following types of residence permits:
- Work residence permit: issued for foreign nationals who will work in the country as employees, freelancers, or entrepreneurs;
- Study residence permit: for foreign nationals who have been accepted at a Georgian University or another recognized educational institution;
- Residence permit for family reunification: when the applicant is the relative of a foreign citizen who has a residence permit; included family members are the spouse, children, parents, underage or incapacitated persons who are in the care of the Georgian residence permit holder;
- Investment residence permit: for those who invested at least 300,000 USD (the equivalent in GEL) in the country; the family members of the investor also receive residence permits in this case;
- Special residence permit: for individuals who can bring forward proof beyond any reasonable doubt that they are the victim of human trafficking.
Study residence permits, those for work and family reunification are issued as temporary residence ones, for 6 years. In practice, these permits are issued initially for a period of 1 year in most cases and are then renewed for up to 5 years.
The residence permit is issued by the authorities within 30 days after submitting the relevant documents. An important issue to take care of, and with which our team can help immigrants, is to apply for a residence card. This is done no later than one month following the receipt of the residence permit with the territorial office of the Public Service Development Agency. It is important to note that failure to apply for the card within 6 months results in the termination of the residence permit, irrespective of its type.
Our team of immigration lawyers in Georgia is an experienced one and we can answer any questions you may have on the pre and post-arrival steps and the residence permit in Georgia in general.
Assistance for special situations
Our team of immigration lawyers can also help individuals who wish to return to the country. More specifically, we offer assistance as needed for reintegration purposes. The Georgian state supports the return of former Georgian nationals and has implemented a set of programmes that help assist them. The following categories of individuals are concerned: former Georgian citizens or stateless persons (who have a permanent residence permit) who have unlawfully resided abroad for more than one year and have applied for or received asylum there as well as those individuals who wish to be included in the State Programme for Reintegration of Returned Migrants (a process that is to take place within one year of their return to the country).
Assisted voluntary return is possible for asylum seekers who were rejected by another country or for irregular migrants, with the help of our lawyers.
Those seeking asylum can also reach out to the dedicated lawyers in our team. We can provide complete details on the Law on International Protection for one of the three categories: refugees, those who are under a humanitarian status, and those who have the status of a person under temporary protection. Humanitarian status is the situation in which the individual does not qualify for refugee (he is outside his country because of persecution) but there is reason to believe that he or she will face serious harm if returning to the country of origin. The request for international protection can be submitted at the border or while in the country.
Temporary residence cards can be issued for individuals in one of these special situations such as those who are subject to a humanitarian status. These types of individuals, as well as refugees, have several rights, including choosing a place of residence and receive a monthly allowance, our team can give you more details as needed.
Assistance for obtaining Georgia citizenship
An individual may acquire Georgian citizenship in several manners, however, only some of these are suitable for foreign nationals who have been living in the country lawfully under a residence permit in Georgia. We present these below:
- The ordinary procedure: for a foreign national who has been lawfully living in the country for ten years;
- The simplified procedure: for an individual married to a Georgian citizen who has been lawfully living in the country for five years prior to the application;
- Through exception: for foreign nationals who have made exceptional contributions to the country;
- Through restoration: for those whose citizenship was wrongfully terminated (based on the parent’s decision or due to renunciation of citizenship).
The first two methods are the ones that are more frequent among foreign nationals who intend to move to Georgia.
Apart from the general conditions to comply with the length of stay, an individual who applies for Georgian citizenship will also need to prove his or her language skills, knowledge of history and law as well as provide details on how he or she is able to sustain himself or herself.
Our team of immigration lawyers in Georgia can provide additional details in citizenship by naturalization and how the application is submitted with the Migration Commission.
What do you need to think about when moving to Tbilisi?
The process of relocating to a different city in another country involves a number of steps, starting with checking the entry requirements and obtaining a visa, as described above by our specialists. Those foreign nationals who are interested in Tbilisi immigration can also keep in mind that they will need to make a number of other choices, among which:
- Housing: finding an apartment or a house for rent or purchase is a step that can begin before applying for a visa; you should be aware of the areas in the city where you are looking for accommodation and explore the options as soon as you decide to move;
- Services: signing different services agreements for internet, telephone and others is relatively easy and most of these will already be in place when you rent the apartment;
- Health insurance: this is something you could keep in mind, even is you do not sign up for private health insurance as soon as you relocate to the country;
- Language: all those interested in Tbilisi immigration will need to learn Georgian if they intend to make their stay permanent as language knowledge is mandatory for obtaining citizenship (along with basic history and law knowledge).
Georgia facts and figures
Georgia is situated at the crossroads between Eastern Europe and western Asia. It is bordered by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Russia. Our team presents some interesting immigration facts below:
- the total number of people living in the country in 2019 was 3,723,500 (on January 1st);
- there were 88,152 immigrants in 2018 and 83,239 in 2017;
- most of the immigrants who arrived in 2018 were in the 15-64 age group (74,526).
The data on immigration and population was provided by the National Statistics Office.
Foreign nationals who are interested in moving to the country can reach out to our team of Georgia immigration lawyers who can provide more details on our services.
Our team can help you get settled in Georgia if you are interested in a long-term stay or in moving here and can also help you if you are temporarily in the country for employment or business reasons and require assistance with transiting or short-stay visas. Contact us for more information on Georgia immigration.