Employee relocation to Georgia is a process followed by companies that wish to transfer their staff to Georgia, either in Tbilisi or to another city. A common precondition for this purpose is for the foreign company to have a branch or a subsidiary in Georgia. In this case, the employee will commonly be relocated to the same position, or to a similar one, according to the job description in his or her employment agreement.
An alternative to personnel relocation to Georgia is to hire Georgian citizens who have the needed qualifications for the available position. Employees should note that relocation under the same company is different from relocating to Georgia and securing employment with a different employer than their current one.
Regardless of your route to relocate, whether you transfer within the same company or look for a different job or employment opportunity, our team specializing in Georgia immigration is able to assist you during this process.
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The relocation of employees to Georgia
Relocating staff can be needed in a number of cases and it is a decision made by company executives that has to do with the need to fill open positions in a new location. For the employee, the relocation can represent an important step in career development.
Personnel relocation to Georgia takes into account the nationality of the relocated employee. As a general rule, citizens of certain countries can enter Georgia without a visa, however, for employment purposes, they will need to work based on a properly issued work permit.
The work residence permit is issued to individuals who come to the country to engage in various labor activities, as well as entrepreneurial ones. This is the permit that will be necessary for employee relocation to Georgia.
For businesses interested in this step, our team of specialists in relocation to Georgia can provide complete assistance when applying for the work permit, filling in the needed documentation, as well as making the post-arrival registrations with the Georgian authorities.
In summary, the following steps are important for the purpose of personnel relocation to Georgia:
- Determine the need for relocation: this can be needed in order to bring a particular employee to the company’s headquarters, for more effective teamwork, or to populate a newly opened branch with valuable employees;
- Set forth the relocation policy: this will include the expenses that will be supported by the employer, such as those for travel, accommodation, and family relocation (if applicable);
- Request relocation services: included here are both the services offered by a team of immigration experts such as our own, as well as those offered by moving companies;
- Accommodate the new team member: an accommodation period, as well as training may be needed.
The work residence permit in Georgia
If you are planning to relocate personnel to work in Georgia, you will need to ensure that they obtain the appropriate work permits to comply with Georgian immigration and labor laws.
For the work residence permit in Georgia, the following documentation is necessary:
- A copy of the legal entity’s registration from the business registry;
- A notification from the Revenue Service, confirming that the company has a minimum annual turnover of 50,000 GEL or 35,000 GEL in the case of medical and educational institutions;
- A bank statement indicating that the director has a minimum net balance of 11,000 GEL in his/her account;
- A notice specifying the total number of foreign employees within the company.
The work residence permit is initially valid for up to 1 year, with the option to extend it for a maximum total duration of 6 years.
Additionally, you must also provide supporting documentation for your relocated employees in Georgia:
- evidence of engagement in the specified activities;
- certification that their income from these activities is at least five times the subsistence minimum (approximately GEL 200);
- passport with a validity period of at least 3 months longer than the intended duration of the visa;
- application form;
- ID photos;
- proof of payment of visa fee;
- travel itinerary (flight tickets, etc.);
- the employment contract;
- proof of accommodation;
- health insurance coverage for the entire duration of the stay in Georgia.
Our Georgian immigration specialists can obtain the visas for your employees and handle all the documentation and procedures.
Labor laws in Georgia
If you relocate personnel to work in Georgia, you need to follow the labor laws and employment regulations that apply in the country.
You must know that employees in Georgia are entitled to paid leave of 24 business days per year. Additionally, employees are entitled to an unpaid leave of 15 calendar days per year. Workers in Georgia are also entitled to paid holidays during public and religious holidays.
Relocated personnel in Georgia can follow the standard workweek, defined as 40 hours. If the employment contract does not specify working hours, any working time exceeding 41 hours per week is considered overtime and must be renumerated.
The labor laws and employment regulations apply to workers who have a residence permit in Georgia or work authorization.
Social contributions in Georgia
When you relocate personnel to Georgia, you are responsible for complying with Georgia’s social security contribution requirements. Georgia does not follow a traditional social security contributions scheme. Instead, you only have to pay the mandatory private pension scheme for your employees. This rule applies to all workers in Georgia, including those with Georgian citizenship.
All employees are required to join the pension scheme unless they meet specific criteria. The exceptions include individuals who were already 60 years of age (55 years for women) before the law was enacted (January 1, 2019).
Employers are responsible for transferring 2% of their employees’ salary income to the employees’ private pension accounts when paying their salaries.
As mentioned above, health insurance is not covered by the social contribution system. Therefore, you must choose private health insurance coverage that spans the entire duration of your employees’ stay in the country.
We can give you more details about Georgian immigration and the taxes that might apply in your case.
Relocate to Georgia with our help
Whether you are looking to transfer to the same company that has a Georgian branch, or you are looking for employment opportunities with a different Georgian company or international company present in the country, our team will answer your questions and assist you.
The requirements to immigrate to Georgia relate to applying for and obtaining a residence permit that will suit the applicant’s medium to long-term goals in the country. Oftentimes, these are related to employment, however, a residence permit can also be issued for business purposes (for investment purposes), for studying in Georgia, or for family reunification.
If you are the owner of a Georgian company, we can give you details about how you can hire foreign employees. The requirements to obtain the needed work permits can be seen as similar to those applicable to employee relocation to Georgia, in the sense that the employer and the employee will both need to meet the conditions set forth in this case. If you need any other legal services for your Georgian company, you can get in touch with our corporate lawyers.
Statistics about Georgian immigration
According to the National Statistics Office of Georgia, most immigrants who came to the country in 2022 were Russian citizens, followed by Ukrainian ones. Most immigrants in 2022 were aged 15 to 64.
Other data made available by the Statistics Office concerning the labor force shows the following:
- in 2022, labor force participation increased by 1% compared to the previous year;
- the share of hired employees was 67.9%, while the share of self-employed individuals was 32.1%;
- the unemployment rate decreased in 2022 by 3.4%.
You can reach out to us if you have any questions about how to start the process needed to immigrate to Georgia. We also answer questions related to the acquisition of citizenship by naturalization, for those foreign nationals who are already in the country.
Contact us for complete relocation services, work and residence permit applications, the relocation of staff to Georgia, permanent residence, or citizenship.
