French nationals can enter Georgia without the need to obtain a visa and remain in the country for an entire year. However, for specific purposes, such as employment or study as well as for starting a business, a residence permit is required and obtaining this permit is the first step to relocate to Georgia from France. Our agents who specialize in Georgia immigration can provide you with complete assistance during the relocation process and can help you apply for the right type of permit, and the residence card, in full accordance with the current rules and regulations.
Should you need more details about how to move to Georgia from France, in addition to the data provided in this article, we invite you to reach out to one of our agents. We can also offer detailed information about how to immigrate to Georgia.
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Categories of residence permits in Georgia
In order to relocate from France, obtaining a residence permit in Georgia is mandatory. This permit is granted for long-term purposes for multiple reasons of stay, including employment or investment. The duration of the permit varies according to its type, and/or as part of the reason for remaining in the country (i.e., the duration of the employment agreement).
The residence permit allows French nationals, as well as any other foreign nationals, to lawfully remain in the country during their validity period and, in addition to this invite another foreigner to the country.
Our team specializing in Georgia permanent residence lists the main types of residence permits below:
- Work permit: for foreigners who have signed an employment contract with a Georgian legal entity as well as for those who will engage in entrepreneurial activities or freelancing jobs and wish to immigrate to Georgia from France;
- Study permit: for French nationals who have been admitted to a Georgian University or another recognized educational institution;
- Family reunification: allows French nationals to join a family member who is already lawfully residing in Georgia; this permit is subject to certain conditions and our Georgia immigration agents can provide more details;
- Investment: issued to a foreign national who is has invested at least 300,000 GEL in the country; this permit can also extend to the investor’s family and it can be a convenient way to move to Georgia from France.
Temporary residence permits as well as short-term ones are also available. If you wish to relocate to Georgia from France and are interested in these short-term permits you can reach out to one of our agents.
The Public Service Development Agency will issue the residence permit within 30 days of receiving a complete set of application documents. An accelerated method is also available and our Georgia immigration agents can provide more details.
Applicants who have obtained a residence permit need to apply for a Residence Card within one month from receiving their permit. The application is submitted to a territorial office of the Public Service Development Agency, to a branch of the Public Service Hall or the Community Centre. Failure to apply for this card can result in the termination of the residence permit.
How to obtain Georgia citizenship
For many foreign nationals, the goal is to obtain the right to Georgia permanent residence and, in time, acquire citizenship. For French nationals, this process is most often handled through the naturalization procedure, in its ordinary form.
The main requirements for acquiring Georgia citizenship are the following:
- Reside in the country: a French national needs to have resided uninterruptedly in Georgia for at least five years before he or she applies for citizenship;
- Know the language: there are pre-defined language knowledge levels and the applicant must show that he or she is fluent in Georgian;
- Know the history and law: a special examination takes place in order to test the applicant’s knowledge of basic law and history;
- Activity: the applicant needs to be employed in Georgia or needs to be engaged in an entrepreneurial activity; he can also own interest or shares in a Georgian company.
Incapacitated persons are exempt from points 2, 3 and 4 and points 2 and 3 do not apply to individuals who have a physical disability that prevents them from being subject to those certain assessments. Our team can give you more details if you wish to immigrate to Georgia from France.
French nationals can also apply for a faster method of acquiring Georgia citizenship if they have been married to a Georgian national and they have been living uninterruptedly in the country for at least 2 years before submitting the application. The other requirements for language, history and law knowledge will still apply in this case.
Georgia key facts
Our team of Georgia immigration agents presents a number of key facts about the country’s population below:
- the country’s current population is 3,989,889, according to data from the United Nations;
- 1 % of Georgia’s population is urban;
- Tbilisi is the most populous city, with 1,049,498 inhabitants, followed by Kutaisi with a population of 178,338.
Contact us if you would like to immigrate to Georgia from France and need more information about the types of residence permits and the application requirements. Our team is able to help you obtain the Georgia work visa as well as any other type of permit, as needed.
You can reach out to our team if you have any questions about citizenship in Georgia even if you are not a French national. Regardless of your country of origin, or the country in which you last resided permanently, you will be able to apply for citizenship under the ordinary or the simplified procedure if you meet the requirements for a lawful and uninterrupted stay in Georgia.
