Relocate from Germany to Georgia

Georgia is a country with a rich cultural heritage, a strategic location between Europe and Asia and different business and quality of life advantages, starting with a simplified taxation regime as well as the ease of doing business. Foreign nationals from a number of countries including Germany are allowed to travel visa-free to Georgia and remain in the country for up to one year.

All foreign nationals who are interested in obtaining Georgia permanent residence, for business or employment as well as other purposes, will need to follow the steps to obtain a residence permit.

Do you wish to relocate to Georgia from Germany? Our team answers some of the most common questions in this article and can assist you with in-depth information on request about how to immigrate to Georgia.

What are the types of Georgian residence permits?

When looking to remain in Georgia for long-term purposes, foreign nationals including German citizens will need to hold a valid residence permit that is issued according to their purpose of stay. The following types of residence permits can be used for Georgia immigration:

1. the work residence permit: this is issued to German nationals who wish to take up employed work in the country; it is also used by freelancers;
2. the study residence permit: for foreign nationals who have been admitted to a Georgian educational institute;
3. the family reunification permit: awarded to those foreign nationals who have a family member who holds a residence permit;
4. the investment residence permit: issued to a foreign national who has invested at least 300,000 GEL in the country; this can be a preferred manner to immigrate to Georgia from Germany for those who are able to make the investment;
5. the permanent residence permit: issued to a foreign national who has resided in the country based on a temporary permit for a number of years.

Our team of agents who specialize in Georgia permanent residence can answer any questions about these types of permits and about the special residence permits that can be issued to foreign citizens for which there is no doubt that might be a victim of human trafficking.

Once you have received the residence permit for Georgia, you will be asked to apply for the residence card. This is applied for with a branch of the Public Service Hall, any territorial office of the Public Service Development Agency, or a Community Centre. Our team will give you more details about the application process and can also assist you upon request.

The Public Service Development Agency issues the residence permit within 30 days of submitting the complete set of documents. Our team can help you make sure that your submission is complete and offer more details about the accelerated application procedure. As noted above, applying for a residence card is a mandatory step if you move to Georgia from Germany.

What are the steps for obtaining Georgia citizenship?

Obtaining permanent residence in Georgia is the goal of many foreign nationals who choose to come to study or to work in the country, as well as for their family members. However, it is also possible to acquire citizenship through naturalization.

An individual who wishes to relocate to Georgia from Germany needs to comply with the following requirements in order to obtain Georgia citizenship:

• the individual resided for 5 uninterrupted years in the country based on a valid residence permit;
• his Georgian language skills are satisfactory (and he passes a special examination);
• he has knowledge of Georgian law and history (also subject to testing);
• he works in Georgia, is employed, or has opened a business, he has purchased land or owns interest/shares in a Georgian company.

A simplified procedure can take place if a German national has been married to a Georgian citizen for at least 2 years prior to the application (and has been living in the country legally and uninterruptedly during this time). The rest of the conditions for language, law, and history knowledge still apply for the simplified procedure for those who wish to immigrate to Georgia from Germany in this manner.

An exceptional procedure for granting citizenship can take place when the individual has made an outstanding contribution to the country.

One of our agents specializing in Georgia citizenship can give you more details.

Immigrants in Georgia

Data from the National Agency of Public Registry, belonging to the Ministry of Justice, reveals that German immigrants are among the top ten foreigners who purchase property in Georgia:

• between 2012 and 2016 German nationals bought 837 total types of properties in the country;
• out of these, 556 were apartments or houses;
• 132 purchases were for non-agricultural land and 149 for agricultural land.

In the same period, between 2012 and 2016, a total of 35,565 foreigners registered entrepreneurial or non-entrepreneurial activities in Georgia. 386 enterprises were registered by German foreign nationals during this time.

If you would like to know more about how to immigrate to Georgia from Germany and the conditions that are in place, please contact our Georgia immigration agents.

We assist foreign nationals who have been residing in the country and wish to apply for citizenship, irrespective of their country of origin. If you are not a German national and have questions about your options for long-term residency followed by citizenship in Georgia, please reach out to our team. We provide personalized solutions according to the purpose of staying in the country.