The rule was introduced by Resolution No 317 of the Government of Georgia of 9 July 2026. Below is who it applies to, which documents are still required, and what to do when the 6 months run out.
Why a new company used to struggle with a work residence permit
Work residence permits are issued by the Public Service Development Agency under the rules approved by Resolution No 520. One of the main requirements concerns turnover: the company that employs the foreign national, or that the foreign national founded, must have annual turnover of at least GEL 50,000 per foreign national applying for a work residence permit. For educational and medical institutions the threshold is GEL 35,000.
Turnover is confirmed by a Revenue Service document. If the company is not a VAT payer, certificates are submitted instead, showing that it is not registered for VAT and that its turnover over the 12 consecutive months before the certificate meets the same threshold. A newly registered company has no such turnover, so a foreign founder or first foreign employee could not get a work residence permit through it straight away.
The wider picture of residence grounds, including work, is in our guide on how to get a residence permit in Georgia in 2026.
What Resolution 317 changed
Resolution No 317 added a new paragraph 5 to Article 5 of the rules. Under it, the turnover certificates are not required if all three conditions are met.
- The company has no more than 3 foreign employees.
- No more than 3 months have passed since the company was founded or registered.
- A work residence permit is issued through this company without the turnover certificate for the first time.
Instead of the turnover certificate, a certificate issued by the company itself on the number of foreign employees is submitted. In this case the residence permit is issued for 6 months. The 3 months refer to the age of the company, not to the term of the permit.
Source note
> "The person (founder/entrepreneur/employee) is not required to submit the certificates provided for by subparagraph "z" of paragraph 1 and paragraphs 3 and 4 of this article if the enterprise has no more than 3 foreign employees, no more than 3 months have passed since its founding/registration, and a work residence permit is issued in respect of it without submitting that certificate for the first time. In such a case the person submits a certificate issued by the enterprise on the number of foreign employees. In this case the work residence permit is issued for a term of 6 months."
Article 5(5) of the rules approved by Resolution No 520, as amended by Resolution No 317 of 9 July 2026. Our translation from Georgian. The resolution took effect on publication on 10 July 2026.
Who the new rule covers
The text names three categories: founder, entrepreneur and employee of the company. In practice this is a foreign national who has set up a Georgian LLC and works in it, or a foreign national hired by such a company.
A director is not mentioned separately. A director who works for the company under an employment contract falls within the notion of an employee, but that is our reading of the text, and the Agency's practice on such a case is worth checking before you apply. An individual entrepreneur is not named directly either: the rule speaks of the founding or registration of an enterprise. Whether it applies to an individual entrepreneur is best confirmed before you build a plan on it.
If the company does not exist yet, it has to be registered first. The procedure is on our LLC incorporation in Georgia page, and the steps right after registration, from a bank account to tax statuses, are in our article on what to do after registering an LLC. The 3 months start running from registration, so it is best to prepare the residence permit documents in parallel.
Which documents are still required
Rule 317 removes only the turnover requirement. The rest of the list in Article 5(1), as amended by Resolution No 146 of 2 April 2026, remains:
- an application in the prescribed form with the unique code assigned by the State Employment Support Agency
- a copy of the passport
- a document confirming lawful stay in Georgia
- a document confirming labour or business activity in Georgia, such as an employment contract
- the decision granting the right to work. It need not be submitted if the Agency can verify that right through the electronic system
- a certificate showing that monthly income from work or business activity in Georgia is at least five times the subsistence minimum for an average consumer
- a certificate on the number of foreign nationals in the company applying for a work residence permit
- a colour 3×4 photo in electronic form and the receipt for the service fee
The right to work is obtained separately, under the Law of Georgia on Labour Migration. How to do this is described on our work permit in Georgia page.
What happens when the 6 months run out
The exemption from the turnover certificate applies only to the first work residence permit through the company. For the next permit, turnover has to be proven on the general terms: at least GEL 50,000 a year per foreign national, or GEL 35,000 for educational and medical institutions.
If the standard certificates are objectively impossible to obtain, Article 5(4) as amended by Resolution No 317 allows any other certificate or evidence that indisputably confirms the required annual turnover. So the company's business is worth planning so that turnover can be documented by the end of the 6 months.
Review times and fees
The Agency reviews a residence permit application within no more than 30 days of the full set of documents being submitted, under Article 13 as amended by Resolution No 416. The fee depends on the review period.
| Review period | Fee |
|---|---|
| 30 calendar days | GEL 300 |
| 20 calendar days | GEL 450 |
| 10 calendar days | GEL 600 |
The application is filed no later than 40 calendar days before your lawful stay in Georgia ends. The Agency's decision can be appealed in court within 10 calendar days of receiving it (Article 17 of the rules as amended by Resolution No 416).
Other changes to the residence permit rules in 2026
Several other important amendments to the rules of Resolution No 520 were made in 2026.
- Resolution No 146 of 2 April 2026 updated the document lists for the work residence permit and the permit for IT specialists. The IT permit requires at least 2 years of experience in IT and IT income of at least USD 25,000 over the last year. The property value threshold for the short-term residence permit based on ownership is above USD 150,000. More on that ground in our article on a residence permit when buying property.
- Resolution No 317 also added paragraph 1¹ to Article 5. Foreign nationals to whom the Law on Labour Migration does not apply under its Article 1(4) submit a document confirming their activity when applying for a work residence permit, without the unique code and the decision on the right to work. These cases include holders of an investment residence permit, foreign nationals providing services to a non-resident in connection with its activities outside Georgia, and managers of category I–III enterprises under the Law on Accounting.
- Resolution No 416, in force since 1 September 2026, created a separate residence permit for the spouse of a Georgian citizen. It is issued for 1 year and extended by 2 years each time, up to 5 years in total. The application is reviewed by an interagency commission within 90 calendar days. More on our residence permit by marriage page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a work residence permit through a newly opened company?
Yes, since 10 July 2026. If no more than 3 months have passed since the company was registered, it has no more than 3 foreign employees, and the work residence permit is issued through it for the first time, the GEL 50,000 turnover certificate is not needed. A certificate from the company on the number of foreign employees is submitted instead.
For how long is such a work residence permit issued?
For 6 months. The 3 months in Resolution No 317 refer to the age of the company: you can apply without a turnover certificate while no more than 3 months have passed since its registration. The permit itself is issued for half a year.
Do I need the right to work?
Yes, as a general rule. The application carries the unique code of the State Employment Support Agency, and the right to work is confirmed by a decision or verified electronically by the Agency. The exception is foreign nationals to whom the Law on Labour Migration does not apply under its Article 1(4).
What happens when the 6 months are over?
The exemption from the turnover certificate covers only the first permit through the company. For the next one, annual turnover of at least GEL 50,000 per foreign national has to be shown with a Revenue Service certificate or, if that is objectively impossible, with other indisputable evidence.
Does the rule apply to an individual entrepreneur?
An individual entrepreneur is not named directly in the resolution. The text mentions a founder, an entrepreneur and an employee, and the condition concerns the time since an enterprise was founded or registered. Whether the rule applies to an individual entrepreneur is worth confirming before you apply.
How Legalese handles this
First we check whether your case fits the new rule: the company's registration date, the number of foreign employees, and whether a work residence permit has already been issued through this company without a turnover certificate.
If the company does not exist yet, we register the LLC and plan the residence permit application straight away, so that it fits within 3 months of registration. We help with registration in the labour migration system and the right to work, prepare the company's certificate on foreign employees and the rest of the package, and file the application with the Public Service Development Agency.
More about the service is on our work residence permit in Georgia page.
Key points
- Since 10 July 2026, a company no more than 3 months past registration can obtain its first work residence permit without the GEL 50,000 turnover certificate
- Conditions: no more than 3 foreign employees and the first such permit through the company, with a company certificate on the number of foreign nationals instead of the turnover certificate
- The permit is issued for 6 months, and for the next one turnover has to be proven on the general terms
- The right to work, income of at least five times the subsistence minimum and the other documents are still required
- A director and an individual entrepreneur are not named separately in the text, so their case is worth checking before you apply
To check whether your company qualifies, book a free consultation.