Work permits are now mandatory, and tour guiding has a zero quota
Since 1 March 2026 foreign nationals without permanent residency need a work permit to work in Georgia, under amendments passed in June 2025 and Government Decree No. 70. The permit costs 200 lari processed within 30 calendar days, or 400 lari within 10 working days, and working without one carries a 2,000 lari fine for a first offence, applied to the worker and the employer alike. Quotas are set at zero for courier and delivery work, passenger transport driving, and tourist guiding.
Who the rule covers
The requirement applies to foreign nationals who work in Georgia without permanent residency: employees on a contract with a local employer, self-employed people including sole traders and freelancers, company directors and partners, and remote workers employed by a local employer. People with investment-based residence permits are among those exempt, along with refugees and asylum seekers, diplomatic and international organisation staff, and accredited international journalists. Whether a remote worker employed by a foreign company is covered has been treated as unclear, so anyone in that position should get the question answered in writing rather than assume.
The dates that still matter
Three dates structure the transition. The rules took effect on 1 March 2026. Self-employed foreigners already operating in Georgia on that date came under enforcement from 1 May 2026. Employed foreigners who were registered in the labour migration system with active status on 1 March have until 1 January 2027 to hold a permit and, where needed, a residence permit. That last deadline is the one still ahead, and it is roughly ten weeks away.
Why tourism businesses should read this first
The zero quota is the sharpest part of the package for anyone running tours or transfers. Foreign nationals cannot be licensed into courier and delivery work, passenger transport driving, or tourist guiding, while mountain and ski guiding was given an annual quota of 200. An operator who has been using a foreign guide or driver, formally or informally, is exposed on both sides of the relationship, since the fine falls on employer and worker alike and rises for repeat offences. The permit route also starts with the employer advertising the vacancy for at least ten business days, during which the state may propose local candidates.
A permit on its own is not enough
The work permit runs alongside immigration status rather than replacing it. Someone applying from abroad also needs a D1 visa, applied for within 30 days; someone already in Georgia needs a residence permit, applied for within 10 days. Initial permits run from six months to a year, extensions up to a year each for the first five years and one to five years after that, with up to three years available in the IT sector. Rules at this level of detail change by decree, so confirm the current position with the Public Service Hall or a Georgian lawyer before acting on a summary, including this one.
Written by us from the source linked above, not investment, legal or tax advice. Figures and rules change — confirm anything that matters before acting on it.
