Georgia Work Residence Permit

Summary

The D1 immigration visa and residence permit is Georgia's standard work-based route. It's issued to a foreign employee of a Georgian company or the Georgian branch of a foreign one. The governing rules come from the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons and the Ministry of Internal Affairs decrees on immigration visas.

The key threshold: the employer has to demonstrate at least GEL 50,000 (roughly $18,000 as of 2025) in annual turnover per foreign employee hired. The bar is deliberately low, which is part of why Georgia has become a realistic base for remote teams and small international companies with a local presence.

Initial validity is one year, renewable in one-year or longer increments. After six years of continuous residence on the D1 you become eligible for permanent residence; after ten years in total you can apply for citizenship. The employer-sponsored route doesn't confer any shortcut on the citizenship side.

Eligibility

You qualify for the D1 when all of the following are true:

• You hold a job offer or active employment contract with a Georgian-registered company (or a foreign company's Georgian branch).
• The employer can document GEL 50,000+ in annual turnover per foreign employee sponsored under the D1.
• You are a non-Georgian citizen applying from outside Georgia (for the initial visa) or inside Georgia (for the residence permit).
• You have a clean criminal record and can supply police certificates from your country of residence and from any country where you've lived for the past five years.
• You can demonstrate sufficient means of support during your stay — typically the salary from the Georgian role.
• Your employer files the residence permit application on your behalf with the Public Service Development Agency (PSDA).

How the turnover threshold works

• The GEL 50,000 is annual turnover, not profit. It has to be demonstrable from filed Georgian tax returns.
• It's per foreign employee — a company hiring three non-Georgians needs to show GEL 150,000+ in annual turnover.
• Newly-formed companies can sometimes qualify using projected turnover plus paid-in capital, but the PSDA may issue a shorter initial permit (six months) and ask for real numbers at renewal.

Two parallel filings: visa vs. permit

• The D1 visa is issued by a Georgian consulate abroad, valid for up to 90 days of entry. Americans don't strictly need a D1 visa to enter Georgia — the 360-day visa-free regime covers entry — but the visa is useful if you want the permit decision before you arrive.
• The D1 residence permit is the card you actually live on. It's issued by the PSDA and is the document that counts toward permanent residence and naturalization.

Dependents

• Your spouse and minor children can be added on the D4 family residence permit, filed alongside or after yours.
• Dependents get the same validity as the primary D1 holder and are renewed together.

Renewal and long-term track

• Renewals require continued employment, ongoing turnover at the threshold, and current tax filings.
• Six years on the D1 (continuous) qualifies you for permanent residence.
• Time on D1 counts toward naturalization on the standard ten-year schedule; five years applies if you're married to a Georgian citizen.

What This Route Allows

If approved, this route gives you work residence in Georgia. Renewal or longer-term path: Requires continued qualifying employment; any later long-term residence filing is separate and should be supported with continuous lawful stay, payroll, tax, address, and permit-history records.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a guarantee of approval. Immigration authorities can still review documents, admissibility, background, funds, and whether the facts match the pathway rules.

Next Steps

1. Secure the employer. The D1 is employer-led — the job offer and the employer's tax filings are the core of the application. A willing employer who understands the filing is the single biggest hurdle.
2. Verify the employer's turnover position. Ask to see Georgian tax filings or have your lawyer do a due-diligence check. A sponsor whose numbers don't support the threshold means a denied application.
3. Apostille your home-country documents — criminal record, degree and qualifications, marriage certificate, and children's birth certificates if you're bringing dependents.
4. Choose entry track. File the D1 visa at a Georgian consulate abroad if you need the decision before you move, or enter under the visa-free regime and file the residence permit from inside Georgia.
5. Employer files with the PSDA. The employer submits the residence permit application through the PSDA's e-services portal or a service hall. Confirm the current standard and accelerated fee options before filing.
6. Collect your residence card. The D1 is issued as a plastic card valid for one year initially. You register your Georgian address when you pick it up.
7. Track your clock. Keep copies of every permit, tax filing, and rental agreement — this is the record that earns you permanent residence after six years.

Sources

• Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons — the governing statute for immigration visas and residence permits.
• Public Service Development Agency — Migration and residence permits — filing procedures and residence-permit categories.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia — official consular and visa information.
• Revenue Service of Georgia — employer tax filings that support the GEL 50,000 turnover requirement.