Georgia lets citizens of more than 95 countries stay for up to 365 days without applying for a visa, longer than almost anywhere else in the world. This guide covers who qualifies, what the border actually asks for, and a March 2026 law that changed what visa-free entry lets you do once you’re inside. It also covers renewals and taxes.
Who Qualifies and for How Long
Georgia’s visa-free regime is set by government ordinance, not by the main immigration law itself, which is why it can be updated by decree rather than by parliament.
- Stay length: up to 365 days from your date of entry, with no application, fee, or advance approval.
- Eligible nationalities: citizens of 95+ countries and territories, including the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and Schengen area, and most Gulf states.
- Notable exception: Indian citizens are not on the open list. They generally need a visa or e-visa unless they already hold a qualifying visa or residence permit from an approved third country.
- Legal basis: Government Ordinance No. 255 and its amendments, published on Matsne, Georgia’s official legislative herald.
Because the list is set by decree, it moves faster than the underlying law. Confirm your own passport against the current list on Georgia’s official portal, geoconsul.gov.ge, before you book anything.
What the Border Actually Asks For
Entry is simple in practice, but border officers can question anyone and have discretion to refuse entry regardless of nationality.
- Passport validity: valid for your intended stay, with at least 6 months of remaining validity as a safe margin.
- Proof of accommodation: a hotel booking or an address you’re staying at, even informally.
- Evidence of funds or onward travel: officers can ask for this, more commonly at land borders than at Tbilisi’s airport.
- Travel insurance: not required to enter, but worth carrying anyway, and it becomes mandatory later if you apply for any residence permit.
None of this needs to be submitted in advance. It only matters if an officer decides to ask, and most travelers from visa-free countries clear the border in 10 to 15 minutes.
The 2026 Change: Visa-Free Doesn’t Mean Work-Free
Since March 1, 2026, Georgia has required a separate Special Labour Permit for anyone earning money through work performed inside the country, on top of the entry right that visa-free stay already gives you. Being in Georgia legally and working in Georgia legally are now two different questions.
- Who needs the permit: employees of a Georgian company, individual entrepreneurs registered in Georgia, freelancers billing Georgian clients, and directors of Georgian companies.
- Who’s exempt: remote workers and freelancers whose income comes entirely from clients or employers based outside Georgia, with no local Georgian clients or salary.
- The deciding line: the exemption depends on where your income comes from, not on your visa status or physical location. Take on a single Georgian client through a Georgia-registered business, and the whole setup can fall under the permit requirement.
- Cost and where to apply: GEL 200 (roughly $74) for standard processing, GEL 400 for expedited, filed through labourmigration.moh.gov.ge.
For someone sitting in Tbilisi writing code for a company in Berlin or invoicing clients in the US, the visa-free stay still works close to how it always did. The permit targets people plugging into the local Georgian economy, not remote staff who happen to be physically present while earning abroad.
Extending Your Stay
Georgia doesn’t offer a formal renewal or extension for visa-free time. There’s no form to file and no fee to pay to add more days.
- The common approach: leave the country, often to Armenia or Turkey, and re-enter. A new entry starts a fresh 365-day period.
- No published cooling-off period, though the clock runs from your date of entry rather than the calendar year, so track it against your own arrival date.
- No residency built. Repeated border runs never lead toward permanent status. For long-term stability, a residence permit through work, business, or property ownership is the stable route.
Plenty of nomads have run this cycle for years without issue, but it remains a temporary workaround rather than a settled legal status.
Taxes While You’re There
Immigration status and tax residency are separate questions under Georgian law, and mixing them up is the most common mistake nomads make here.
- The threshold: spend 183 days or more in Georgia within any rolling 12-month period and you become a Georgian tax resident.
- Territorial system: Georgia generally taxes individuals only on Georgian-source income, so foreign-source freelance or employment income is typically outside its tax net even once you’re a resident.
- Your home country still applies: US citizens remain taxable on worldwide income regardless of where they live, and many other countries run their own residency tests independent of Georgia’s.
This is general information, not tax advice. Talk to a professional who knows both Georgian tax law and your home country’s rules before assuming Georgia solves your tax situation on its own.
Who This Fits, and Who Should Look Elsewhere
The visa-free route suits people earning entirely from outside Georgia who want a full year in one place without paperwork, and people testing whether Georgia suits them before committing to something more formal.
- Good fit: remote employees and freelancers paid by foreign clients, first-time visitors deciding whether to commit longer term.
- Look elsewhere or plan further: anyone planning to freelance for Georgian clients or run a business serving the local market, since the labour permit now applies before you can operate legally.
- Check first: travelers from countries not on the visa-free list, particularly India, who need to arrange a visa in advance rather than assume open entry.
Immigration and Tax Rules Change, Confirm Before You Fly
This article reflects Georgia’s visa-free policy, labour permit requirements, and tax rules as researched in September 2026. Immigration and tax law can change with little notice. Confirm current requirements with the Georgian embassy, geoconsul.gov.ge, or a qualified immigration or tax professional before making travel or work plans.
Georgia’s 365-day entry is still one of the most generous in the world, and for remote workers billing clients abroad, it remains close to hassle-free even after the 2026 reforms. If Tbilisi, Batumi, or the Caucasus mountains fit your next stretch of work, search flights to Georgia on FlyBibe and start planning the trip.