Do I have to live in Georgia full-time?
For the property, investment, work and family permits, no: the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens terminates those permits for reasons such as loss of the property, missed investment turnover, a cancelled job or fraud, not for days spent abroad. The IT residence permit is the exception — it is cancelled if you are not actually in Georgia for 183 days or more in any continuous 12 months (art. 21(14)). Tax residency is a separate question: if you want Georgia's residence certificate you need the 183-day test or the HNWI route.
How is Georgian tax residency triggered?
Article 34(2) of the Tax Code makes you a Georgian resident for the entire tax year if you actually stayed in Georgia 183 or more days in any continuous 12-calendar-month period ending in that year. Days you spend abroad specifically for treatment, leisure, business trips or education count as Georgian days; days in Georgia as a diplomat, in transit, or for treatment or leisure do not. Any part of a day counts as a day. Article 34(6) adds the High Net Worth Individual route, decided by the Minister of Finance's procedure without a day count.
Can my family come?
Yes. The short-term property permit expressly covers your spouse and children on the same property; the investment permit and IT permit extend to family members; and family reunification with any residence-permit holder requires proof of kinship and income of at least twice the subsistence minimum. Spouses, minor children and parents of minor Georgian citizens qualify for a permanent residence permit.
Is there a path to citizenship?
Yes, but it is long. Ordinary naturalisation under article 12 of the Organic Law on Georgian Citizenship requires 10 consecutive years of lawful residence, knowledge of the Georgian language, history and basic law, and employment, property or business in Georgia. Dual citizenship is permitted only in the cases in articles 17 (naturalisation by exception) and 21¹ (retention with prior consent), so check whether you would have to renounce your current passport.
What are the government fees?
Residence permits (work, study, family, investment, short-term): GEL 300 for a 30-day decision, GEL 450 for 20 days, GEL 600 for 10 days. IT residence permit: GEL 500 / 750 / 1,000. Spouse-of-citizen permit: GEL 500 (90 days). Permanent and unlimited residence permits are decided in 20–30 days. Apostilles, translations, the certified property valuation and any lawyer are on top.
Do I need a lawyer?
The PSDA does not require one — applications can be filed online or in person — but the property valuation, the Public Registry extract, the Government or business references for the investment permit, and the Revenue Service registrations are easier with a local practitioner. Exit Global is an independent advisory, not a government body, and residency is granted only by the PSDA; our $497 review checks the file before it is filed.
Can I keep working remotely for a foreign employer?
Immigration-wise, a foreign employer does not give you a Georgian residence permit by itself — you need one of the property, investment, work or IT routes. Tax-wise, be careful: services actually rendered in Georgia are Georgian-source under article 104 of the Tax Code, so once you are tax resident a salary for work physically done in Georgia is taxable at 20%. Most remote workers register as an individual entrepreneur and apply for Small Business Status, taxing turnover at 1% up to GEL 500,000; the IT permit is built for exactly that profile.
What about my old country's tax residency?
Getting residency here does not end tax residency where you came from. Use the relevant Exit site — see exitglobal.app.