Records Management is the systematic control of a company's information assets—documents, files, electronic data—from their creation to destruction. In Georgia, companies are required to retain certain documents (tax, corporate, personal data) for specified periods. Violation of these periods or loss of documents leads to serious legal problems during audits, litigation, or tax inspections. On the other hand, data protection legislation prohibits keeping data longer than necessary. Therefore, businesses need a balanced policy: what to keep, for how long, and when to safely destroy it. This service helps you create a robust archive and document workflow management system.
What does this service cover?
The records management service includes:
- Document Audit and Inventory: Examining and categorizing existing physical and electronic archives.
- Retention Policy Definition: Establishing mandatory retention periods for each document type (contracts, invoices, HR orders) based on legislation.
- Personal Data Protection: Drafting data erasure/destruction procedures in compliance with GDPR and Georgian law.
- Archive Organization: Organizing the physical archive in accordance with the requirements of the Law on the National Archival Fund.
- Digital Archiving: Ensuring legal validity of the digitization (scanning) process so that electronic copies have legal force.
Common Real-World Scenarios
Records management is critical in cases such as:
- Tax Audit: The Revenue Service requests primary documents from 5 years ago. If they are lost or destroyed, the company will be fined and may be taxed using an indirect method.
- Former Employee Dispute: An employee claims compensation for overtime work from 2 years ago. The company must present time sheets.
- Data Deletion Request: A customer requests deletion of their data. The company needs to know where this data is stored (server, archive, email) to delete it completely.
- Company Liquidation: During liquidation, it is mandatory to hand over the archive to the State Archive or a specialized repository.
Georgian Legal Framework
Records management is regulated by the Tax Code of Georgia (requiring document retention for at least 3 years, up to the statute of limitations), the Law on Accounting, Reporting and Auditing (6 years), and the Law on the National Archival Fund and National Archives. Regarding personal data, the Law on Personal Data Protection applies, establishing data retention principles. Corporate documents (charter, minutes) are kept permanently throughout the company's existence.
Process: How does a specialist work?
The lawyer creates a "Document Nomenclature" — a list detailing how long each document must be kept. Destruction acts are drawn up for expired documents (e.g., waybills from 10 years ago). The specialist also assists the company in implementing an electronic document management system that automatically adheres to retention periods.
Why Legal.ge?
Chaos in documentation is a direct path to fines. On Legal.ge, you will find specialists who know both archive management and digital data protection standards. We will help ensure your archive is not a burden but an organized asset that protects you during legal disputes.
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