Opening a branch of a foreign enterprise in Georgia is not only a business decision — it creates a separate task of staff immigration. This page explains how members of a branch's personnel legalise their stay in Georgia under the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons: which visa category fits them, what the work residence permit requires, and on what timelines the system operates. We note in advance: the corporate-transfer instruments of other states — for example the American L-1 visa or the corporate-transfer directives of the Schengen area — do not exist in Georgia; here each employee builds his or her status individually.
The branch's specificity from the migration standpoint
A branch does not create a group migration status: the law grants visas and residence permits directly to the alien — the natural person — and not to the enterprise. This means each branch employee is considered separately: a separate visa application, a separate permit process and separate documentation. This has its advantages — one employee's problem does not stall the whole group — and its demands: each requirement must be planned individually, including the turnover thresholds.
The D1 category for branch personnel
The appropriate visa route for a branch employee is the D1 category immigration visa. Under the law, the D1 is intended, among others, for representatives and consultants of companies and firms who travel to Georgia to perform their official duties — and this is exactly the format into which branch personnel fits. Moreover, under the wording in force since 1 March 2026 a D1 is issued to an alien who has received the right to labour activity — a formulation that ties the labour route even more clearly to the company's activity. The same list includes the registered labour immigrant and the entrepreneur coming under the Law on Entrepreneurs, so precisely defining each employee's role determines the formulation on which the application is built.