Two Routes — the General Work Permit and the Special IT Document
The Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons gives an information-technology specialist two legal routes: the general one — through a work residence permit with documents on income and the employer's turnover — and the special one: the temporary residence permit for a person employed in the field of information technologies, established by Article 15-м and in force since 1 September 2025. From 2026 both routes connect to the new right-to-labour-activity regime of the Law of Georgia on Labour Migration, and that connection is the main object of planning for an IT specialist who wants to work in Georgia lawfully. On this page we take both routes apart by the norms of the law: whom each covers, what must be confirmed documentarily, and on what timelines the system works.
The Special IT Permit: Three Categories, 2 Years' Experience and a 25 000-Dollar Income
The special document is issued to three categories of applicants, and for each of them the status extends to family members. The first category is the IT labour immigrant registered in the ministry's database. The second is the entrepreneur natural person with small-business status conducting an IT activity from the list established by government decree; the list itself is a sub-statutory act, and when the application is prepared the profile of the activity is checked precisely against it. The third is the person authorised to lead and represent an international company operating in the field of information technologies.
The requirements for the categories are uniform and concrete: experience of labour or economic activity in IT of at least 2 years, and remuneration of at least 25 000 US dollars per year in lari equivalent. Both conditions are confirmed documentarily: experience — by contracts, orders and confirmations of employers and clients; remuneration — by annual sums in lari equivalent according to payment documents. The application file must answer the two questions of the law directly: whether there are two years of experience and whether there is annual income at the 25 000-dollar level — vague formulations the agency does not accept.
The IT Permit and the Right to Labour Activity — the 2026 Rules
From 1 March 2026 the work residence permit is tied in the law to the right to labour activity: remunerated labour and entrepreneurial activity in Georgia are permitted to an alien who holds a work residence permit, a D1 category immigration visa or another document issued together with the right to labour activity. The application for the right is filed with the ministry — for labour immigrants through the local employer after the contract is concluded, by the self-employed personally; after the full set of documents is submitted the examination may not exceed 30 calendar days, and the service fee is capped at 500 GEL.
For the IT route the law names the next step directly: having obtained the right and being in Georgia, the alien applies for a work residence permit or for the residence permit of a person employed in the field of information technologies no later than 10 calendar days; if he or she is outside Georgia — for a D1 category visa no later than 30 calendar days. Fully remote labour that does not require entry into Georgia is not covered by this regime — the exception for remote work is written into the law directly. Working without the right carries a fine of 2 000 GEL — separately for the employer (for each immigrant), for the employee and for the self-employed — and a repeated violation doubles the fine. The full chain — mandatory contract terms, refusal and termination grounds, re-application, appeal of a refusal in court within 1 month — is analysed on our page “Work Permit and Work Right in Georgia (D1) — 2026”.
The General Route: Income and the Employer's Turnover
The general work route has not been abolished and is often simpler for an employed specialist: the applicant submits a certificate of monthly income of not less than five times the subsistence minimum of the average consumer, and the employer enterprise confirms an annual turnover of not less than 50 000 GEL per applicant (for educational and medical institutions — not less than 35 000 GEL). The law, at the same time, directly grants the alien the right to conduct investment and entrepreneurial activity with the same rights and duties as a citizen, unless legislation provides otherwise — a formula that covers both freelance and own projects. The choice between the routes is decided by the form of activity: employment in a company opens both paths, freelance with small-business status naturally rests on the special document, and the representation of an international IT company on the third category. A special state programme for the IT field for freelancers working for foreign companies also exists by government decree: it rests on a sub-statutory act and we mention it descriptively — legal decisions must be built on the statutory frame described above.
Validity, Extension, Family and the Long-Term Horizon
Both documents are temporary and live within the general terms of temporary permits: first issuance runs from 6 months to 1 year, and extension up to 12 years on the same conditions. The IT document works step by step: documenting experience and remuneration is required at each stage, and the ending of those conditions ends the status itself. Family members are covered by the special document in all three categories; on the general route the family legalises through reunification after the principal status is obtained.
The long-term horizon for an IT specialist is twofold. The first is ordinary naturalisation, which presupposes, among other conditions, 10 years of continuous lawful residence in Georgia. The second, faster one is for those who once held Georgian citizenship and lost it: restoration of citizenship, described in detail on our page “Restoration of Georgian Citizenship — the Former Citizen's Path (and the 32-2 Temporary Right)”. If Georgian citizenship appears in your biography, this is the path to check first — before planning years on temporary statuses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we answer the questions IT specialists ask most often about a residence permit in Georgia.
Is there a special document for IT specialists in Georgia?
Yes — since 1 September 2025 there is a temporary residence permit for a person employed in the field of information technologies, covering three categories of applicants and their family members. The alternative is the general work residence permit with income from five times the subsistence minimum.
How do I confirm the 25 000-dollar income?
Remuneration is confirmed documentarily as an annual sum in lari equivalent of not less than 25 000 US dollars, together with at least 2 years of experience in IT. We assemble the evidence so that the file answers both requirements of the law directly.
What does 2026 change?
The tie to the right to labour activity: having obtained the right, a specialist in Georgia applies for a work or IT residence permit no later than 10 calendar days (outside the country — for a D1 visa within 30 days). Fully remote work not requiring entry is not covered by the regime.
Does the family enter the IT permit?
Yes — family members follow the status in all three categories: the IT labour immigrant, the IT small-business entrepreneur and the authorised person of an international IT company.
What are the terms and the extension?
First issuance from 6 months to 1 year; extension up to 12 years while the conditions persist. The ending of experience or remuneration ends the status itself.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team matches your format of work with the two routes — employment, small business with status, or the representation of an international company — and prepares the document package under the corresponding requirements: checking the activity against the government list, evidence of experience and remuneration, the application for the right to labour activity and the subsequent filing for a residence permit within the established deadline. In a written consultation you receive a comparative assessment of both paths — with the requirements, timelines and conditions at each stage. Contact us through the Legal.ge website.