Permanent Residence Permit — the Statutory Category and „P-Res“
Georgian legislation uses the exact term „permanent residence permit“, established by subparagraph „z“ of Article 15 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens. „P-Res“ is an informal colloquial label with no legal force; a distinction from the American Green Card is equally useful — the permanent resident card of the United States is an institution of another state, and any comparison is possible by contrast only, not as an assertion of identity. Every condition on this page is determined precisely by Articles 15, 16 and 17 of that law.
Within the system of residence permits, the permanent residence permit occupies a special place: it is not simply another fixed-term permit but is issued with the right of permanent residence, which means that the holder's legal basis for staying in Georgia is no longer tied to counted terms.
Who Receives the Permit on the Basis of Family Ties
Subparagraph „z“ of Article 15 defines three circles based on family connection. A permanent residence permit is issued to the spouse of a Georgian citizen, to the minor child of a Georgian citizen and to the parent of a minor citizen of Georgia. Beyond these three categories, a family relationship by itself does not serve as a basis for permanent status — for example, a fiancé or an adult child must build the application on other grounds.
This distinction is of practical importance: when preparing the application, it is precisely the documentary confirmation of the connection that becomes decisive — a marriage certificate, a birth record confirming parentage or the child's status, and documents confirming the Georgian citizenship of the relevant person.
The 10-Year Route and What Is Not Counted
A permanent residence permit is also issued to an alien who has lived in Georgia on the basis of a temporary residence permit for the last 10 years. The law prescribes the counting rule precisely: this period does not include time spent living in Georgia for the purpose of study or medical treatment, nor periods of work in diplomatic missions and equivalent representations.
To understand the 10-year route, recall how the fixed-term system of temporary permits works: temporary residence permits under Article 15 (apart from the special case) are first issued for a period from 6 months to 1 year, and the validity of the temporary permits envisaged by that provision may be extended up to 12 years, on the same conditions as those of the original permit. The transition to permanent status is thus the 10-year period counted with the exclusion of study and treatment time.