The legalisation of foreign teachers in Georgia is a meeting point of education and migration law: on one side the educational relationship and qualifications, on the other the migration frame of visas and residence permits. This page explains the latter — the routes established by the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons: which visa categories fit a teacher, what the work residence permit requires, and where the preferential threshold for educational institutions lies.
Visa routes for a teacher
The law offers two visa formats for pedagogical activity. The first is the D2 category immigration visa, intended for persons coming to Georgia on a scientific, sports, cultural or educational mission: a longer-term educational mission fits precisely in this category. The second is the C3 category ordinary visa, which covers participants in scientific seminars, conferences and other scientific-research, pedagogical, cultural or sports events: short-term pedagogical visits are written in this format. The long-term employment-based route, however, proceeds through the D1 — including, since 1 March 2026, holders of the right to labour activity.
The work residence permit
Staying for work rests on a work residence permit: an applicant submits to the Agency a document confirming activity and a certificate that monthly income is not less than five times the average consumer subsistence minimum. The permit sits in the temporary regime: it is issued under the established procedure and extended on the same conditions — while the cessation of the activity or relationship removes its basis as well. For an employed teacher this means that continuing the relationship with the school and documenting it is the means of preserving the status: the contract for the new school year, the income certificate and the substantiation of the institution's turnover must be prepared as one package.
The preferential threshold for educational institutions
The specificity of the sector hosting teachers lies in the turnover requirement: by law, the annual turnover of an alien's employer or founding educational or medical institution is at least 35 000 GEL per each alien seeking a work residence permit, while under the general rule an enterprise needs 50 000 GEL. For a school or an educational centre this is a real preference — and it is here that the teachers' route runs parallel to the medical personnel route.
The study status and what not to confuse
The law separately names the study residence permit — for study at an authorised educational institution in Georgia: that is the instrument of the pupil and the student and does not replace the teacher's working status. We also state caveats: authorization and accreditation belong to the institution and do not follow the employee; the American federal education statutes — FERPA, Title IX and IDEA — are non-Georgian regulation and do not apply to the Georgian process; the recognition of a teacher's qualifications proceeds under a separate procedure and does not fill the migration status. The school therefore manages two parallel processes, each with its own body and documentation.
The legalization of a foreign teacher within the Georgian education system is checked at three practical points. The first is the perfection of the legal force of the documents and their apostille, since the recognition of foreign documents is settled by international rules. The second is the establishment of the correspondence of the educational qualification to Georgian requirements. The third is the calendar of the deadlines of the acts issued by the competent authority. The three points together determine how ready the person is to conclude a contract with an institution, and each of them requires separate documentation. A file built along these three lines also serves the teacher directly in negotiation: an institution facing a complete, verified dossier treats the candidate as a resolved administrative matter rather than an open risk, and the discussion moves from whether the teacher may work to the terms on which they will; the same dossier then serves every subsequent verification, so the effort spent at the first point is never repeated later.
Frequently asked questions
Below we answer the most common questions about foreign teachers' legalisation.
Which visa does a teacher need?
For a long-term mission — D2 in the educational-mission format; for events — C3; for employment — D1.
What turnover does a school need?
For an educational institution — at least 35 000 GEL per each applicant alien; under the general rule — 50 000 GEL.
The income requirement?
Monthly income of at least five times the subsistence minimum, confirmed by certificate.
Is a study permit given to a teacher?
No — the study residence permit is the instrument of the pupil and student; a teacher's working status is built on the work permit.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team determines the visa category corresponding to your educational relationship, prepares the application and permit documentation, and verifies the use of the institution's preferential 35 000 GEL threshold. In a written consultation you receive a guide in your format — from a short-term visit to a full working relationship. Preparing the documentation rests on two axes: the migration requirements and the substantiation of the educational relationship. Contact us through the Legal.ge website.