Types of Temporary Residence Permit
The system of residence permits in Georgia is regulated by the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, whose Article 15 defines the types of permits. The group of temporary permits includes, first of all: the work residence permit, issued to a labour immigrant registered with the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs or to an alien carrying out entrepreneurial activity; a work-permit seeker also submits to the agency a document confirming entrepreneurial or labour activity and a certificate that the applicant's monthly income is not less than five times the average consumer's subsistence minimum and that the employer's annual turnover is not less than 50 000 GEL per alien (for an educational or medical institution — not less than 35 000 GEL); the study residence permit for study at an authorised educational institution; the residence permit for the purpose of family reunification, issued to family members of an alien holding a residence permit; the residence permit for a former citizen of Georgia; the residence permit for a stateless person; and the special residence permit.
The same article provides for other types as well — permanent residence, investment, short-term and indefinite residence permits, each with its own conditions of issue. A permanent residence permit is likewise granted to an alien who has lived in Georgia on a temporary residence permit for the last 10 years (periods of study, medical treatment and work in diplomatic representations are not counted), and an investment permit — on the basis of an investment of not less than 300 000 US dollars or ownership of immovable property exceeding that value. When planning a first application it is important to identify precisely the type that matches your basis, since both the term and the documentation to be submitted depend on it.
Terms on First Issuance
Paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the law distributes the terms of first issuance by type of permit. Temporary residence permits under subparagraphs „a“–„g“ and „v“ of Article 15 are first issued for a period from 6 months to 1 year. The temporary permit under subparagraph „d“ is first issued for a term of 6 years, and that under subparagraph „e“ — for a term of 3 years. A special residence permit, on the written initiative of a member of the Government, is first issued for a term of up to 5 years.
In a special case a temporary residence permit may be first issued for a term of 5 years. Subsequently, 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 originally granted permit.