Obtaining work authorization and navigating labor migration procedures in Georgia has changed radically. According to recent amendments to the "Law of Georgia on Labour Migration," hiring a foreign citizen in Georgia is no longer just a private agreement between an employer and an employee. The legislation now strictly requires that any foreign employee (except for those with permanent residence permits) be registered in the unified electronic database of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia. Without this registration, a foreigner does not have the legal right to work, and the employer faces substantial financial fines. This service entails full legal support to obtain this mandatory authorization, which is a necessary prerequisite for subsequently receiving a D1 category visa or a work residence permit.
What does the Work Authorization service cover?
This service ensures full compliance of the employer and the foreign employee with the new labor migration regulations. Specialists on Legal.ge will help you navigate the following stages:
- Legislative Consultation: Determining whether a specific foreigner is subject to mandatory registration and what types of exceptions might apply to them.
- Employment Contract Preparation: Drafting a bilingual (Georgian-Foreign Language) employment contract that is fully compliant with the Labor Code of Georgia and migration legislation.
- Registration in the Ministry of Health Database: Registering the employer and the employee on the labor migration electronic portal within the statutory 30-day deadline.
- Documentation Audit: Verifying the correctness of necessary documents (passport, proof of qualification) and uploading them to the system.
- Obtaining Authorization Code: Acquiring the unique registration code, which is subsequently mandatory for requesting a residence permit at the Public Service Development Agency.
- Deadline Control: Monitoring the strict 10-day (inside the country) and 30-day (outside the country) deadlines for visa and residence procedures to prevent the revocation of the authorization.
Common Real-World Scenarios
The new regulations affect almost all businesses employing foreigners. Most frequently, this service is needed in the following cases: a local company wants to hire a foreign specialist (e.g., IT developer, chef, engineer) who will physically work in Georgia; a foreign student graduates from a university in Georgia and starts working — they need to change their student status to work status, which is now impossible without registration in the database; a company already has employed foreigners whose contracts need renewal — extending an old contract automatically requires new registration on the portal; a foreign freelancer or individual entrepreneur who wants to work legally and obtain residence is obliged to undergo the self-employed registration procedure.
Georgian Legal Framework and Regulations
The service is based on the "Law of Georgia on Labour Migration," in which a mandatory registration mechanism entered into force in 2023. According to the law, an employer is obliged to register a foreign employee in the unified database of the Ministry of Health within 30 calendar days of signing the employment contract. Failure to fulfill this obligation results in fines: 1,000 GEL for the first violation, 2,000 GEL for a repeat violation, and 6,000 GEL for a third violation. Also significant is the "Law on Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons," which determines that a work residence permit is issued only to persons registered in the database.
Step-by-Step Process
The process begins with the lawyer collecting documents and preparing the employment contract. After signing, the specialist enters the data into the labor migration portal. The system verifies the data and assigns a registration number (authorization). After this, a second "timer" starts: if the foreigner is in Georgia, they must apply to the Public Service Hall for a residence permit within 10 days; if abroad, they must apply to a Georgian consulate for a D1 visa within 30 days. Violating these deadlines results in the cancellation of the authorization.
Why Choose Legal.ge?
Violating the new labor migration rules exposes companies to serious financial risks. Migration lawyers represented on Legal.ge are intimately familiar with the specifics of working with the Ministry's portal and ensure error-free registration. Find a qualified specialist on Legal.ge to avoid fines and delays in the process of legalizing your employees.
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