Georgia: no digital nomad visa, and the 2026 work permit
Georgia has no digital nomad visa. British and American passport holders can stay a year without one, but since 1 March 2026 working there, including remotely, needs a work permit.
At a glance
- The visa
- No remote work visa
- Who can apply
- No one: there is no remote work visa.
- Without a visa
- British and American visitors: one year visa-free, with GEL 30,000 of health insurance
The catch. There is no remote work visa. Since 1 March 2026 working in Georgia, including remotely, needs a work permit, according to the UK government and Georgia's foreign ministry. Whether employees of foreign companies are caught is still unclear, law firms say. The one-year visa-free stay is still there. The right to work on it is what changed.
How it works
- British and American passport holders can stay up to a year without a visa.
- Since 1 January 2026 visitors need at least GEL 30,000 of health and accident insurance for the whole stay.
- Since 1 March 2026 anyone working in Georgia, "including remote work", in the foreign ministry's words, needs a work activity permit from the State Employment Promotion Agency, applied for online at labourmigration.moh.gov.ge.
- Whether that catches people working for employers abroad is still unclear: Fragomen, a law firm, says it remains uncertain. Neither the foreign ministry nor the UK government makes an exception for them.
- If you stay more than 183 days and have paid employment, the UK government says you must tell Georgia's Revenue Service and pay income tax.
Fees and timing
- Work permit
- GEL 200 for a decision within 30 days, or GEL 400 within 10 working days, according to KPMG.
- How long it takes
- 30 days, or 10 working days for the faster permit, according to KPMG.
Health insurance
At least GEL 30,000 of health and accident cover for the whole stay, including the days you arrive and leave. Airlines or border officers may ask to see it.
Nomad policies differ on cover limits, excess and whether they're accepted for a visa. Compare nomad health insurance
Deadlines and tax
- Deadlines and fines
- JAMnews says self-employed people working in Georgia had to comply from 1 May 2026, and foreign workers registered in the labour migration database by 1 March 2026 must sort out their status by 1 January 2027. It reports fines from GEL 2,000 for both the worker and the employer.
- Tax
- 183 days in any 12 months
Worth knowing
- The 2020 Remotely from Georgia scheme appears to have ended: we found no current official page for it.
- Georgian media report a three-year residence permit for IT workers from September 2025; we haven't seen an official page.