From March 1, 2026, a new system will come into force in Georgia: foreign workers and self-employed persons will need an official work permit.
Previously, the country did not have a full-fledged work permit regime and in most cases allowed foreigners to work without a separate permit, according to industry sources.
According to the business press, there will be a transition period for foreigners already employed in Georgia: they must obtain a permit before January 1, 2027; fines will be imposed on both the employee and the employer for violations (with increased penalties for repeat offenses).
The aim of the reform is to bring order to the labor market, put an end to work on tourist visas, and bring regulation closer to international practice. Additionally, it is reported that the details of the procedure (categories, exceptions, lists of documents) will be specified in subordinate government acts.
In 2024, 135,800 immigrants entered Georgia (–34% y/y), while 121,400 emigrants left the country; 48.2% of immigrants are Georgian citizens, the rest are foreigners. Among foreign citizens, the top countries were Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, India, and Azerbaijan.
Officially, in 2022, 62,300 Russians were registered as immigrants (i.e., they remained to live in the country). In 2023, there were 52,600 Russian citizens among immigrants.
According to media reports and think tanks, in 2025, there will be about 100,000 Russians living in the country (estimates vary widely, taking into account the outflow in 2023). At the same time, only about 20% of them have “tax resident”/official resident status, according to the National Bank of Georgia.
According to the UN, since the start of the full-scale war, approximately 245,000 Ukrainians have passed through Georgia; about 26,600 currently reside in the country (estimate for spring 2025).
Among the largest sources of migration in 2023 are Turkey (≈8,600 immigrants), India (≈8,400), and Belarus (≈3,600); Ukraine provided ≈7,500 immigrants in 2023. These figures show the annual inflow, not the “stock” of permanent residents.
The labor market reform complements earlier changes in migration regulation (e.g., an increase in the minimum property value for a “residence permit by purchase” from $100,000 to $150,000 as of March 1, 2026).
Experts expect that the unification of employment rules will increase the transparency of hiring foreigners and reduce informal employment, but will increase the administrative burden on businesses during the adaptation period.
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New rules will come into force in Georgia that will abolish the possibility of working without a permit for citizens of countries with a visa-free regime. From 2026, legal employment will require a work permit and a corresponding residence permit, according to the Serbian Economist Telegram channel.
On June 26, the country’s parliament adopted amendments to the laws “On Labor Migration” and “On the Legal Status of Foreigners.” Now, any foreigner who does not have a permanent residence permit will be required to obtain a work permit, even if they entered the country under a visa-free regime.
Key changes
• The visa-free regime no longer grants the right to work — it only applies to entry and short-term stays.
• The concepts of “labor migrant” and “self-employed foreigner” are introduced — both categories must obtain a permit.
• Employers are required to complete the paperwork for foreign employees before they officially start work.
Who will be affected by the new rules?
According to Geostat, fewer than 3,800 labor migrants were officially registered in 2015–2023, while the actual number of foreigners working in the country is significantly higher — in 2022–2023 alone, there were over 239,000 foreigners in Georgia. Many of them worked illegally.
The changes will have the greatest impact on citizens of:
• Russia — according to various estimates, between 80,000 and 120,000 Russians live in Georgia, a significant proportion of whom work remotely or in the service sector without formal permission;
• Georgia’s neighbors (Armenia, Azerbaijan);
• Ukraine;
• the Middle East;
• South Asia;
• some countries in Europe and Latin America.
For Russians, who have become one of the largest groups of foreigners in Georgia since 2022, the new rules may lead to the need for mass registration of work permits. Otherwise, there is a risk of fines and the inability to continue working.
The reform aims to legalize the labor market and protect the rights of Georgian citizens. It closes a loophole that allows foreigners to work without a visa and creates a new legal framework for tens of thousands of people. This will particularly affect citizens of the Russian Federation and CIS countries, who in recent years have made up the core of the foreign presence in Georgia’s economy.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs
Relocation.com.ua has prepared an analysis of the Georgian residential real estate market in the first half of 2025: prices are rising, demand is leveling off, and rents are cooling down.
In June, 3,236 apartment deals were registered in Tbilisi, which is +11% y/y (−2% m/m) — the first noticeable rebound after the sluggish spring months, according to TBC Capital. The average asking price in the city is $1,266/m² (+6% y/y), and the average rental rate is $10.6/m² (−12% y/y).
In Tbilisi, 15,865 deals worth $1.2 billion (+2.6% y/y) were registered in the first five months of 2025, with the average price on the primary market in May at $1,331/m² and rent at $9.3/m².
As for Batumi, 7,129 transactions were registered in Batumi in the first half of 2025 (+4.8% y/y), with a total market volume of $397 million (+16.1% y/y). Weighted average prices: new buildings $1,184/m² (+16.1%), secondary market $1,169/m² (+20%).
According to Galt & Taggart’s assessment, sales growth continued in the second quarter in both the primary and secondary markets; rental rates in June were +1.6% y/y, and yields remain high compared to “pyramids.”
Earlier it was reported that the average gross rental yield in Batumi remains at around 8.8% (end of winter 2025).
Prices across the country: double-digit growth in annual terms
According to the Geostat housing price index, in Q1 2025, housing prices in Georgia were +11.53% y/y (in real terms, adjusted for inflation — +7.78%).
Against the backdrop of the high base of previous years, the issuance of permits in Tbilisi in 5M25 declined moderately (by area −1.1% y/y), and in May, 25 permits were issued for ≈203 thousand m² (−18.3% y/y). This is holding back supply growth and supporting prices in the primary segment.
After peaking in 2022–2023, rents in Tbilisi stabilized and fell to $9.3–10.6/m² in May, depending on the source and observation period. Gross yields in Tbilisi remain around ~8–11%, which is comparable to yields in resort locations.
Foreign buyers: activity continues, with Israelis playing a notable role
Government agencies do not usually publish official monthly breakdowns by nationality. However, a Galt & Taggart survey of systemic developers (covering ≈45% of the primary market in Tbilisi) found that buyers from Israel accounted for 11% of all sales in 5M25. Demand from local and “regional” buyers (Russia, Ukraine, Middle Eastern countries) is also significant, but the shares vary from project to project.
Analysts expect moderate, “healthy” growth while maintaining attractive returns in resort locations (Batumi) and a gradual recovery in demand in the capital as rates and incomes stabilize. External demand will remain selective (investment apartments and lots for short-term rent).
On Friday, the multinational military exercise Agile Spirit began in Georgia, which is being held for the twelfth time. The exercise is being held at the Krtsanisi base, where the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center is located.
The Agile Spirit 2025 exercise is being held in two countries – Georgia and Turkey – to help strengthen regional cooperation, according to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.
The exercises began in Turkey on July 21 with a joint airborne operation by the United States and Turkey. In addition to the military of Turkey, the United States, and Georgia, the military of eight other countries will take part in the exercises that opened in Georgia.
At the opening ceremony, General Terry Tillis, commander of the 7th U.S. Army Training Command in Europe and Africa, said that “this is a strategic exercise that allows for increased interoperability between military personnel from different countries.”
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The Georgian government is discussing a package of amendments to the Criminal Code and the Administrative Code aimed at tightening immigration policy. The goal is to strengthen the fight against illegal migration and prevent abuse of the asylum system.
Main amendments:
Deportation statistics:
How many foreigners are there in Georgia?
According to Geostat data for 2024, 135,811 people entered the country, including:
In addition, up to 100,000 Russians were in Georgia at the peak of the migration flow, of whom 60,000 remained and 30,000 left the country in 2023. According to estimates by the UN and migration centers, approximately 26,000 refugees live in Georgia, mainly Ukrainians, but also Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians, and Russians.
Georgia is tightening migration controls, introducing deportation with long-term bans, increasing fines, and speeding up the processing of applications. This is part of efforts to combat illegal migration and abuse of the asylum procedure.
However, the visa waiver remains in place and requirements for stays of up to one year are being simplified. Tens of thousands of foreigners, mainly from Russia and Ukraine, reside in the country, making the reforms both sensitive and controversial. The changes to migration legislation will have long-term consequences for both new arrivals and Georgia’s migration practices.
Ukraine has resumed ferry service with Georgia, operating two sailings from the Chornomorsk port to the Georgian port of Batumi for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion.
“Two flights were made on March 18 and 26 from the port of Chornomorsk to the port of Batumi, and the third flight is planned for next week,” said Tymofiy Murakhovsky, Director of Commercial and Logistics at Ukrzaliznytsia JSC, at a meeting on the Restoration of the Ukraine-Georgia Ferry Service within the TTM Corridor.
According to him, the project is being implemented with the participation of the shipping company Ukrferry (Odesa) and UZ Cargo Poland, a subsidiary of Ukrzaliznytsia, in Warsaw. According to Murakhovsky, the first voyages in March were carried out in a mode of information silence. He urged businesses to become more actively involved in the direction. As you know, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression in February 2022, there has been no maritime traffic between Ukraine and Georgia.
The shipping company Ukrferry announced the resumption of the Chornomorsk-Batumi ferry service on July 9, 2024, but this did not happen.
