Georgia Digital Nomad Visa - No Income Minimum Guide

What is the Georgia digital nomad visa?

Georgia launched the Remotely from Georgia program in August 2020 in response to the pandemic, targeting freelancers, remote employees, and business owners earning at least USD 2,000 per month. The program was administered by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and offered a streamlined entry route during COVID restrictions. In practice, the program was almost immediately overtaken by Georgia's exceptional visa-free regime, which permits citizens of 95 countries to enter and stay for up to 365 days without any visa, work permit, or formal application.

The Remotely from Georgia formal application route still exists but is rarely used because the visa-free entry is faster, free, and offers the same effective stay duration. Citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, all EU member states, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Israel, and most Gulf countries can simply fly into Tbilisi or Batumi, present a passport with at least 6 months validity, and be granted up to 1 year of legal stay on arrival. There is no income test, no health insurance requirement, no document burden at the border.

Georgia has become a quiet darling of the global nomad community since 2020. The cost of living is among the lowest in Europe (or, if you classify it as the South Caucasus, among the lowest in the broader region), the food and wine are extraordinary, the country has some of the oldest continuous Christian heritage in the world, and Tbilisi has built a serious coworking and tech scene. Compared to the bureaucratic Czech Zivno or the income-tested Portugal D8, Georgia is radically simpler.

Requirements and income threshold

The formal Remotely from Georgia program suggests applicants should earn at least USD 2,000 per month and have health insurance for the duration of their stay. In reality, the vast majority of nomads enter on visa-free status and face no income test whatsoever. The table below covers both the formal program requirements and the visa-free entry requirements, which are dramatically different.

The 95 visa-free countries include all the major nomad source countries: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, all 27 EU states, plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, San Marino. Citizens of these countries simply fly in, get stamped at passport control, and are legally allowed to remain for up to 365 days. There is no requirement to register with police, get a residence card, or notify any authority.

Tax treatment

Georgia uses the standard 183-day tax residency test. If you spend fewer than 183 days in any calendar year in Georgia, you are not a Georgian tax resident and owe zero Georgian tax on your foreign-source income (your remote work for foreign clients is foreign-source). This makes Georgia the textbook low-friction setup for nomads who move countries frequently and want to legally minimise their tax burden during their year of presence.

If you stay more than 183 days and become a Georgian tax resident, you have two attractive options. The standard personal income tax is a flat 20 percent. But Georgia also offers the Individual Entrepreneur with Small Business Status, a category that taxes your gross revenue at just 1 percent provided you stay below GEL 500,000 (roughly USD 185,000) per year. This is one of the lowest small business tax rates in the world and is entirely legitimate. You must register as an Individual Entrepreneur (IE), apply for small business status, and file monthly tax returns.

Georgia has double tax treaties with over 55 countries including the UK, all EU states, China, India, the UAE, and Japan. Notably, Georgia does not have a treaty with the United States, which means US citizens cannot automatically credit Georgian tax against US obligations. The country also has territorial tax features: foreign-source income is generally not taxed even for residents, which is a major draw.

How to apply - step by step

For citizens of the 95 visa-free countries, there is no formal application process. Just book a flight. For everyone else, the Remotely from Georgia online application is straightforward and free.

1. Confirm you are on the 95 visa-free country list (Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains the current list).
2. If visa-free: book your flight to Tbilisi (TBS) or Batumi (BUS). Direct flights from major European hubs, Istanbul, Dubai, and Tel Aviv are common.
3. At passport control, present a passport with 6+ months validity. The officer will stamp you in for up to 365 days. No documents required.
4. Open a Georgian bank account (Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank are nomad-friendly). Cost: free, takes 1 to 3 working days. Bring passport and a Georgian phone number.
5. Optional: register as an Individual Entrepreneur (IE) at the House of Justice. Cost: GEL 50 (USD 18), same day. Lets you legally invoice clients from Georgia.
6. Optional: apply for Small Business Status with the Revenue Service (online). Approval typically within 7 days. Unlocks the 1 percent tax rate on revenue up to USD 185,000 per year.
7. If NOT visa-free: apply for Remotely from Georgia online via stopcov.ge. Submit passport scan, proof of income, employment letter or business registration, health insurance, and travel insurance. Decision within 10 working days.
8. After 1-year visa-free stay, leave Georgia briefly (Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, or any other country) and re-enter to reset the 365-day clock if you want to stay longer.

This is genuinely the simplest legal nomad setup in the world. You can be on a plane to Tbilisi within 24 hours of deciding to move, with no paperwork or fees beyond your ticket.

Cost breakdown

The Georgia route is by far the cheapest setup of any country in this guide. There are no visa fees, no agent fees, and only minimal optional costs for bank account setup or IE registration.

Ongoing monthly costs are exceptional value. Most nomads report comfortable monthly spending of USD 1,200 to 1,800 in Tbilisi, less in Batumi or Kutaisi. The combination of low cost of living, zero or 1 percent tax, and free visa-free entry makes Georgia mathematically one of the cheapest places to base a remote work life legally.

Cost of living

Tbilisi is the most expensive city in Georgia but still extremely affordable by European or American standards. Batumi (Black Sea coastal city) is similar to Tbilisi in price during summer high season but cheaper in winter.

Georgian wine is famously cheap (USD 4 to 8 per bottle for very drinkable local wines, GEL 15 to 30), restaurant meals are USD 5 to 12 for solid local food (khachapuri, khinkali), and the famous Tbilisi sulphur baths are USD 10 to 30 per session. The hidden cost is winter heating (Tbilisi gets cold) and air conditioning in summer, which can double utility bills in extreme months.

Family and dependents

Family arrangements in Georgia are as simple as the primary visa. If you and your family are all citizens of one of the 95 visa-free countries, each of you can simply enter independently and stay for 365 days. There is no need for sponsorship, family reunification paperwork, or income uplift demonstrations. Spouses and children just need their own valid passports (children under 12 in some Georgian regions need notarised travel consent if entering with only one parent).

If you decide to formalise long-term residency in Georgia (e.g. via the IE small business route plus a residence permit), family members can be added as dependents with relatively light documentation: apostilled marriage certificate, birth certificates for children, proof of accommodation. Residence permits for family members are typically issued for the same duration as the primary holder.

Family members on visa-free entry can work for foreign clients without restriction (the legal status simply does not address remote work for non-Georgian employers). If a spouse wants to take Georgian employment with a local company, they would need to apply for a separate work residence permit, which is still relatively simple and inexpensive compared to most European countries.

Path to residency

Georgia does not require visa-free entrants to apply for residency. Most nomads stay on rolling 365-day visa-free entries indefinitely. However, formal residency (a temporary residence permit) is available and can lead to permanent residency after 6 years and citizenship after 10 years of continuous legal residence.

Temporary residence permits are issued for work, study, family reunification, or investment. The investment route requires USD 300,000 in Georgian real estate or business. The work route requires a Georgian employer or registered Individual Entrepreneur status with some economic activity. The permits run for 6 to 12 months initially and can be renewed annually. After 6 years of continuous holding, you become eligible for permanent residency.

Georgian citizenship is harder than residency. The country generally does not permit dual citizenship without special presidential approval, which is rarely granted. Most nomads therefore stay on rolling visa-free entries or temporary residence permits and treat Georgia as a long-term base rather than a citizenship destination. If passport upgrading matters to you, consider Portugal D7 or German Freiberufler instead.

Best cities for digital nomads

Georgia is a small country with three serious nomad cities. Tbilisi is the default, Batumi attracts summer beach nomads, and Kutaisi is the budget option with surprisingly good cafe and coworking infrastructure.

• Tbilisi (capital, 1.2M). The dominant choice. Strong coworking ecosystem (Impact Hub Tbilisi, Terminal, Lokal, Spaces), good fibre internet (average 65 Mbps), vibrant Old Town and Vake/Vera neighbourhoods, dense cafe scene, very active expat and nomad community. Direct flights to most of Europe, Istanbul, and Dubai. Best for first-time movers.
• Batumi (Black Sea coast, 170K). Casino city and beach resort, popular with Russian and Ukrainian relocations since 2022. Coworking: Lokal Batumi, Phoenix Coworking. Cheaper than Tbilisi in winter (off-season rents drop 40 percent) but tourist-priced in July to September. Good for nomads who want beach access.
• Kutaisi (third city, 150K). Cheapest option. Quiet, historic, close to dramatic Caucasus mountain hiking, base for visiting cave monasteries. Internet decent, coworking limited (mostly cafe-based work), small but growing nomad community. Best for nomads who want extreme affordability and a base for exploring rural Georgia.

Pros and cons

Georgia is exceptional for ease and cost but has trade-offs around long-term residency and the increasingly tense regional security environment.

• Pro: 365-day visa-free entry for citizens of 95 countries, no paperwork or fees
• Pro: Zero tax on foreign income if under 183 days per year
• Pro: 1 percent small business tax rate on revenue up to USD 185,000 per year
• Pro: Among the lowest cost of living anywhere in Europe or the Caucasus
• Pro: Excellent food, wine, and dramatic mountain and coastal scenery
• Pro: English widely spoken in Tbilisi tech and hospitality sectors
• Pro: Growing tech scene and active nomad community since 2020
• Con: Not in Schengen, EU, or any major trade bloc - no easy regional access
• Con: Citizenship is very difficult and dual citizenship rarely granted
• Con: No US-Georgia tax treaty, so US citizens face coordination complexity
• Con: Regional security situation can shift quickly (proximity to Russia, Armenia conflicts)
• Con: Healthcare is improving but public infrastructure lags Western Europe