This possibility will apply only to situations where the work is linked to a specific project and does not lead to long-term establishment in the local labor market.
A special article is being added to the Law on “Labor Migration” in this regard. The initiative has been prepared by members of the ruling party and has already been submitted to Parliament.
According to the draft law, a foreigner will be allowed to engage in short-term professional activity in Georgia without a work permit or a corresponding residence permit, if the activity is carried out within the framework of a temporary visit, does not constitute long-term employment in the local labor market, and is connected to a specific short-term project, event, or service.
The list of such short-term professional activities, their duration, and the criteria for classifying them as short-term will be determined by a government decree.
A foreigner carrying out short-term professional activities will not be considered a labor immigrant or a self-employed foreigner in Georgia.
Additionally, the law on “Labor Migration” will expand the list of activities exempt from its requirements. These will include:
Individuals holding a valid special residence permit issued based on a written initiative of a member of the Government of Georgia;Employment in public institutions or enterprises with state participation;Remote work performed from another country for a local employer;Work or services provided to a non-resident entity related to activities carried out outside Georgia;Managerial roles or participation in audit committees in first, second, and third category enterprises as defined by the Law on “Accounting, Reporting and Auditing.”
As the initiating members of Parliament explain, the current legal framework on labor migration does not provide a differentiated approach based on the duration and nature of employment, which places all types of professional activity under standard immigration procedures.
According to them, practical challenges have shown that when a foreign specialist’s visit is short-term and linked to a specific one-time project or service, applying general immigration filters creates unnecessary administrative barriers.
Such an approach is often incompatible with the timelines of urgent professional tasks, which can hinder economic and operational processes.
Therefore, the need has arisen to reduce bureaucratic pressure in such legal relationships and to regulate them under a separate framework. The amendment aims to create a mechanism that allows for the legal recognition of short-term professional visits without requiring a residence permit.
Given the specificity of the issue, it is considered appropriate to grant the Government of Georgia the authority to define detailed criteria. Regulation through subordinate legal acts will ensure greater flexibility and efficiency, allowing timely adjustments to types of activities and durations in line with the country’s needs, ultimately optimizing labor migration management.
At the same time, considering the dynamic nature of the labor market and the need to reduce administrative barriers that often impose a disproportionate burden on work processes, it was deemed appropriate to exempt certain specific activities from the requirements of the law on “Labor Migration.” These include employment in public institutions and state-owned enterprises, as well as forms of remote work, such as working for a local employer from abroad or providing services to a non-resident entity outside Georgia.
In addition, managerial and audit committee roles in enterprises of the first, second, and third categories (as defined by the Law on “Accounting, Reporting and Auditing”) will also be exempt, which is expected to significantly improve the effective functioning of the sector.
