Georgia seems like a simple country for a first acquaintance: fly in, buy a SIM card, rent an apartment, exchange money - and live. This was the case just a year ago. In 2026, the country introduced two rules that immediately invalidated half of the advice from old Telegram chats: mandatory insurance for entry and work permits for foreigners.
Let me make a reservation right away: I am not a lawyer or a tax consultant. Everything related to law is given below as a guide to where to look, and not as a guide to action. Before taking a specific step, check the source - I indicate which one.
Two changes in 2026 that make old advice not work
Insurance is required from January 1, 2026
Georgia insurance used to be a smart precaution. Now this is a condition of entry on a par with a passport.
The requirement is enshrined in Article 12 of the Law of Georgia “On Tourism”, and the procedure is described by Government Resolution No. 602 of December 26, 2025. What does it mean in practice:
- the policy is needed for the entire period of stay, including the day of entry and day of departure;
- minimum insurance amount -30,000 GEL;
- the policy of both Georgian and foreign insurance companies is suitable;
- the document is accepted in paper and electronic form, in Georgian or English;
- the policy must indicate the parties to the contract, the subject of insurance, the start and end dates of coverage, the insured amount and limits, the amount and procedure for paying the premium, and the coverage area must directly include Georgia.
They check at the border. There is no separate fixed fine for tourists in the law - the consequence is different and worse: entry may be denied. There are exceptions to this rule, for example for persons entering Georgia under international treaties. For the full list and current edition, see the consular portal of the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs geoconsul.gov.ge.
Bottom line: If you have a year's worth of international insurance, it's likely eligible. Check three things - that Georgia is within the coverage area, that the limit is not lower than 30,000 GEL and that the dates cover the entire trip.
It is no longer possible to work without permission - from March 1, 2026
This change affects many more people than it seems, and it is one that is most often not known.
From March 1, 2026, amendments to the Law of Georgia “On Labor Migration”, adopted by Parliament in June 2025, and Government Resolution No. 70 of February 20, 2026, are in effect. They introduce mandatory work permits. The old logic of “come and just get a job” no longer works: neither a visa nor a residence permit in itself gives the right to work.
To whom does this concern:
-hired employees- foreigners working under an agreement with a Georgian employer;
-self-employed and individual entrepreneurs- including those who registered an individual entrepreneur for tax status.
The permit is issued for a specific employer and a specific position. Changed job - need a new one. According to current rules, legal work requires three documents at once: an employment contract, a work permit and a residence permit or D1 visa.
The transition periods are arranged as follows:
- who was registered in the labor migration database before March 1, 2026 - brings the status in orderuntil January 1, 2027;
- self-employed people who worked before March 1 had to obtain permissionby May 1, 2026- this deadline has already passed;
- who arrived after March 1 - obtains a permit before starting work.
An employer is fined for hiring a foreigner without permission, and he is also obliged to conduct a labor market check by posting a vacancy for a specified period. Applications are submitted through the electronic labor migration portal; The Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons, Labour, Health and Social Protection is responsible for the issues.
If you're reading this in the fall of 2026 and are working here under the old scheme, the January deadline is closer than it seems. It’s worth checking your case now, not in December.
Arrival: communication and money
A SIM card is issued at the airport, in the operator’s salon, or you take an eSIM in advance. The procedure takes minutes. In my experience, Magti has a more stable Internet, but it makes sense to check the coverage for a specific route: what works great in Tbilisi behaves differently in the mountains.
Currency - lari. Dollars and euros are exchanged in banks and exchange offices. The only practical advice: do not change a large amount at the first place you come across, especially at the airport. The rate and commission vary noticeably, and there are many exchangers in the center.
A separate little thing that ruins the first day: on the road and on walks, the phone sits down faster than usual, because the maps and camera are constantly working. Powerbank should be kept in your bag from the first day, and not bought on the third.
Housing
MyHome, SS.ge, Airbnb, Booking and local Telegram groups are useful for renting. There is a large selection in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi; In small towns, online searches should be combined with on-site inquiries.
Before moving in, discuss and record in writing: the price, what is included in utilities, the size of the deposit and the conditions for its return, Internet, heating, rental period. Heating in winter is the most common cause of disputes, because the gas bill in an old house can surprise you more than the rental itself.
Food and markets
The market in Georgia is not only about price. In Tbilisi It makes sense for a deserter to walk between the rows, try and talk. It is not necessary to buy everything in one place: one seller has good vegetables, another has cheese, another has meat. A separate meaning of the market is homemade products: suluguni, nadugi, cottage cheese, eggs, seasonal fruits. If the price is not listed, ask for it before you are weighed.
But you don’t have to go to the market for honey, spices and tea, and you don’t have to understand the varieties blindly either. We transport this directly from small farms: honey from different regions, Svan salt, tkemali. Who are these manufacturers and how their product differs - in the section “Farmers”.
Banks
From experience, TBC is convenient for most foreigners, Credo also works with them. But the conditions for opening an account, the list of documents and the availability of individual functions depend on the specific client and the current policy of the bank, so the requirements should be clarified before the visit, and not at the branch.
Look not only at how easy it is to open a card, but also at the fees: maintenance, inactivity fees, cash withdrawals, conversions, transfers. The difference between the banks on these lines is greater than it seems.
If the bank asks about the origin of the funds, answer truthfully and be prepared to support with documents. Selecting a “convenient” story for the sake of opening an account is a bad idea with delayed consequences.
Business and taxes: “1% in Georgia” is not about everyone
The phrase “all business in Georgia is taxed at one percent” is incorrect. We are talking about specific special regimes for individual entrepreneurs, and each has conditions.
-Microbusiness- 0%, turnover up to 30,000 GEL per year.
-Small business- 1% of turnover, up to GEL 500,000 per year.
-Standard regime- 20% income tax, no threshold.
What is important to know in advance:
- tax is calculatedon turnover, not on profit;
- turnover in excess of GEL 500,000 in the same year is taxed at an increased rate, and if the threshold is exceeded for two years in a row, the status of a small business is removed;
- some types of activities are excluded from the regime - in particular financial and licensed services, legal practice, gambling business;
- the status of a small business does not cover employment income from a Georgian employer;
For current rates, thresholds and a list of excluded activities, see the Revenue Service website rs.ge. For a non-standard case, it is cheaper to go to an accountant once than to deal with the Revenue Service later.
Laws and fines
The main rule here is: do not automatically transfer the rules of your country to Georgia. This applies to migration, work, taxes, road traffic and especially drug trafficking, where the difference from usual ideas can be dramatic.
I deliberately do not give specific amounts of fines: qualifications depend on the offense, location, repetition and other circumstances, and posts on social networks become outdated faster than laws. Current norms are in the current editions of the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code on the portal matsne.gov.ge.
Trips across regions
The country is small, but heterogeneous: the coast, the Caucasus, wine regions, canyons and cave cities provide completely different impressions. It is better to build a route based on interest, and not on a list of popular places. Analysis by region is collected in the section “Regions of Georgia”, and the closest exits from the capital are in hiking guide around Tbilisi.
If you take a car: photograph it before leaving from all sides, record the damage, check the contract, deductible, insurance, mileage limit, fuel policy and return rules. Fifteen minutes for a contract saves several days of proceedings.
If you are going with a guide or for an activity - rafting, horses, mountains - read the reviews carefully and find out who the organizer is, what equipment is used and how responsibility works in the event of an incident. You can pack everything else equipment in Tbilisi in a day.
Checklist before traveling or moving
-Insurance- issued, covers Georgia, limit from 30,000 GEL, dates cover the entire trip.
-Communication- SIM or eSIM, understanding of coverage along the route.
-Money- lari plus a backup card or payment method.
-Right to work- If you intend to work or run a business, check your status under the rules in force from 1 March 2026.
-Housing- price, deposit, utilities, heating, return conditions are recorded in writing.
-Bank- document requirements and tariffs are specified before the visit.
-Car- contract, insurance, deductible, recorded damage.
-Laws- verified according to the original source, and not according to posts three years ago.
Briefly
- From January 1, 2026, insurance is a condition of entry: minimum GEL 30,000 for the entire duration of stay.
- From March 1, 2026, a work permit is required for work and for individual entrepreneurs; For those registered earlier, the deadline to bring their status in order expires on January 1, 2027.
- “One percent” is the status of a small business with a threshold of GEL 500,000, turnover, and not for all types of activities.
- Banks differ not in the complexity of opening an account, but in their tariffs. Compare them, not reviews.
- Any advice from social networks older than a year on these topics should be considered invalid until checked.Sources: geoconsul.gov.ge and the US Embassy in Georgia (compulsory insurance, Article 12 of the Law on Tourism, Resolution No. 602); Fragomen, Andersen, Eurofast (amendments to the Law on Labor Migration, Resolution No. 70); rs.ge and PwC (special tax regimes); matsne.gov.ge (current editions of codes).