From the desk of Georgia
Field notes on company setup, banking, residency, and tax for foreigners building in Georgia. Honest analysis, not marketing.
Base your IT or logistics staff in Georgia. Only 5% tax on salaries.
Georgia's International Company Status under Decree N619 grants 5% personal income tax on qualifying employee salaries (vs the standard 20%), 5% corporate income tax on distributed profits (vs the standard rate), and 0% withholding tax on dividends to shareholders. Available to companies in the IT and Maritime/logistics sectors meeting substance and operating-history requirements. The article walks through what the framework actually does for a staffing decision, who qualifies, and the structural argument for basing technical or logistics teams in Georgia rather than alternative jurisdictions.
Batumi on the Black Sea: Five Years of Awards, Four International Hotel Brands, One Artificial Island.
Batumi has won World Travel Awards' Europe's Leading Emerging Tourism Destination five consecutive years from 2019 through 2023, and in 2025 won Europe's Leading Four-Season Tourist Destination. International hotel brands including Sheraton, Hilton, Radisson Blu, and Le Méridien operate in the city. Ambassadori Island Batumi — Georgia's first artificial island development at 84 hectares — is under construction with completion phases through 2029-2035. The article walks through the lifestyle case, the institutional capital flowing in, the accessibility under Georgian tax framework, and the growth trajectory.
Georgian banks pay Up to 11% on GEL Deposits.
Georgian commercial banks offer up to 11% on GEL-denominated term deposits and decent rates on USD, EUR, and GBP balances — yields well above EU/US/UK retail equivalents, available to foreign holders without Georgian residency required. The article covers what the rates actually are in 2026, the GEL exposure trade-off, what banks need to open the account at scale, deposit insurance limits, and the tax treatment of interest income that materially changes the math.
Georgian Property Pays 5% on Rent and 0% on the Sale. Residency Comes With It.
Most foreign readers think of Georgian property as a residency play. The investment math actually leads. 5% personal income tax on residential rental income, 0% capital gains tax on sale after two years, 5-10% annual price appreciation, no stamp duty, and registration costs under 200 GEL — with residence permit access at USD 150,000 as a bonus on top of the financial case. The article walks through the yield layer, the capital layer, and the residency layer in the order that actually matters.
A Global Portfolio Through a Georgian Brokerage. 0% Capital Gains.
A brokerage account at a licensed Georgian financial institution provides access to foreign markets — US, European, Asian, Middle Eastern, Central Asian — within a single regulated platform. Capital gains realised by individual holders on foreign securities are not taxed in Georgia. The account itself qualifies as a Georgian-located asset for the HNW programme's USD 500,000 Layer 2 requirement, providing a path to Georgian tax residency without property purchase or living in Georgia. The article walks through what's accessible, the tax treatment, and the structural argument that ties three benefits into one decision.
HNW: Tax-Resident of Georgia without living in Georgia.
Georgia's High Net Worth Individual programme grants tax residency without the standard 183-day physical presence requirement. Three layers of qualification: wealth threshold (GEL 3 million worldwide assets or GEL 200,000 annual income for three years), Georgian asset commitment (USD 500,000+), and Georgian connection (residence permit, citizenship, or GEL 25,000+ Georgian-source income). The article walks through who qualifies, how the application runs, what tax residency in Georgia actually does for a Tier-1-country foreigner, and the limits on what it doesn't do.
Most Foreign Founders Don't Need a Georgian Work Permit.
Georgia introduced a mandatory work authorization regime in March 2026 — but six exemption sub-clauses and a new short-term professional activity framework cover the configurations most foreign founders, freelancers, and remote workers actually run. The article walks through who needs the permit, who's exempt, and how to confirm which side of the line you sit on.
Pay 1% Tax. Keep 99% of Your Business Income.
Georgia's Individual Entrepreneur with Small Business Status regime taxes business turnover at 1% up to 500,000 GEL annually. The mechanics, the exempt and ineligible activities, the path to registration, and the practical reality of what this means for foreign freelancers, IT contractors, consultants, and solo professionals operating internationally.
Set Up Your Georgian Company Without Leaving Home.
Georgia's company registration system is built for remote execution. With a notarized and apostilled Power of Attorney, a foreign founder can incorporate an Individual Entrepreneur or LLC, register for tax purposes, secure a legal address, and (with planning) open a bank account — all without setting foot in Tbilisi. The article walks through what's genuinely remote, where bank-side due diligence has tightened, and the practical sequence for a foreign founder structuring Georgian operations from abroad.
0% Corporate Tax for IT Companies Exporting Abroad.
Georgia's Virtual Zone status grants 0% corporate income tax and 0% VAT on software products sold to non-resident clients abroad. Since 2020 the framework has tightened — substance requirements, narrower software definitions, and rejected applications for single-founder structures without staff or premises. The article walks through who genuinely qualifies, what's required to maintain the status, and when the 5% International Company Status is the better path despite the higher headline rate.