Most foreign founders are exempt. We confirm yours, or handle the application.

What you get#

Two distinct outcomes, depending on your situation.

If you're exempt — and most foreign founders are — you get documented confirmation. A Residency Scoping (€290) walks through your specific configuration against the Article 1.3 sub-clauses of the Law on Labour Migration (as amended by Law №1509 of April 2026) and Article 13⁹ of the implementing regulation. We produce a written confirmation of your exemption category that you can keep on file in case of inspection or eligibility audit. For most readers of this page, this is the entire engagement — no permit needed, but the documented exemption matters.

If you're not exempt, you get the work permit application handled end-to-end. We prepare the application file with the supporting documentation, schedule the mandatory video interview with the State Employment Promotion Agency, brief you for the interview, and submit through the labourmigration.moh.gov.ge portal. The application is filed online — that's the regulatory mechanism — but you don't navigate the portal alone. We act as your authorised representative for the submission and follow the application through to issuance. State fee is 200 GEL for standard 30-day processing or 400 GEL for 10-day expedited; our service fee is on top.

The combined effect: certainty about your work-permit position before you commit to a structure, and execution capability for the minority of cases where the permit is actually required.

What we do#

The first 30 minutes of any work permit conversation is determining whether you actually need one.

Step 1 — Residency Scoping. We map your specific situation against the exemption framework: your residency status, your structure (IE, LLC, VZ, IC, FIZ, employee, board member), your client base (Georgian or foreign), your physical-presence pattern in Georgia. The exemption framework is granular — eight sub-clauses in Article 1.3 plus Article 13⁹ each carve out specific configurations — but the analysis is structured. We produce written confirmation of your exemption category, citing the specific sub-clause and the documentary evidence supporting it.

Step 2 (only if not exempt) — Application preparation and submission. For the minority of cases where a work permit is required (typically Georgian-employed foreigners outside exempt categories), we prepare the full application file: employment contract documentation, employer registration, justification of the role, supporting documentation for the worker's qualifications, and the Georgian-language elements the portal requires.

Step 3 (only if not exempt) — Video interview coaching. The work permit application includes a mandatory video interview with the State Employment Promotion Agency. We schedule the interview at a time that works for you, brief you on what the agency officer asks (typical questions cover the role, the employment relationship, and the foreigner's qualifications), and prepare you for the specific configuration questions your case is likely to surface.

Step 4 (only if not exempt) — Portal submission and tracking. Submission happens through labourmigration.moh.gov.ge online portal. We act as your authorised representative for submission when appropriate, track the application through the agency's review process, and respond to any requests for additional information. Standard processing is 30 days from complete submission; expedited 10-day processing is available at the higher state fee.

What's included#

Residency Scoping (the standalone €290 engagement):

• Mapping of your specific situation against the Article 1.3 sub-clauses and Article 13⁹ exemption framework
• Identification of your applicable exemption category with sub-clause-level specificity
• Written confirmation document citing the regulation and the documentary evidence supporting your exemption
• Brief on what to keep on file in case of inspection or audit
• Q&A on edge cases, configuration changes that could affect exemption status, and forward-looking implications (e.g., what if you start hiring local staff, what if your client base shifts)

Work Permit Application (when required):

• Full application file preparation
• Employment contract review and Georgian-language element drafting where needed
• Mandatory video interview scheduling and full coaching session
• Portal submission via labourmigration.moh.gov.ge
• Application tracking and agency-correspondence handling
• State fee payment coordination (200 GEL for 30-day or 400 GEL for 10-day, separate from our service fee)

Who is exempt under the 2026 framework#

Most foreign founders we work with are exempt under one of these sub-clauses. The list below is illustrative — your actual exemption category depends on your specific configuration, which the Residency Scoping confirms.

Article 1.3 sub-clause (i) — Foreign nationals working in Georgia for less than 30 calendar days within a 90-day period. Short-term consultancy assignments, board meetings, business visits with operational components.

Article 1.3 sub-clause (j) — Foreign nationals carrying out labour activity for a local Georgian employer entirely remotely with no entry into Georgia required for the activity. Unusual configuration but legally clean.

Article 1.3 sub-clause (k) — Foreign nationals carrying out labour activity or providing services in favour of a non-resident person (foreign client). This is the largest exempt category — it covers IE holders billing foreign clients, LLC operators serving foreign clients, freelancers and contractors invoicing internationally. Most readers of this page fall here.

Article 1.3 sub-clause (l) — Foreign nationals who are founders, directors, board members, or managers of Georgian legal entities, exercising those roles. Covers LLC directors, VZ company directors, IC company directors, FIZ-resident-company directors, and shareholders exercising governance roles.

Article 1.3 sub-clause (m) — Foreign nationals working in Georgia under specific bilateral or multilateral treaties.

Article 13⁹ — Foreign nationals employed by an International Company status holder under qualifying conditions, with substance and salary thresholds defined in the regulation. The IC employee exemption interacts with the 5% personal income tax rate for qualifying IC employees.

The combination of (k) and (l) covers the overwhelming majority of foreign founders and operators who reach this page. If you're a freelancer or IE billing foreign clients, you're likely (k). If you're an LLC director or VZ/IC/FIZ company founder/director, you're likely (l). If you're both — common — either sub-clause applies.

When the work permit is actually required#

Three situations where the permit is required:

Foreign employee of a Georgian company, working in Georgia, not in an exempt category. The most common non-exempt case. A foreign national employed by a Georgian LLC on a Georgian salary, working physically in Georgia, in a role outside the IC framework or other carve-outs.

Foreign labour migrant in roles outside founder/director/board structures. Employees specifically — not the founders. The framework distinguishes between governance roles (exempt under (l)) and labour roles (potentially within scope).

Edge configurations the Residency Scoping surfaces. Mixed roles, transitional periods, structures in flight, or activity patterns that don't fit cleanly into one sub-clause. These cases are real and we work through them in detail in the Review.

For most foreign founders reading this page, none of these apply — and that's the point of the Residency Scoping. Documented confirmation of exemption is more valuable than an unnecessary work permit, and significantly cheaper.

Why Happy Georgia#

Independent advisory. No tied employer of record service, no commission for steering you toward a permit you don't need. We confirm exemption when it applies — that's actually the more common outcome — and handle applications cleanly when they're required.

Foreign clients only. Our entire practice is foreigners setting up in Georgia. We've worked through the (k) configuration a Berlin freelancer asks about, the (l) governance question a Tel Aviv LLC director surfaces, the Article 13⁹ IC-employee analysis a Singapore-funded IT operation needs to plan around.

Fixed pricing, no tourist tax. Residency Scoping at €290 includes the written exemption confirmation. Work Permit application from €1,130 plus 200/400 GEL state fee. We quote in EUR, we honor the quote, no surprises later.

Trusted by clients across Western Europe, Israel, the UK, Singapore, and beyond.

Frequently asked questions#

Do I actually need a work permit if I'm a foreign founder of a Georgian LLC?#

Almost certainly not. As founder, director, board member, or manager of a Georgian legal entity, you're exempt under Article 1.3 sub-clause (l). The Residency Scoping confirms this in writing for your file. The exemption is categorical — it doesn't depend on how much time you spend in Georgia or whether you also work elsewhere.

What about as an IE billing foreign clients?#

Almost certainly exempt under sub-clause (k) — labour activity in favour of non-resident persons. The (k) exemption is the broadest in the framework and covers the typical IE-with-Small-Business-Status configuration we set up. The Residency Scoping walks through your specific case to confirm.

What if I have both an IE and an LLC?#

Both sub-clauses can apply simultaneously. The IE side is (k); the LLC side is (l). The Residency Scoping confirms the analysis for your specific structure and produces documentation citing both sub-clauses.

What's the Residency Scoping actually delivering?#

A documented analysis of your specific configuration against the exemption framework, with written confirmation of your applicable sub-clause(s). The document cites the regulation, identifies the documentary evidence supporting your exemption, and sits in your file in case of inspection or audit. The €290 covers the analysis, the written confirmation, and the consultation Q&A.

Why does any of this matter if I'm exempt anyway?#

Two reasons. First, inspection or audit risk — having documented confirmation of your exemption category means the conversation with an inspector is "here's my exemption documentation citing sub-clause (l)" instead of "I think I'm probably exempt." Second, configuration drift — if your situation changes (you start hiring local staff, you take a Georgian-employed role alongside your founder position, you shift to mixed Georgian-and-foreign clients), the exemption analysis can change. The Review establishes the baseline.

How long does the work permit application take when it's actually required?#

State processing is 30 days from complete submission. Expedited 10-day processing is available at the higher state fee (400 GEL vs 200 GEL). Our preparation work — file assembly, video interview coaching, portal submission — typically runs 1–2 weeks before submission. Total timeline from engagement to issued permit: typically 6–8 weeks for standard, 3–4 weeks for expedited.

What's the mandatory video interview about?#

The State Employment Promotion Agency conducts a brief video call (typically 20–40 minutes) covering the role, the employment relationship, the foreigner's qualifications, and the Georgian operational context. The agency officer's job is to confirm the application is genuine and the configuration is what the file describes. Our coaching session prepares you for the specific question patterns and the documentation handling.

Is the application filed by Happy Georgia or by me?#

Filed via the labourmigration.moh.gov.ge online portal. We act as your authorised representative for submission when appropriate (depending on your situation and the agency's current handling of representative-led submissions); otherwise we prepare the complete file and brief you for portal submission. Either way, our service value is the file preparation, the interview coaching, and the application tracking — not portal navigation.

What happens if I'm refused?#

Refusals are uncommon for properly prepared applications, but they happen — typically when the role-employer-worker triangle doesn't satisfy the agency's substance threshold. We work through refusals on a case-by-case basis: appeal where the case is strong, restructure the application where the configuration needs adjustment, or recommend an alternative path (e.g., shifting to an exempt configuration).

What about the work permit's relationship to residency permits?#

Distinct mechanisms. The work permit (this page) governs the right to perform labour activity in Georgia. Residency permits govern the right to reside in Georgia long-term. The two can be independent — you might hold residency without needing a work permit (most exempt configurations), or hold a work permit alongside a residency permit (Georgian-employed foreigner in non-exempt category), or hold neither (visa-free foreign founder operating remotely-from-elsewhere via the Georgian LLC). See Residency & Permit for the full picture.

Ready to set up?#

If you're a foreign founder, IE holder, LLC director, or freelancer billing foreign clients, the Residency Scoping (€290) likely confirms your exemption and produces the documentation you need. If you're a Georgian-employed foreigner outside exempt categories, we handle the full work permit application end-to-end. The free consultation determines which engagement you actually need.