Law of Georgia on Labour Migration: Comparative Analysis of the Recent Amendments
In June 2025, Georgia introduced significant amendments to the Law on Labour Migration, reshaping the legal framework governing how foreigners may work or engage in entrepreneurial activity in the country. The changes broaden the concept of labour activity, redefine key terms, and introduce a new requirement for foreign employees, self-employed individuals and employers to obtain the Right to perform labour activity before engaging in work in Georgia. They also establish new procedures for securing this right, strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and impose additional compliance obligations on both workers and employers. Below is an overview of the key updates and their implications.
I. Expanded Scope of the Law (Art. 2)
The amendment to Article 2 revises the definition of labour activity. Under the previous version, the law applied only to remunerated labour activity, meaning work performed in exchange for direct payment. The new wording, labour activity for remuneration or other type of financial benefit, broadens the definition to cover all activities that provide any financial advantage, not just traditional wages or salaries.
The amendment also expands the list of cases to which the law does not apply. A new subparagraph (“f”) excludes relationships involving individuals who hold a valid investment residence permit.
II. New and Updated Definitions (Art. 3)
A new concept has been introduced into the law, the Right to perform labour activity (Art. 3), which replaces the previous notion of Registration of a labour immigrant. This right now represents a special authorization issued by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, allowing a foreigner to independently engage in labour or entrepreneurial activity in Georgia, or to work with a local employer, either in person or remotely.
The law also introduces two new definitions. The first is Self-employed Foreigner, referring to a foreign national who does not hold a permanent residence permit in Georgia and who carries out labour activity in Georgia, including trade, services, or other entrepreneurial work, independently or in partnership, with the aim of obtaining financial benefit. The second is Service Organizer, meaning any natural or legal person who concludes a transaction with a self-employed foreigner, as a result of which that foreigner receives financial benefit.
In addition, the definition of Labour Immigrant (subparagraph “h”) has been expanded to include not only those employed by local employers but also foreigners working remotely for Georgian entities, as well as self-employed foreigners who do not hold a permanent residence permit in Georgia.