The rumored 2026 updates to the Georgia immigration rules are now confirmed!
The Georgian parliament has passed amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons, taking effect on September 1st, 2026. There’s a lot in the bill, but below we’ve pulled out what actually matters for expats, remote workers, students, and foreign business owners living in or moving to Georgia.
The New D6 Visa & Updated D3 Visa: A Dedicated Pathway for Foreign Students
Previously, the D3 visa covered most education-related stays. The amendments carve out a new D6 immigration visa specifically for minors studying in Georgia.
Who it’s for:
- Minors enrolled (or planning to enroll) in an authorized Georgian university or vocational institution.
- Minors enrolled in an authorized Georgian school, valid until completion of full secondary education.
- Parents/Guardians and minor siblings of a minor D6 holder – they can receive a D6 visa too, valid until the minor turns 18.
Key terms:
- The D6 visa is issued with multi-entry rights and a 1-year validity.
- The D6 visa is subject to renewals.
- Renewal applications can be submitted while in Georgia at the Public Service Hall. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs handles extension. The applicant is protected from fines and deportation during the renewal process.
What changes for the D3? The D3 remains for adult students (full-time study or research at authorized institutions, or participants in international programs). The renewal right under D3 is now more tightly scoped – it only applies where the basis for extension doesn’t allow staying more than 3 months.
A complete list of D-category visas can be found in our article here.
Study Residence Permits: Tighter Rules, Active Monitoring
The amendments strengthen the study residence permit regime significantly. If you hold a study residence permit, or are considering one, these changes are material.
A major update is that students of schools are no longer eligible for a study residence permit. It applies only to those enrolled at a Georgian university or professional educational institution.
New grounds for termination of your stay:
- Your student status is suspended, and 90 days pass without reinstatement
- You fail to accumulate more than one-third of the maximum credits in any single academic year at an authorized higher education institution
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs determines that your actual activities make it impossible or incompatible with study-based residence
- You are absent from Georgian territory for 183 days or more in any continuous 12-month period (exceptions apply for medical treatment abroad and exchange programs under an accredited Georgian university)
Monitoring: The government will establish a formal mechanism for tracking the physical presence of study permit holders. Educational institutions are required to notify the Agency in writing (or through a designated system) when a student’s status changes.
Transitional rule: If your student status is already suspended as of September 1st, 2026, you have until January 1st, 2027, to reinstate it. Miss that window, and your right to remain will be terminated.
Fictitious Marriage Crackdown: New Interagency Commission
The 2026 Georgia immigration rules introduce a dedicated mechanism to verify the authenticity of marriages where a foreign national applies for a Georgian citizen’s spouse residence permit (a new permit category – see below).
An interagency commission will be established, including representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Security Service, and the Agency. The commission has broad authority:
- Interview spouses separately and jointly.
- Require submission of all evidence of genuine family life.
- Visit the couple’s place of residence.
If the commission finds reasonable grounds to suspect a fictitious marriage, it can refer the matter to the investigative authority. At this point, the application process is suspended until criminal proceedings are initiated or the investigation is closed.
Cooperation with the commission is mandatory. If the applicant fails to cooperate, refuses a home visit, or doesn’t appear before the commission, the application will be rejected.
New Permit Category: Georgian Citizen’s Spouse Residence Permit
Until now, spouses of Georgian citizens could apply directly for permanent residence. The 2026 Georgia immigration rules create an explicit intermediate step:
- New permit: Georgian citizen’s spouse residence permit, issued for 1 year, renewable for 2 years, up to a maximum of 5 years total
- After 5 years, if the marriage is intact and the spouse has been living in Georgia, a permanent residence permit is issued through the standard procedure
This new residence permit is what triggers the interagency commission review described above. With the purpose of preventing sham marriages, it replaces what was previously a more direct pathway.
Foreigners Database: What’s Being Built
The amendments formalize a two-track data infrastructure for foreigners in Georgia.
Track 1 – General foreigners registry: The Agency may create a unified registry of foreigners, covering legal status data, including biometrics. The rules for data processing and sharing with other state bodies will be set by the government ordinance.
Track 2 – Registry of those without legal basis: A separate database, administered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will track foreigners who are or were in Georgia without a legal basis. Data collected during deportation proceedings goes into this database and is not public. This database also covers foreigners subject to deportation or entry bans under certain grounds, and those whose cases are reviewed under specific provisions of the law.
Track 2 emphasizes the importance of following the immigration rules. Knowing that this infrastructure exists and that the history will be formally recorded is important. It underscores the significance of getting the relevant residence permits and following the deadlines.
Proof of Lawful Stay: New Certificate Requirement
A new article (Article 21³) allows state and private service providers (excluding medical services) to require a certificate confirming lawful presence in Georgia before providing services. The certificate is issued by the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or another body designated by the government.
The specific list of services that will require this certificate will be defined by the Government of Georgia. We’ll update this article once that list is published – it has meaningful practical implications for day-to-day life.
Appeals: Shorter Window, Clearer Rules
Decisions by the Agency can now be appealed to court within 10 calendar days of notification. For visa refusals, the first step is an administrative appeal to the superior body, also within 10 days, before a judicial challenge.
One important point: filing an appeal does not automatically stop deportation proceedings or enforcement of a deportation order. This is now explicit across multiple provisions of the law.
What This Means in Practice
The direction of the 2026 Georgia immigration rules is clear. Georgia is moving toward a more structured, verification-heavy immigration system. The introduction of the marriage commission, mandatory physical presence monitoring for students, and the formalization of a foreigner database all point to tighter administration of who is in the country and on what basis.
For most legitimate expats, e.g., those working, studying, or running businesses in good faith, the practical impact is manageable if you stay on top of your paperwork.
The September 1st, 2026, effective date is close, and several implementing decrees are still pending.
If any of these changes affect your current status or plans, it’s worth getting a review done before September 1st. Our team handles residence permits, visa extensions, and immigration structuring – contact us here to set up a consultation.
