Georgia for Digital Nomads in 2026: Visa, Tax, Insurance, Healthcare

Georgia has quietly become one of the world's easiest countries to live in as a digital nomad. Citizens of 98 countries get a full year of visa-free stay per entry, the cost of living is low, English is widely understood in Tbilisi, and registering as a self-employed entrepreneur opens access to a 1% turnover tax scheme that is unusual for non-residents to qualify for.

The catch as of 2026: every visiting nomad has to carry a Decree 602-compliant travel insurance policy at the border, valid for every day of their stay. This guide covers the four things any nomad arriving in Georgia needs to think about - visa, tax, insurance, and healthcare - and links to the deeper guides for each.

1. Visa: up to 365 days per entry, visa-free

Georgia's visa-free regime is genuinely one of the most generous in the world. If your passport is on the list (98 countries, including all EU and Schengen states, the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel, Turkey, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and every GCC state), you get up to one full year (365 days) per entry, with no visa paperwork and no registration.

Three mechanics worth knowing up front:

• The clock is per-entry, not rolling. The day you cross the border is day one, and you have 365 days before you have to leave. A short trip out and back resets the clock.
• Remote work for foreign employers is unrestricted. Georgia has no laws limiting remote employment for non-residents during visa-free stay, which is why the country is popular with the nomad crowd.
• If your stay will exceed a year, look at Georgia's stay-and-work programs (such as Remotely from Georgia) or apply for a residency permit before you arrive.

For the full passport-by-passport breakdown and what to carry at the border, see our visa-free entry guide.

2. Insurance: Decree 602 is mandatory

Since 1 January 2026, every foreign visitor to Georgia has to carry a valid travel insurance policy at the border. The decree (officially Decree No. 602 of the Government of Georgia, published on the official legal portal at matsne.gov.ge) sets three minimums:

1. Coverage amount: at least 30,000 GEL per traveler.
2. Scope: medical treatment and accident cover, on Georgian territory.
3. Duration: valid every day you are in Georgia, with no gaps.

For a nomad planning a long stay, three practical implications follow:

• Buy for the dates you actually expect to be there, then extend. Policies can be issued for any duration from one day up to one year, but they can also be extended day-by-day from the extension page. Don't let one expire and buy a fresh one - Decree 602 treats gaps in cover as non-compliance.
• Decree 602 covers emergencies, not routine care. If you want a checkup, a dentist appointment, or treatment for a pre-existing condition, you will pay out of pocket or use separate cover from home. See the section on healthcare below.
• Decree 602 only covers Georgia. Side trips to Armenia, Turkey, or Azerbaijan need their own cover.

For the practical buying guide, what the policy covers, and what happens at the border, see travel insurance for Georgia.

3. Tax: the 183-day rule and the 1% scheme

This is where nomads' eyes light up - and also where they get into the most trouble if they get it wrong. Two things matter.

Tax residency: the 183-day rule

Under Article 34 of Georgia's Tax Code, you become a Georgian tax resident for a given year if you are physically present in Georgia for 183 days or more in any continuous 12-month period ending in that year. (There is also a "high-net-worth individual" path that does not depend on day count - see the Revenue Service's site at rs.ge for the current rules, since this is one of the few areas of Georgian tax law that changes from year to year.)

Tax residency cuts both ways:

• Pro: if you become a Georgian tax resident and your foreign-sourced income is genuinely foreign-sourced (typical for a remote employee or freelancer working with non-Georgian clients), Georgia generally does not tax it.
• Con: you may break tax residency in your home country, which can pull more of your income into the Georgian net, or trigger exit-tax rules. This is highly country-specific and is why most serious nomads in Georgia have a conversation with a tax advisor before crossing the 183-day mark.

The Individual Entrepreneur 1% scheme

If you register as an Individual Entrepreneur (IE) with Small Business Status in Georgia, you can pay 1% of turnover as your effective income tax, up to a ceiling of 500,000 GEL/year in turnover. Above that ceiling, the rate rises. This is a real and well-known scheme, available even to non-residents on visa-free stay, and is what most freelancers and consultants who base themselves in Georgia end up using.

A few honest caveats:

• Registration is not instant - it requires a Georgian tax ID, a registered address, and a bit of paperwork. Most nomads use one of Tbilisi's bilingual accountants to handle the setup.
• "Income" and "turnover" are not the same. The 1% is on gross turnover, not on profit, so the scheme works best for service businesses with low cost-of-goods.
• Certain professions (notably medical, legal, and consulting in regulated industries) are excluded from the Small Business Status. Check the current excluded-activity list on rs.ge before registering.

I am not your tax advisor, and Georgian tax law evolves. If you are planning to relocate any significant chunk of your earnings here, talk to a Tbilisi-based accountant before you make decisions.

4. Healthcare: how it actually works for foreigners

Georgian healthcare for foreigners runs on a "pay as you go" model. There is no national insurance scheme that covers non-residents; both public and private facilities expect payment at the point of service.

Three things to know:

• Private clinics are cheap by Western standards and high quality in Tbilisi. A GP visit at a major private chain typically runs around 80-200 GEL; a specialist consultation 150-300 GEL; basic blood work under 100 GEL. English is widely spoken in the larger Tbilisi clinics.
• Decree 602 only kicks in for emergencies and accidents. If you walk into a clinic for a non-emergency reason, your Unison policy will not reimburse it. For routine care, you either pay out of pocket or carry a supplementary international policy from home.
• The 24/7 hotline for Decree 602 claims is +995 32 2 991 991. Save it. Call it before you go to a hospital for any emergency - the operator will route you to a covered facility and handle paperwork with the provider. If you pay first and call later, you risk the claim being denied as non-compliant.

For longer-stay nomads who eventually become Georgian tax residents, supplementary private health insurance from a local Georgian insurer becomes available and is much cheaper than equivalent cover from home. That is a separate decision from Decree 602, which remains mandatory regardless of what other cover you carry.

5. The smaller logistics: banking, SIM, connectivity

Three things every nomad does in their first week:

• Open a Georgian bank account. Bank of Georgia and TBC are the two majors. Both accept foreigners on a visa-free stay with a passport and a Georgian phone number. Same-day account opening is normal. Useful for paying utilities, getting paid in GEL, and accessing Apple/Google Pay locally.
• Get a local SIM. Magti, Geocell, and Beeline all sell tourist SIMs at the airport and in city malls. Around 10-20 GEL for the SIM, then ~25-40 GEL/month for unlimited data. 4G is universal in cities; 5G is rolling out.
• Pick a workspace. Tbilisi has dozens of coworking spaces (Impact Hub, Lokal, Terminal, Fabrika); cafes in Vake, Vera, and Saburtalo are nomad-friendly with reliable wifi. Batumi has a smaller but growing scene.

6. Common scenarios

You arrive in March, plan to stay 6 months, and might extend. Buy a 6-month Decree 602 policy on arrival or before flying. If you decide to stay longer, extend it online by however many days you need - no gap, no new policy. You stay well under the 183-day tax threshold, so no Georgian tax residency.

You arrive intending to stay a full year. Buy a 12-month policy from the homepage or use the long-stay quote flow. You will likely cross the 183-day tax-residency threshold around September; talk to a Tbilisi accountant in your first month about whether to register as an Individual Entrepreneur before then.

You enter, leave to Armenia for a weekend, then re-enter. Your visa-free clock restarts on the new entry. Your insurance does not - check that your existing policy still covers the new dates, or extend it. Border officers will check insurance against today's date on entry.

You overstay accidentally by a week or two. Pay the fine on the way out (typical range is a few hundred GEL, scaling with the length of overstay) and you can normally re-enter. Repeated or long overstays can trigger entry bans, so resolve it on the way out.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a digital nomad visa for Georgia?

No. Citizens of 98 countries (all EU and Schengen states, US, UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel, Turkey, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and all GCC states) get visa-free entry for up to one year per entry. There is no separate "digital nomad visa" - the standard visa-free regime already permits remote work for foreign employers. Check your specific passport at geoconsul.gov.ge.

Can I really pay just 1% tax in Georgia?

Yes, if you register as an Individual Entrepreneur with Small Business Status and stay under 500,000 GEL of turnover per year. The 1% applies to gross turnover, not profit, and certain activity types are excluded. You also need to be careful about home-country tax residency: claiming the Georgian 1% scheme will not automatically free you from tax obligations elsewhere. Speak with a Tbilisi-based accountant before relying on this scheme.

When do I become a Georgian tax resident?

After 183 days of physical presence in Georgia within any 12-month period (Article 34 of the Tax Code). The 12-month window does not align with the calendar year, so the clock can start any time. There is also a "high-net-worth individual" track that does not depend on day count - see rs.ge for current eligibility.

Does the mandatory travel insurance cover me for the full year?

Yes, the Unison policy issued under Decree 602 can be bought for any duration from one day up to one year (365 days). If you decide to extend your stay, use the extension page to add days to the existing policy rather than buying a second one - Decree 602 treats coverage gaps as non-compliance.

What does Decree 602 insurance actually cover?

Medical and accident treatment in Georgia, up to 30,000 GEL per traveler. It covers emergency outpatient and inpatient care, resuscitation, emergency dentistry, medical evacuation, and repatriation. It does not cover routine GP visits, dental cleanings, pre-existing conditions, professional sports, or treatment received outside Georgia. For non-emergency care, you pay out of pocket or use supplementary cover.

Can I get healthcare without insurance in Georgia?

Yes, by paying directly. Private clinics in Tbilisi are reasonably priced and high quality. A GP visit at a major private chain runs around 80-200 GEL. But Decree 602 still requires you to carry a compliant policy at the border, so this is a "yes you can, but you still need the insurance" answer.

What about pre-existing conditions?

Pre-existing conditions are excluded from the Unison Decree 602 policy (this is standard for mandatory border insurance worldwide). The policy still satisfies Decree 602 - you do not need to disclose pre-existing conditions to be compliant. But for any treatment you need related to them during your stay, you will pay out of pocket or use a supplementary international policy from home.

Quick summary

• Visa: up to 365 days visa-free per entry for citizens of 98 countries. Remote work for foreign employers is unrestricted.
• Insurance: mandatory under Decree 602, minimum 30,000 GEL coverage, every day of your stay. Buy online before you fly, extend if you stay longer.
• Tax: 183-day rule for tax residency; Individual Entrepreneur Small Business Status offers a 1% turnover tax up to 500,000 GEL/year. Talk to a local accountant before registering.
• Healthcare: pay-as-you-go for routine care, Decree 602 for emergencies, 24/7 hotline +995 32 2 991 991 (call before going to hospital).
• Logistics: Georgian bank account in a day, local SIM at the airport, mature coworking scene in Tbilisi and growing in Batumi.

Planning a long stay? Get your Decree 602 policy - one form, one payment, PDF and bilingual border card in your inbox within a minute. Extend it later without buying a second policy.