Georgia lets Americans in for a year. 2026 rewrote what happens after that.

Georgia sits between the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, a country of about 3.7 million people with one rule that makes it unusually easy to try: a U.S. passport gets you up to 365 days on arrival. No application, no fee, no consulate appointment.

That year works as a trial run. A retiree can live through a Tbilisi winter before buying anything, and a remote worker paid from abroad can set up a base without filing a thing. If the place sticks, the next step is buying property, investing, or taking a job that comes with a residence permit.

The price isn't the only draw. Tbilisi's old town stacks up the hills above the river, all wooden balconies and church domes, with a cable car overhead. Wine runs deep: the Georgian way of fermenting it in egg-shaped clay jars called qvevri, buried in the ground for months, went onto UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2013, and families still make it at harvest. To the north the Greater Caucasus holds villages like Ushguli in Svaneti and the hilltop church at Gergeti. By our data the country gets about 220 sunny days a year, with an average temperature near 55°F and four real seasons.

A few practical basics. Georgia runs on the lari. It's eight to nine hours ahead of Eastern, by season, because the country dropped daylight saving time in 2005. There are no nonstop flights to the U.S., so you'll connect through a hub such as Istanbul, Dubai, Doha, Frankfurt, Munich, Warsaw or Amsterdam.

Here's the catch

Georgia has changed fast, and some of it will rule the country out for some readers. Better to hear it now.

The politics come first. In November 2024, the ruling party dropped the country's push to join the EU, inciting mass protests. Human Rights Watch reports a foreign agents law with prison terms of up to five years for groups that fail to register, and a ban on foreign funding for broadcast media. Smaller protests have continued in the evenings near parliament on Rustaveli Avenue. The U.S. government still rates Georgia at Level 1, its lowest travel advisory, as of its last reissue in March 2025. It also tells Americans to stay away from demonstrations, and its security office notes that official talk about foreign meddling has stirred some anti-U.S. feeling. The Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are Do Not Travel.

Second, it's a hard fit for LGBTQ+ movers. A December 2024 law restricts discussion of transgender rights and same-sex relationships in schools and public settings, and the State Department warns that traditional attitudes can mean discrimination and harassment.

Third, healthcare and language take work. The system is mostly private; the public program generally doesn't cover foreigners, and quality drops outside the big cities. English thins out beyond the expat parts of Tbilisi and Batumi; we score it 35 out of 100.

Fourth, 2026 tightened the rules. Entry now requires health insurance, the property bar for residency rose to $150,000, and foreigners who work for Georgian employers or run a business here need a separate right-to-work permit. The old path of registering as a freelancer online and paying 1 percent tax with little else to do has narrowed.

If you want a second passport, look elsewhere. Naturalization takes 10 years of residence, and Georgia generally makes new citizens give up their other nationality unless citizenship is granted by exception.

If none of that stopped you, the rest of this guide covers the money, the permits, the practical setup and who can help.

The cards above are our 2026 averages in U.S. dollars. Rent is the biggest line for most people, dropping off noticeably once you leave the center. What the averages leave out are the costs that come with being a foreigner here.

Health coverage is the big one. Georgia's public program generally doesn't cover foreign residents, and most hospitals and doctors won't take U.S. insurance, so private coverage is a real monthly bill. A comprehensive plan for a healthy adult rarely tops $40 to $60 a month in 2026, and some form of insurance is now required just to cross the border.

Imported goods and electronics are relatively expensive, so bring the laptop and phone you want to keep. The internet is fine for video calls, but at around 40 Mbps it's slower than a lot of U.S. fiber plans, which matters if you upload large files for work.

Then there's paperwork. A residence permit decision costs about 300 lari (about $110) on the standard 30-day track and up to 600 lari (about $220) for a 10-day decision, before any lawyer or translation fees. A property permit starts with a $150,000 purchase. And if you carry cash in, anything over 30,000 lari (about $11,100) has to be declared at the border.

Three changes this year shape every route: insurance at the border, a higher property threshold, and a new permit for anyone working for a Georgian employer or running a local business. Pick the route that matches where your money comes from.

Staying on your passport: up to 365 days

This is the simplest route. You can stay up to 365 days with no visa. Your passport has to be valid when you enter, with one blank page for the stamp. Since January 1, 2026, every foreign visitor also needs health and accident insurance covering the whole stay, with at least 30,000 lari (about $11,100) of coverage from a Georgian or foreign insurer. Border officers can check it, and they may refuse entry at their discretion.

The year works well for retirees testing the country and for remote workers paid by a U.S. employer or foreign clients. Legal advisers read the 2026 labor rules as exempting people who serve only foreign companies, though one firm notes the line is still being settled in practice. What the year doesn't allow is working for a Georgian employer. Keep in mind that 183 days in any 12-month period makes you a Georgian tax resident, whatever your immigration status.

Buying a home: the property residence permit

Own non-agricultural property worth at least $150,000 and you can get a one-year residence permit, renewable each year while you own it. The threshold rose from $100,000 on March 1, 2026; people who bought before the change can still qualify at the old figure. The value is based on market appraisal, not the price you paid, and several properties can be added together. Your spouse and children can be included. The catch is that this permit doesn't give you the right to work, and foreigners can't buy agricultural land.

Investing $300,000: the investment residence permit

Put $300,000 into Georgian real estate or a Georgian company and you can get a five-year permit. The business version comes with turnover targets, rising from $50,000 in the first year to $120,000 a year by the third, and an audit confirming the investment. Sources that follow the program say it converts to permanent residence after five years if the investment is kept. A useful perk in 2026: investment permit holders are exempt from the new right-to-work permit.

Taking a job: work residence permit plus the right to work

A work residence permit needs income of at least five times Georgia's official subsistence minimum, and the employer needs turnover of 50,000 lari (about $18,500) for each foreign employee, or 35,000 lari in education and healthcare. It can run for up to six years. Since March 1, 2026, foreigners without permanent residence who work for a Georgian employer or are self-employed here also need a right-to-work permit, which takes 30 calendar days on the standard track or 10 working days expedited. Self-employed applicants sit a video interview. Working without it can bring a fine of 2,000 lari (about $740). Individual entrepreneurs who once registered online now go through the same permit system.

What Georgia doesn't offer

There's no separate digital nomad visa; remote workers rely on the 365-day stay. The permit types (work, IT, property, investment, study and family reunification) include nothing built around a pension, so a retiree's route is the free year first, then property if they stay. Permanent residence normally comes after 10 continuous years on qualifying permits.

The questions Americans ask once they've picked a route, answered with the 2026 rules.

Healthcare

Georgia's healthcare is mostly private. The state's universal program generally doesn't extend to foreign residents, and most hospitals and doctors won't accept U.S. insurance, so plan on private coverage from day one. The good news is the price: a comprehensive plan for a healthy adult rarely tops $40 to $60 a month in 2026. In Tbilisi, expats tend to use large private groups such as Evex, MediClub Georgia and Aversi Clinic, which keep specialists, diagnostics and pharmacies under one roof. Quality drops outside the major cities, so for anything serious, plan on the capital. Healthcare coach Hunter Schultz can help you plan care before you pick a city, and ExpatInsure can set up the international policy.

Taxes

Georgia charges a flat 20 percent income tax, and residents are exempt on income that doesn't have a Georgian source. You become a tax resident after 183 days in any continuous 12-month period. Individual entrepreneurs with turnover under 500,000 lari (about $185,000) can register for small business status and pay 1 percent on turnover, though under the 2026 rules the work itself now needs a right-to-work permit. Wealthy movers can also look at high net worth individual status, which starts at assets over 3 million lari (about $1.1 million) or income over 200,000 lari for three years, plus other conditions.

None of that removes your U.S. return. The IRS taxes citizens wherever they live, and the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion covers wages and self-employment income only, not pensions or Social Security. MyExpatTaxes handles U.S. filings for Americans abroad, and Flamingo Compliance tracks your days so you know when the 183-day line is coming.

Banking and moving money

Opening an account is quick. TBC Bank opens accounts for foreigners at a branch with a passport and phone number, and physical cards arrive within one business day in Tbilisi. Moneycorp handles currency exchange and recurring international transfers, and remember that cash over 30,000 lari has to be declared at the border.

Driving and pets

A U.S. driver's license is valid for one year from your last entry, and residency doesn't extend it. You can exchange a valid U.S. license for a Georgian one without exams. The State Department advises against driving at night outside cities. For a dog or cat you'll need an ISO microchip, a rabies shot given 21 days to 11 months before arrival, and a vet health certificate issued within 10 days of travel; Georgia doesn't require a titer test. Starwood Pet Travel can handle the flights and forms.