Immigration
Immigration Lawyer in Tbilisi, Georgia
I am an immigration lawyer in Tbilisi, Georgia. That is the country in the South Caucasus, not the US state. I act for people who are moving here, already living here, or bringing staff here. You deal with a licensed attorney directly, not an agency intermediary.
Most of my immigration clients fall into three groups. The first are people planning a move to Georgia and trying to work out which status actually fits: a residence permit, a visa, or neither yet. The second are expats and remote workers already in the country whose situation has changed: a job, a marriage, a refusal, a permit about to expire, or the new work authorisation rules. The third are companies relocating employees or founders and needing the whole sequence handled at once.
What all three have in common is that the outcome depends on documents filed correctly and on time. Georgian immigration decisions are made on the papers, and refusals frequently arrive without detailed reasons. An immigration attorney in Tbilisi is worth having when the basis is contested, when there is history to explain, or when several people are moving together. When your matter is simple, I will tell you that too.
Immigration Services
- Work permits in Georgia: authorisation under the regime that took effect on 1 March 2026, exemption assessments, and employer compliance.
- Residence permits in Georgia: temporary, work, study, family, investment, and permanent residence, plus renewals and appeals against refusals.
- Business immigration: relocating employees and founders, company formation, and the compliance obligations that come with hiring foreign staff.
- Visas and visa-free stay: immigration visa categories, extensions, changes of status, and overstay problems.
Citizenship and naturalisation questions usually arrive at the end of that path rather than the start, and the route there depends on which residence category you hold, which is why the first choice matters more than most people expect.
Why Work With a Licensed Georgian Attorney
Immigration work in Georgia is done by both agencies and lawyers, and the difference only becomes visible when something goes wrong. An agency can assemble and submit a file. It cannot represent you in an administrative complaint or take a refusal to the administrative courts.
- Member of the Georgian Bar Association, admitted 2023, with rights of audience before the Georgian courts.
- New York Bar exam passed in 2025, admission pending.
- Senior Associate at PwC Georgia's legal practice, and previously an associate at a Legal 500-ranked firm.
- LL.M. from Loyola University New Orleans, summa cum laude, as a Fulbright Scholar.
- Working languages: Georgian, English, German, and Russian.
You also deal with one person throughout. The attorney who assesses your position is the one who prepares the file and answers the phone when the authority comes back with a question.
How It Works
- Consultation. We go through your situation, your timeline, and anything in your history that will need to be addressed openly: a previous refusal, an overstay, a change of employer. You get a written view of which basis is strongest and what it realistically requires.
- Document preparation. I set out exactly what is needed, in what form, and in what order. Documents issued abroad generally need apostille or consular legalisation plus certified Georgian translation, and this is almost always the step that determines your timeline.
- Filing and representation. I file with the Public Service Development Agency or the relevant authority, under power of attorney where you prefer not to attend in person, respond to any requests for additional information, and, if it comes to it, handle the administrative complaint or court appeal.
Fees are agreed in advance, per matter. If your case is one you can handle yourself, I will say so at the consultation rather than after it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a lawyer to get a residence permit in Georgia?
No. Many straightforward applications are filed without one, and I will tell you when yours is one of them. Legal representation earns its cost when the basis is contested, when there is history to explain such as a previous refusal or an overstay, when a family is moving together, or when the application has to be coordinated with work authorisation and a company structure. It also matters if things go wrong: an attorney can pursue an administrative complaint or a court appeal, which an agency cannot.
How long does a Georgian residence permit take?
The statutory review period runs from the filing of a complete application, and expedited processing is available for a higher state fee. The timetable is usually set by document preparation abroad, since apostille, legalisation, and certified translation routinely take longer than the review itself. Plan backwards from the date your current lawful stay ends rather than from your intended move date.
Do you work with clients who are not yet in Georgia?
Yes. Much of the preparation happens before you arrive: choosing the basis, listing the documents, and getting legalisation started in your home country. Getting that sequence right is what prevents a wasted trip. Applications are generally filed inside Georgia, and I can act under a power of attorney so you do not need to attend the counter yourself.
Is this about the country of Georgia or the US state?
The country. My practice is in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the South Caucasus, and everything on this site concerns Georgian law: residence permits, work authorisation, and visas issued by Georgian authorities. If you are looking for immigration help in the US state of Georgia, this is not the right office.
What languages do you work in?
Georgian, English, German, and Russian. Consultations, correspondence, and drafting can be conducted in any of them. Documents filed with Georgian authorities must be in Georgian, so certified translation is arranged as part of the file rather than left to you.