Run a Business in Georgia: IE, LLC and Statuses

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How to Register an Individual Entrepreneur Remotely (2026) Georgia allows a foreign national to register an Individual Entrepreneur (IE) without travelling to the country, by issuing a notarised and apostilled Power of Attorney to a representative who completes the registration at the Public Service Hall. Registration itself usually takes 1–5 working days once documents are in Georgia; the full process, including courier delivery, translation and notarisation, typically takes 1–3 weeks.
Registering a Company in Georgia: Business Forms and Setup Under the Law of Georgia on Entrepreneurs, foreigners can set up a Georgian company on the same terms as locals. Registration is handled by the National Agency of Public Registry, counts as both state and tax registration, and the company exists from the moment it is registered. The law recognises five company forms — general partnership, limited partnership, LLC, joint-stock company and cooperative — and the LLC is the most common, with no minimum capital requirement.
Running a Company in Georgia: Governance and Ongoing Rules Once registered, a Georgian company is run through its general meeting and management body, with a supervisory board only where law or the charter requires one. A regular general meeting must be held at least once a year, registry data must be kept up to date, and the Law on Entrepreneurs sets clear rules for reorganisation and creditor protection.
Business Statuses in Georgia: Which One Fits You Once a business is registered in Georgia, it may qualify for a special status that lowers or simplifies its tax. This overview explains the main statuses — Small Business Status for Individual Entrepreneurs, and International Company, Virtual Zone Person, VASP registration and the innovation/startup statuses for companies — with a simple map of who each one is for, and links to the detailed guide for each.
How to Register an Individual Entrepreneur in Person in Georgia (2026) A foreign national who is physically present in Georgia can register an Individual Entrepreneur (IE) in person at the Public Service Hall, usually within one working day. You need your passport, a Georgian phone number and a legal address; after registration your data is linked to the Revenue Service, where you can apply for Small Business status if you qualify.
Terminating an Individual Entrepreneur in Georgia (2026) If you no longer need your Individual Entrepreneur (IE) status in Georgia, you must formally terminate it through the National Agency of Public Registry and close your tax obligations with the Revenue Service. An IE remains active until it is cancelled, so stopping activity alone is not enough. Termination can be completed in person or remotely through a notarised, apostilled Power of Attorney; the Public Registry state fee is GEL 26 (one working day) or GEL 75 (same day).
Legal Address for a business in Georgia Under Georgian law, every registered business must have a legal address — the official point of communication between the business and public authorities, courts and third parties. It applies to companies and to individual entrepreneurs alike, is recorded in the Entrepreneurial Registry maintained by the National Agency of Public Registry, and is publicly accessible. The address need not be where the business operates, but it must be real, identifiable and properly registered.
Registration in the Economic Activities Registry in Georgia The Economic Activities Registry is a central record of economic activities carried out in Georgia, kept by the National Agency of Public Registry. Registration is voluntary as a rule, but becomes mandatory where sector-specific legislation requires it, and in practice is needed to document an activity for other procedures such as a work permit application. Only activities listed in the National Statistics Office (Geostat) classifier can be registered, each with a code and description.
Joint-Stock Company (JSC) in Georgia A Joint-Stock Company (JSC) is a company whose capital is divided into shares, governed by the Law of Georgia on Entrepreneurs. Shareholders have limited liability, restricted to the value of their shares, and shares can be transferred, sold and in some cases publicly traded, which makes the form suited to larger businesses, investment projects and companies raising capital. A JSC has a more formal governance structure than an LLC — a general meeting of shareholders, an optional supervisory board and a management board — and must have a Charter. Registration is handled by the National Agency of Public Registry; the state fee is GEL 200 for next-business-day registration or GEL 400 for same-day registration.
Employing Staff in Georgia: Contracts, Payroll & Pension (2026) A Georgian employer hires under the Organic Law – Labour Code of Georgia: a labour agreement may be oral or written but must be in writing where the relationship runs longer than three months, a trial (probation) period may last no more than six months, the workweek must not exceed 40 hours, paid annual leave is at least 24 working days, and termination by the employer requires written notice and severance. On payroll, the employer withholds personal income tax at the flat 20% rate and operates the mandatory funded pension scheme on the 2% + 2% + 2% principle (employee 2%, employer 2%, state up to 2%), declaring and paying both to the Revenue Service, normally by the 15th of the following month. Foreign nationals without permanent residence in Georgia are generally outside the mandatory pension scheme.
Free Industrial Zones in Georgia (FIZ) A Free Industrial Zone (FIZ) is a delimited part of Georgia with a special tax and customs regime. A company registered inside a FIZ is exempt from profit (corporate income) tax on its permitted in-zone activities, from VAT on transactions within the zone and on foreign goods brought in, from property tax on property located in the zone, and from import duty on foreign goods entering the zone. In return it pays income tax on employees by declaration and — when it supplies goods to a person in the rest of Georgia that is not another FIZ enterprise — a 4% payment on the value of that supply. FIZs suit manufacturing, processing, assembly and re-export businesses rather than local services. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Doing business in Georgia starts with one choice: do you register as an Individual Entrepreneur (IE) — a natural person doing business in their own name — or do you set up a company, most commonly a Limited Liability Company (LLC)? Both are registered through the National Agency of Public Registry, and in both cases registration counts as tax registration at the same time.

Once you are registered, you may qualify for a special status that lowers or simplifies your tax: an IE can apply for Small Business Status (1% turnover tax), and a company can apply for statuses such as International Company, Virtual Zone Person or others, depending on its activity.

Both routes → tax registration is automatic A status is optional and depends on your activity, turnover and eligibility. Registering a business is separate from your personal tax residency.

Which route fits whom

An Individual Entrepreneur (IE) is usually the best choice for people working on their own — freelancers, consultants, remote professionals, content creators and other self-employed individuals. It is the simplest and most cost-effective business structure, can be registered remotely, and is the only form eligible for Small Business Status, under which qualifying businesses are taxed at 1% of turnover up to the statutory threshold. The main trade-off is that an Individual Entrepreneur is personally liable for the obligations of the business.

A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is generally more suitable for businesses with partners, outside investors, higher growth plans or anyone wishing to separate personal and business liability. It is the most common company form in Georgia and does not require any minimum share capital. Certain preferential regimes, such as International Company Status and Virtual Zone Person Status, are available only to companies and are designed primarily for eligible IT and export-oriented businesses.

What to explore further

How to Register an Individual Entrepreneur Remotely — the IE route, step by step, including registration by Power of Attorney.
Registering a Company in Georgia — business forms, the LLC, capital, founders and the registration procedure.
Running a Company in Georgia — what happens after registration: directors, accounting, reporting and compliance.
Business Statuses in Georgia — the special tax statuses available to businesses, and who each one is for.

Use the guides above to find the business structure that suits you and follow the registration process for your situation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an Individual Entrepreneur and an LLC in Georgia?

An Individual Entrepreneur (IE) is a natural person registered to do business — it is simple and cheap to run, but you are personally liable for business debts. An LLC is a separate legal entity, so your liability is limited to the company's assets, and it suits partners, investors and larger operations. Registration of both is handled by the same authority and counts as tax registration at the same time.

Which one should I choose?

As a rule of thumb: choose an Individual Entrepreneur if you work alone (freelancer, consultant, small trader) and want the lowest cost and the option of Small Business Status with 1% turnover tax. Choose an LLC if you have partners, need limited liability, plan to raise investment, or want a status such as International Company or Virtual Zone that only companies can hold.

Can a foreigner register a business remotely?

Yes. An Individual Entrepreneur can be registered remotely through a Power of Attorney, and a company can also be set up by a representative acting under a Power of Attorney, without travelling to Georgia. See the detailed guides for the exact documents required.

Do I need a work permit to run my own business in Georgia?

Since the 2026 labour-migration reform, the 'right to work' can apply to economic activity for benefit, but several categories — including fully remote work for foreign clients — are exempt. Check the Right to Work guide for your situation before you rely on it.

Does registering a business make me a Georgian tax resident?

No. Registering an IE or a company is separate from personal tax residency, which depends mainly on days spent in Georgia or on High Net Worth Individual rules. A company is a Georgian taxpayer regardless of where you personally are resident.

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