Citizenship and Residency in the Republic of Georgia

The Republic of Georgia is probably the last bastion of the free market in the world. I don’t know how long it will stay that way since people have a way of not appreciating a good system when they have it, and instead only want what they perceive as better elsewhere. But so far the Georgians haven’t screwed things up too bad.

Currently you can get a Georgian citizenship in around six months if you come from the right countries, and a legal residency in about one month. Prices are reasonable, and the cost of living in Georgia is very good. If you have some income from outside Georgia you can live very well for very little. And we are not talking about a third world hell hole. Everything works here, and it is only getting better.

If you wish to start a business, I believe Georgia is an ideal location. The Georgians themselves are new to the concept of free enterprise and entrepreneurial business. They do not entirely understand it. But they won’t stand in your way either. If you have a good or service that you know how to provide, and you price it right, you can make money here. I have already seen a lot of success stories from immigrants.

For information on citizenship, see: http://firstauthorityadvisors.com/why-you-need-a-second-passport/

For information on residency, see: http://firstauthorityadvisors.com/georgian-residency-and-relocation-program/

About fafc

The goal of the “Find a Free Country Project” is to research, explore and find a safe and secure free country outside the USA, that is not too large, has a relatively open immigration policy, has a friendly business climate, has a non-intrusive government committed to freedom, and then move to it.
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18 Responses to Citizenship and Residency in the Republic of Georgia

  1. Croatian Capitalist says:

    Sounds good, but it would be interesting to hear from somebody who actually (successfully) went through this process, since “if granting of citizenship is in the interest of Georgia” sounds vague, which mind you doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but I would still like to read/hear what the people who were granted citizenship through this provision actually did for Georgia to be granted citizenship, also it would be good to know which professions/qualifications fall under the “has a profession or qualifications which are of interest to Georgia” provision.

    • fafc says:

      It is intentionally vague so that they can do what the like, which is the point of the law. The President has complete discretion. Currently, the policy favors citizens of the USA, then Western Europe, then people from Eastern Europe and the CIS countries. There are certain nationalities that are simply not welcome (Iran, et al). We can chat about it if you like.

  2. Greg says:

    I’d love to hear more detail. E.g. you say “Everything works here, and it is only getting better.”

    I’ve been interested in Georgia as a place to invest for a few years. It has an almost-unique combination of poverty and freedom, making it a perfect investment in my opinion. The other country I put in the same category is Rwanda.

    • fafc says:

      When I say everything works here, I mean the things you would expect to work but often does not in other countries: electricity, public transit, roads, water, etc. As for poverty, I don’t really see so much of that. Housing can be a rather depressing issue if you don’t have much money, but the people have cloths, food, education, etc. I have never been to Rwanda, but I don’t think Georgia compares very well. This is a European country.

  3. Croatian Capitalist says:

    Well, in any case it’s nice to know that such options exist, but I will refrain from seriously considering Georgia as an emigration destination until they realise that joining the European Union is not a good idea.

    In regards to Rwanda, even though it has made much progress since the 1994 genocide, I still wouldn’t move there, because even ignoring the fact that the Tutsi-Hutu conflict could re-ignite at any moment and that I find it hard to believe that the common people would be very welcoming to European immigrants, the country is extremely poor and underdeveloped (the vast majority of people there don’t even have access to electricity), the murder rate is (or at least was in 2012) only slightly below Brazil’s, etc., and even if I choose to ignore that as well, I still wouldn’t move there for one very simple reason, namely it’s geographic location, it is surrounded on all sides by countries that are extremely poor and populous (just DR Congo has a population of over 80 million), so even if by some miracle it did manage become the African Switzerland, it would end up getting swamped by millions of illegals from neighboring countries and quickly revert back to third World status.

    • fafc says:

      Well I am enjoying Georgia, and I am in the process of obtaining my citizenship. I agree with you about the European Union. The Associate status is a good thing I think since it gives Georgia access to the European market without having to completely knuckle down to EU rules. But there is just so much money to be robbed from EU economic transfers I fear it will be too difficult for corrupt politicians to resist. But Georgia has improved its relations with Russia, the Chinese are coming with real money to invest, not bogus European money that generally goes to unproductive projects that tend to support corruption, and the people are beginning to realize that the USSA is just not going to be there for anyone so they must figure things out on their own. I like it here

  4. Croatian Capitalist says:

    I am glad that you like it in Georgia, and yes, I too think it’s good that Georgia has gotten access to the EU market, but EU membership would bring nothing good to Georgia (the few positive things that EU membership bestows can all be had without actually joining the EU), on the other hand it would bring many bad things to Georgia, namely it would lose control over it own borders and sovereignty in general, it couldn’t have it’s own visa policy anymore (Croatia had to introduce visa’s for Russians after joining the EU, so many Russian tourists who wanted to come here just went vacationing to Montenegro or Turkey instead), it would be forced to accept third World “refugees”, it would be forced to hold gay parades every year at the taxpayers expense, more bureaucracy and many stupid laws would be introduced, it couldn’t independently sign free trade agreements with other countries anymore, not to mention that EU (and NATO (since it’s hard to imagine them joining one without joining the other)) membership would pretty much ensure bad/horrible relations with Russia (and as I already mentioned before, it is easily within Russia’s grasp/ability to rile up the Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakheti and split Georgia in half, which would pretty much ensure failed state status for Georgia) etc., so until I read that the Georgians have decided that EU membership isn’t for them (or until the EUSSR collapses) I will not seriously consider Georgia as a place to move to, EU membership would pretty much nullify any advantage that Georgia currently holds over Estonia and the other better EU member states.

    • fafc says:

      Well I decided to choose between the lesser of many evils (and I don’t think Georgia is an evil). I agree with everything you say, but I have to find someplace to live. Georgia is the best balance of comfort, costs, business opportunity, personal liberty, etc. I like it. I don’t think they are going to be stupid and do anything that could bring the Russians again for a number of reasons, not the least of which is getting their asses kicked after losing a lot money from business with Russia, China, etc. Georgia prices itself on being a neutral crossroads between East and West. I hope they manage that balancing act.

  5. Croatian Capitalist says:

    I know, and I wish you luck in Georgia.

    Since I too need to find a place to live (I really can’t see myself staying in Croatia long-term, every year more idiotic socialist laws and bureaucracy is introduced, every year more and more smart (mostly young) people leave the country, over 90% of the people here still have a socialist mentality, etc., so if something doesn’t change for the better soon, things here will get very bad in 10-20 years), and since I would prefer to stay in Europe, rather than move to Asia, I do hope that the Georgians will prove themselves to be prudent people and stay out of the EU and focus on having good relationships with all of their neighbours (especially Russia) + China.

  6. Croatian Capitalist says:

    Visa requirements for Georgian citizens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Georgian_citizens

    I am surprised that Israel is the only first World country that Georgian citizens can travel to without a visa.

    • fafc says:

      no doubt you wouldn’t want to give up your home citizenship for Georgia, however, the “visa free” numbers are a bit misleading. Georgians find it very easy to get visas to travel to the USA and Europe, so although they are not given the “visa free” treatment, they don’t have huge problems either.

  7. Croatian Capitalist says:

    That is true, in this regard Croatia is much better than Georgia (there are only a few places that I could even theoretically see myself traveling to which aren’t visa-free or “visa on arrival” for Croatian citizens): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Croatian_citizens

    Besides, both Croatia and Georgia allow dual citizenship, so unless the Croatian government enacts some ultra-idiotic FATCA-type law, I see no reason to give-up my Croatian citizenship.

  8. Abel says:

    So, you create a website 1. without indicating a real name 2. without providing credentials / expertise on topics 3. get on the rant of freedom and how your country is bad (there are bad things about almost every country) just like several other such websites though they are trying to sell products / services perhaps that is the aim here – to give the appearance of different sources saying roughly the same things, and directing people to the site offering products / services

    And you would seem to stop if you have found the “one” country in which to get a new citizenship (albeit one that allows only one citizenship, thus logically / legally you would need to give up the other citizenship, in the eyes of the new citizenship country).

    • Abel says:

      …continuation…. if the country is Georgia, then under special circumstances you can retain existing citizenship. Gheee, if you hate your country so much, why do you keep your US citizenship?? guess it can;t be all that bad.

      By the way, are you the person owning/managing/leading the company First Authority Advisors LLC, which started , it seems by the blogposts, in October?? This corroborates your mention of arriving in Tbilisi in September 2015
      SO… you are wanting to sell products / services? …… it figures … all those blogposts seem , in my opinion, like an orchestrated set up , to push people to that service/product

      ok, so what “special person” are you that the President is granting you citizenship of Georgia?

      of course, even on that website First Authority Advisors LLC, there is no real persons’ names mentioned , which is another thing in common with this blog-site .
      Hmmmm, most professional firms are transparent about their Board, Operating Management, etc and proud to mention names and backgrounds to relay their expertise to give confidence to potential customers.

      Con-clusion: cannot recommend a blog or “business” which does not disclose names, expertise, etc

    • fafc says:

      I am sorry you disagree with me. I am not sure where. I suspect you don’t read very well either. Normally Georgia requires you to abandon your old citizenship, but under the expedited process you get to keep your old citizenship. A nice touch if you ask me. Take care, and keep churning out your random comments!

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