Family reunification and spouse residence permits in Georgia

Family reunification permit

The family reunification permit is in Article 15(c) of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (the Aliens Law). It is for family members of a foreigner who holds a Georgian residence permit. We call that foreigner the sponsor below.

Conditions

• The sponsor's own permit must have more than 6 months left when you apply (Ordinance No 389 of 27 August 2025).
• You must show income. The Public Service Development Agency (PSDA, the agency that issues permits) lists bank funds of twice the subsistence minimum per month.
• You must be in Georgia lawfully when you apply, and not on an ordinary C visa.
• Family documents from abroad, such as marriage and birth certificates, need an apostille or legalisation and a certified Georgian translation.

Validity

Since 1 October 2025 the first permit is issued for 6 months to 1 year. It can be extended up to 12 years in total (Art. 16). File at least 40 calendar days before your lawful stay ends, and no earlier than 90 days before the permit expires.

The D4 visa is the matching immigration visa for family reunification.

When you may not need it

Some permits already cover the holder's family. The investment permit covers the spouse, minor children and dependants. The short-term property permit covers the spouse and children. The IT permit covers family members. Check the sponsor's permit type first; a separate family permit may not be needed.

Fee

Spouse of a Georgian citizen (from 1 September 2026)

Law 1803 created a new permit in Art. 15(g1). It replaced the direct permanent residence that spouses of citizens used to receive.

How long it lasts

• First issued for 1 year.
• Extended by 2 years at a time, up to 5 years in total.
• After 5 years, if the marriage continues, you can get a permanent residence permit (Art. 16(1)(d1), 15(g)).

The interagency commission

An interagency commission reviews every application. It is made up of the Interior Ministry, the State Security Service and PSDA (Art. 16¹). It can:

• interview the spouses separately and together;
• visit and inspect your home;
• send a suspected sham marriage to investigators. Review of the application is then suspended until the investigation ends.

Refusing to cooperate with the commission is a ground to refuse the permit (Art. 18(1)(g1)). A sham marriage is also a ground to end a permit already issued (Art. 21(1)).

Review time and fees

The 90-day review is three times the usual 30 days (Ordinance No 416 of 26 August 2026). Plan your lawful stay around it.

Children and parents of Georgian citizens

The September 2026 change affected spouses only. A minor child of a Georgian citizen, and a parent of a minor Georgian citizen, can still apply for permanent residence directly (Art. 15(g)). See permanent residence in Georgia.

Working on a family permit

Neither the family reunification permit nor the spouse permit gives a right to work by itself. Since 1 March 2026, a family member who takes a job or runs a business in Georgia needs the right to work from the State Employment Support Agency, unless an exemption applies. See the Georgian work permit.

Citizenship for spouses

A spouse of a Georgian citizen with 5 years of continuous lawful residence can apply for simplified naturalisation, after passing the language, history and law tests. Georgia generally requires new citizens to give up their other citizenship. See Georgian citizenship.