Employment and labor laws vary from country to country. This guide is intended to provide the most up to date information available. We will update this guide as needed when changes are made to the laws.
Employment Contracts
Employers are legally required to provide formal written contracts for all employees that include salary/wage, termination terms, job title, etc. The contracts must be written in Georgian and use the Georgian Lari currency (GEL).
Working Hours
The standard working week in Georgia consists of 40 hours a week, typically 8 hours a day for a five-day working week. The working week can be increased to 48 hours a week in specific sectors.
Overtime
A limit of 2 hours per day, 4 hours overtime per week, paid at a rate of 125% salary, or compensated with additional time off.
Public Holidays
Public holidays that fall on the weekend are usually lost.
For the year 2024:
- Jan 1: Monday – New Year’s Day
- Jan 2: Tuesday – New Year’s Holiday
- Jan 7: Sunday – Orthodox Christmas Day
- Jan 19: Friday – Orthodox Epiphany
- Mar 3: Sunday – Mother’s Day
- Mar 8: Friday – International Women’s Day
- Apr 9: Tuesday – Independence Restoration Day
- May 3: Friday – Orthodox Good Friday
- May 6: Monday – Orthodox Easter Monday
- May 9: Thursday – Victory Day
- May 12: Sunday – St Andrew’s Day
- May 26: Sunday – Independence Day
- Aug 28: Wednesday – Day of the Assumption of Mary
- Oct 14: Monday – Svetitskhovloba
- Nov 23: Saturday – St George’s Day
Annual Leave (vacation)
The annual leave entitlement for a full-time employee is 24 working days per year.
Workers in hazardous roles might be eligible for an additional 10 paid calendar days off per year.
Upon the completion of 11 months of service within a single organization, workers are eligible to take a further 15 days of unpaid vacation leave.
Carryover of unused days is permitted into the next year (but not longer than 2 consecutive years) if it is deemed that allowing workers to use the full leave entitlement within the current year will have a negative impact on the business. Worker’s consent must be given before proceeding with this.
Sick Days
The employer is obligated to pay regular salary for temporary incapacity up to a period of 40 consecutive calendar days or a total incapacity period not exceeding 60 calendar days per 6-month period.
A sickness certificate is required from day 1 from an authorized medical physician in order to receive payment during leave.
Maternity and Paternity
Maternity Leave
Mothers are entitled to 126 days of pregnancy and childbirth leave or 143 days in case of complications or the birth of twins. Employees receive 100% of their daily wage (up to a total of 2,000 GEL).
They also receive 604 days of additional maternity leave.
Paternity Leave
In Georgia, Paternity leave is the same as Parental leave.
Paternal Leave
Fifty-seven days can be taken from an employee’s maternity leave and be put towards childcare leave. This can be used by either the mother or father.
Upon the employee’s request, the employer may grant an employee an additional two weeks’ leave per year to care for a child under 5 years old.
Other Leave
Depending on the Collective Agreement/Employment Contract terms, an employee may be allowed additional leave types, upon approval of the employer and employee, for the following:
- Adopter’s leave: a person who adopts a child under the age of 10 is entitled to paid leave based on the employee’s average salary.
- Childcare leave: a mother or father can take paid leave (pay is equal to the minimum wage) and varies based on the age of the child:
- Up to 2 children under the age of 14 – 3 days of leave
- Three or more children under the age of 14- 6 days of leave
- Care Leave: For parents with a disabled child- the mother or father can take off an additional day of work each month until the child reaches the age of 18. This leave is also compensated based on the minimum wage.
Employee Severance and Terminations
Termination Process
Employment agreements can be terminated for a number of reasons including change in economic circumstances, organizational changes requiring downsizing, role incompatibility of an employee’s qualifications or professional skills, long-term incapacity for work, other objective circumstances justifying the termination of an employment agreement.
Notice Period
The notice period for both an employer and employee is 30 calendar days. No notice is required during the probation period.
Notice must be given in writing.
Severance Pay
An employee is entitled to at least one or two month’s salary as severance pay upon dismissal; the exact rate of pay will depend on the termination reasoning.
Probation Period
The probationary period in Georgia should be stipulated within the employment agreement and must not exceed six months.
Payroll Cycle
The payroll cycle in Georgia is generally monthly, and payments must be made on the same day of the month and no later than the last working day of the month.
In Georgia, the national minimum wage is dependent on the employer contract/collective bargaining agreement in place. There is no statutory requirement for the federal minimum wage.
13th Salary
In Georgia, a 13th-month salary is not mandatory. However, the employer can pay bonuses at their discretion.
Contributions
Employer Payroll Contributions
VISA
Individuals from 98 countries can enter Georgia without a visa for one year; however, those who want to remain longer, and work must obtain an immigration visa.
For work purposes, people need to obtain a Type D visa for Immigration. There are also options for short-terms or long-term visas; the most requested visa includes the C and D type visa.
Foreign nationals traveling to Georgia on business typically use the C Visa unless they are visa exempt. Business visitors are generally permitted to stay in Georgia for up to 90 days in any 180 days, depending on their nationality.
The C3 or D1 visa categories are suitable for short-term work, depending on the nature and duration of the planned activities in Georgia.
For broader/longer-term work activities, the D1 visa can be combined with a Work/Residence permit and secured in the country. The permit is generally issued for one year initially. However, exceptions are made based on employment contracts or assignment letters with longer validity, at the discretion of the State Service Development Agency. The permit can be extended for up to six years, after which the foreign national may qualify for permanent residence.
VAT
The standard rate of VAT in Georgia is 18.00%.