How do you hire a Georgian employee in 2026?
A trial period in Georgia is allowed once per worker, must be agreed in writing, and runs no longer than 6 months. Miss that single window and you cannot test the hire again. Set the term before the contract is signed.
· Georgia guide
Illustration · Tbilisi, Georgia
The Georgia hire has five steps. Offer letter, work-authorisation check, written employment agreement, pension enrolment, first payday.
Every worker needs a signed written agreement. A trial period is optional. If you use one, agree it in writing and keep it to 6 months or less. You only get one trial per person.
Both the employer and the worker pay 2% of gross salary into the funded pension. The standard week is 40 hours. Paid leave is 24 days a year.
Georgia has no statutory minimum wage worth planning around. The private-sector rate is GEL 20/month, set in 1999 and never raised. You set the real salary in the agreement.
What does the end-to-end Georgia hire process look like?
Five steps take you from accepted offer to first payslip. Offer letter, work-authorisation check, written agreement, pension enrolment, first payday.
The written agreement is the binding document. A Georgian citizen can start fast. A foreign national needs the right permit first.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, gross salary, start date, working hours, and any trial-period terms | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Work-authorisation check | Confirm Georgian citizenship or a valid residence and work permit for foreign nationals before the start date | Teamed | Before the employee starts |
| 3. Written employment agreement | Signed written agreement covering all terms under the Labour Code of Georgia | Teamed (legal employer) | On or before day one |
| 4. Pension and registration | Enrol the worker in the mandatory funded pension; collect tax and bank details for payroll | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued; income tax withheld and pension contributions remitted; salary paid at least once a month | Teamed | End of first payroll month |
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Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, gross salary in lari, start date, the standard working week, and any trial period of up to 6 months.
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Complete the work-authorisation check
Confirm Georgian citizenship by collecting a national ID copy, or verify the residence and work permit for a foreign national before the start date. Retain copies of all documents.
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Issue the written employment agreement
The signed written agreement must be in place on or before day one. Teamed's standard Georgia agreement covers the Labour Code of Georgia. Clients choose commercial terms; Teamed signs as the legal employer.
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Enrol in pension and register
Enrol the worker in the mandatory funded pension and collect tax and bank details. The employer and the worker each contribute 2% of gross salary. This runs across days one to seven.
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Issue the first payslip and file deductions
Run the first payroll at the end of the first calendar month. Withhold income tax, remit the pension contributions, and pay salary at least once a month. The employee receives their payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must a Georgia offer letter include?
The offer letter is not the binding contract. It is the document the candidate decides against.
Include role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, working location, the standard 40 hours week, and any trial period of up to 6 months.
Three traps to avoid in Georgian offer letters:
- Leaving the trial period vague. A trial period can run up to 6 months and may be used only once per worker. It must be agreed in writing. An offer that mentions a trial without stating the length or the written-agreement requirement creates disputes later.
- Quoting a salary near the old minimum. The 1999 private-sector minimum of GEL 20/month sits far below any real market rate. State the actual gross salary the role pays, in Georgian lari, so there is no gap when the agreement is signed.
- Implying a 13th-month bonus. Georgian law mandates no 13th or 14th salary. Describing an annual bonus as standard can turn it into a contractual expectation. Mark any variable pay as discretionary.
Teamed's standard Georgia offer letter covers all required ground and aligns with the Labour Code of Georgia. Clients choose the commercial elements. Teamed holds the legal-employer position and issues the final written agreement.
Georgia work-authorisation checks for foreign national employees
Georgian citizens can start work without a permit. Foreign nationals need a residence permit with the right to work before their first day.
Georgia runs a relatively open immigration regime, but the work-authorisation step still has to be completed before the start date.
Georgian citizens
There is no separate work-authorisation check for Georgian citizens. The employer keeps a copy of the national ID card as a standard identity record. Citizens can be onboarded within a few business days once the offer is accepted.
Foreign nationals
Most foreign nationals can enter Georgia visa-free for up to a year, but the right to live and work long term runs through a residence permit. A work residence permit is the usual route for someone taking up local employment. It is applied for at the Public Service Development Agency, and the employer typically supports the application with proof of the role and the salary.
The application asks for the employment agreement or a confirmed offer, identity documents, and proof of the employer's standing in Georgia. Processing times vary, so allow several weeks for a new permit. Short assignments may use a different permit category, so check the route before the offer goes out.
The Labour Code of Georgia governs the employment relationship, including the written agreement requirement, trial periods, working time, leave, notice, and severance. Every employer must comply with it from the first day of employment.
Source: Legislative Herald of Georgia: Labour Code of Georgia
Ongoing permit renewals
Work residence permits in Georgia are time-limited. Employers track expiry dates and start the renewal well before the deadline. Teamed monitors each permit and alerts the employee and client ahead of the renewal date so no lapse occurs.
The Georgia written employment agreement: what must it contain?
Georgia requires a written employment agreement for any working relationship expected to last more than three months.
The agreement should be signed before or on the first day. It is the binding document. The offer letter is not.
What a Georgia written employment agreement should cover under the Labour Code of Georgia:
- Names of the employer and the employee
- Start date and, for a fixed term, the end date
- Job title or a description of the work
- Place of work
- Working hours, against the standard 40 hours week
- The form and amount of remuneration, since the law leaves pay to the agreement itself
- Pay interval, paid at least once a month
- Paid annual leave of at least 24 days a year
- Trial-period terms, if any, up to 6 months and used only once per worker
- Notice terms for ending the agreement
- The mandatory funded pension, with 2% withheld from the worker and 2% paid by the employer
Georgia has no single codified statement like the UK Section 1 statement or Germany's Nachweisgesetz. The requirement is that a written agreement exists and carries the substantive terms above. Note that the law sets no employer-paid sick pay, so any sick-leave benefit is a matter for the agreement. Teamed's standard Georgia agreement satisfies the Labour Code of Georgia. Clients choose commercial terms; Teamed signs as the legal employer.
Key source: Labour Code of Georgia via the Legislative Herald of Georgia.
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7 cover the signed agreement, pension enrolment, tax registration, and bank details for payroll.
Teamed handles the statutory registrations. The client handles the operational side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Written employment agreement signed | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Work-authorisation check completed | Teamed | Day 0 (before start for foreign nationals) |
| Personal tax and identity details collected | Employee submits to Teamed | Day 1 |
| Mandatory funded pension enrolment | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Bank account details collected for payroll | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Trial-period terms confirmed in writing, if used | Client and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle Georgia employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Georgia for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
The Labour Code of Georgia, income tax withholding, and the funded pension all run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Georgia hires, from the first offer letter through every monthly payroll and pension remittance. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. EOR fits your first Georgia hires, until it isn't the cheaper model. A Georgia contractor who converts to direct employment keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see when your Georgia hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Georgia hiring overview; each guide here takes one layer of Georgian employment law.
Key sources: Labour Code of Georgia, Tax Code of Georgia, Article 81(1), and the Law of Georgia on Funded Pension.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire someone in Georgia through Teamed?
Teamed can onboard a Georgian citizen within a few business days once the offer is accepted. The written agreement must be signed on or before day one. Pension enrolment and tax registration happen in the first week. A foreign national who needs a residence and work permit must have it in place before the start date, which adds lead time depending on the permit category and the queue at the Public Service Development Agency.
What is the trial period in Georgia and how long can it run?
A trial period in Georgia is optional, but if you use one it must be agreed in writing and can run no longer than 6 months. Crucially, it can be used only once per worker. There is no second trial and no extension beyond the cap. If you want to test a hire, document the trial in the agreement before day one.
Does Georgia have a minimum wage I need to plan around?
Not in any practical sense. The private-sector minimum wage is GEL 20/month, set by a 1999 Presidential Decree and never updated, so it sits far below any real market salary. You set the actual gross pay in the employment agreement, since the Labour Code leaves the form and amount of remuneration to the parties.
What pension contributions apply to a Georgia hire?
Georgia runs a mandatory funded pension. The employer pays 2% of gross salary and the employee pays 2%, withheld at payroll. The State adds a co-contribution on top, scaled by income band. Personal income is taxed at a flat 20%, withheld by the employer at source.
What leave and working-time rules apply to a Georgia employee?
The standard working week is 40 hours. Paid annual leave is at least 24 days a year, with a further block of unpaid leave available. Note that Georgian law sets no employer-paid sick pay, so any paid sick leave is a matter for the employment agreement rather than the Labour Code.
Georgia gives you one trial period per worker, and it has to be in writing before they start. Companies that rely on a verbal understanding lose the option entirely. Once the agreement is signed without a documented trial, you cannot add one later. Get it on paper before day one.
In Georgia you get a single trial period per worker, in writing, capped at six months. There is no second attempt once it is used.
The employer and the worker each pay 2 percent of gross salary into the funded pension. Salary lands at least once a month.
The agreement must exist on day one. The pension and tax setup follow inside the first week.
