Fed up with working from home? Why not work from Georgia instead?

Fed up with working from home? Why not work from Georgia instead?
Your new office. Don't forget the laptop. / Paata Vardanashvili.
By bne IntelIiNews August 28, 2020

Getting fed up with working from home (WFH)? Feeling a bit jaded? Then why not switch to working from Georgia (WFG) instead?

A new programme, named Remotely from Georgia, allows foreign nationals to travel to and work from the singularly beautiful mountainous South Caucasus republic. WFG, as you might prefer to call it, commenced on August 27, with foreigners from 95 countries invited to give WFH the heave-ho in favour of a working sojourn at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.

Perhaps you have one of those jobs in which the boss never thinks to ask where you are exactly, so whether you tell them you’re no longer in the same country but are instead at a terrace café in Tbilisi, on a sun lounger by the Black Sea or in a mountain hut in the Meskheti Range of Ajaria is entirely up to you.

Best think up some handy excuses for the boss should they be likely to suddenly ask to see you.

Georgia, a small country of 3.7mn, is widely seen as having had a relatively good pandemic. By the end of August 28, its coronavirus (COVID-19) cases count stood at just 1,455 (up only eight cases on the day and ranking Georgia 150th on the world table) with 19 deaths. One imagines the Georgians don’t want to invite a virus spike, so not surprisingly anyone applying for WFG will have to start off with a mandatory 12-day hotel quarantine at their own expense. After quarantine, they will undergo PCR testing for the coronavirus, and if no signs of it are apparent, they will be able to remain in Georgia.

Replacing tourism, remittance revenues

Officials no doubt hope to replace some of the tourism and remittance revenues lost to the impact of the pandemic, so a few other conditions for applicants also need mentioning.

There must be an intention to stay for at least 180 days and as an applicant you should also be a freelancer, full-time employee or business owner able to stay in Georgia for at least 360 days without a visa per your passport or other travel document. Also, the applicant must prove that they have the financial ability to pay taxes while staying in Georgia and should have a minimum monthly salary of $2,000. Proof of valid health insurance for the entire length of stay must also be presented.

A citizen of a foreign country seeking to enter Georgia long-term must fill out a mandatory application form available at www.stopcov.ge and obtain a preliminary confirmation required for a border crossing. 

Click here to find a link to a Remotely from Georgia application form.

WFG applicants are invited from these 95 countries: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Albania, Androa, Antigua and Barbuda, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, New Zealand, Barbados, Bahrain, the Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Territories of the Kingdom of Denmark - Faroe Islands and Greenland, the United Kingdom, the Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Falkland Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Spain, Estonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Japan, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ireland, Iceland, State of Israel, Italy, Canada, State of Qatar, Cyprus, Colombia, Korea, Costa Rica, Latvia, Lithuania, Lebanon, Principality of Liechtenstein, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Mauritius, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands - Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, Kingdom of Norway, Sultanate of Oman, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian federation, Hellenic Republic, South Africa, San Marino, Kingdom of Saudi, Arabia, France, Territories of the French Republic - French Polynesia and New Caledonia, Seychelles, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Armenia, Kingdom of Thailand, Tajikistan, the United States, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Hungary, Finland, State of Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Kingdom of Sweden, Swiss Confederation, Czechia, Holy See, Croatia and Honduras. 

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