Expat's Life in Georgia

In this section, we explore what life is like in Georgia based on our friend's experiences who lived as an expat in the country for several years. Our friend Ronald, whose name changed for anonymity, explains how life has been like living in Georgia as an aspiring businessman. Now that he has finally settled and achieved business success, Ronald has decided to share his experience in the country with us. 

Ronald says there is perhaps no other country in the world that is as lush and natural as Georgia when it comes to living. It is surrounded by different terrain, climates, and culture from all sides. From Russia in the north to Turkey and the several Islamic countries in the south and east to the beautiful Black Sea along its western shores, Georgia has its own unique features that you won't see anywhere else in the world. 

Ronald was a successful businessman in Brazil but was tired of the country's constant heavy taxation on his businesses. While he still made a decent living with the taxes, they starved him from getting any form of profit margin for his business. This escalated more so when Covid-19 lockdown restrictions started getting imposed, and the economy started failing.

Even despite the failing economy, Brazil and many countries in the world did nothing to relax the tax regulations on the various businesses in their country. Ronald wanted to set his company up in a country where the corporate taxations and income taxes were low. In his search for a country like this, he found Georgia to be the perfect option for him. 

Georgia has almost no strict and heavily regulated tax regulations, and it is considered to be a tax haven for many business people around the world. The country, thus, offers various job and business opportunities to any business that originates from there.

It imposes no corporate tax on the businesses that are started there, which allows for seamless integration for any expat businessmen willing to take the risk of setting up a business there. The country is steadily being developed in its technology and cooperative aspects and is considered to be one of the leading countries in Europe right now for business organizations. 

There is no tax for your business on how much you can trade, whether it be import or export. There isn't even any VAT or any sort of customs that you will be liable to pay if you order items internationally. The only significant disadvantage about Georgia is that you are charged a major 5% tax charge every time you withdraw your money. 

However, this is easily offset with the straightforward Georgian banks offer you while obtaining a banking license for your business which streamlines your business transactions and legal procedures. 

When Ronald discovered all this for the first time, he was beyond impressed by what the country could offer him and his business. He immediately set up his move and obtained a Visa to live in Georgia. Because Georgia was one of the least affected countries during the pandemic, it was a relatively straightforward process. In no time, Ronald was in Georgia to set up his own new business there. 

The immigration part was quite straightforward and simple. While the most major details, like the passport and Visa, were handled by Ronald himself, the other details such as the immigration process, living procedures, and identification process, were handled by our corporate experts that eased the entire process out for him.

What's better about this country is that it has its own virtual zones for IT professionals and businesses. Ronald immediately took advantage of these zones and set up his own business in one of these zones to avail the various tax benefits offered by the government, namely - 

-No tax for revenue that is generated after selling products outside the borders of the country. 

-No tax for products that come from countries that apply customs on their products. 

-No tax for exporting products outside the country with the exception of 5% tax for the withdrawal of profit you get from the export. 

When Ronald set up his own company here, he immediately realized he had made the right choice. It is extremely easy to register your own company in Georgia, and the registration process is kept as simple and straightforward as possible. However, if you wish to start an LLC, you are required to have a joint-stock company backing your funding requirement. 

It is extremely easy to do so, and the country charges no limit on your upper cap. Additionally, you can also have a bank account in the country quite easily - even before you come to the land itself, if you wish. 

All these factors combined add to the growing popularity of Georgia as a great country to start your business. The business-friendly environment of Georgia has allowed IT companies to create their company in the country easily. The legislation of the country is in favor of the businesses. The procedure undertaken to open a business in the country is simple and takes only up to a day.

Ronald, who wanted to start an IT company specifically, has benefited a lot from the IT-friendly regulations and practices that are conducted in the country regarding businesses. The laws of the country itself support and assist new businesses to grow and have a chance of flourishing in the business world, which is precisely what Ronald was looking for. Within a day of your arrival, you can set up your own business and be ready to go - it is that simple. 

Ronald had to pay a registration fee of about 100 GEL (Georgia's currency) to access the business's registration form. He paid the fee off at a registered bank in Georgia, and you can do so even at any Registry around you. Ronald then submitted the form to a Registry along with the charter records of the company he wished to set up along with the fee receipt that acts as a proof of your payment fee. 

The legal address from where the business is being operated has to be submitted. In order to fill the process of starting the company, you need to provide documents that support your legal occupancy. In certain cases, other documents like ID might also be asked for.

Ronald also stated that he had to submit his legal address as well where he would be operating his business from. Along with the registration documents, Ronald also submitted various documents stating his occupation and line of work and several proofs of identity documents that confirmed his identity. Ronald's social life has been extremely amazing. When Ronald first came to the country, he was warmly greeted by the citizens and inhabitants all around the country. Georgians firmly believe in hospitality and make sure to treat every guest with the utmost entertainment and pleasure possible. 

After settling down peacefully in the country, Ronald's life consists of waking up at a reasonable time, working an hour 7-9 hour shift at his business, and then enjoying a walk across the country's beautiful landscape and streets while coming back home.

Ronald says that Georgians love their wine which makes sense considering the country is considered to be the origin of the wine. The average citizen in the country is hugely religious and believes in the Orthodox Church firmly. These spiritual, moral teachings have inspired the people to offer food and drink to every man who comes to their doorstep, and Ronald saw the same no matter where he went. 

The country's development is still in its developing stages, and that is what makes the country a worthwhile place to visit. According to Ronald, it might be the only place on the planet that preserves its antiquity and rich cultural history while introducing new technological reforms and revolutions that reflect their ideas of an ideal world.

The Georgian landscape is vast and lush with flora and fauna. All during his time there, Ronald has never been bored of exploring the country simply because there is so much to explore and do. A few expats simply travel to Georgia for the thrill of experiencing hiking, skiing, and climbing the beautiful terrain the country presents. 

The country villages are rich with history and religious history in the form of churches. Ronald regularly explores the various cave cities across the country. The vineyards of Georgia are famous across the world for creating some of the best wines on the planet. 

Even the technologically developed urban cities, even though still under development, present Europe's finest architecture in some of their buildings. This includes the various transparent police stations that are being created across the country - a sign that the country's government is completely transparent and clear. 

Ronald has seen minimal crime cases happen since his time here, with a crime rate that is lower than most of the countries in the world. This has only been possible because of the growing economy of the country, which is growing at a steady growth of 5%, thanks to the efforts of the government to support new businesses. 

Ronald truly feels that he is part of a country where the government actually cares for its citizens and looks after them from time to time. All in all, Georgia is one of the best countries in the world to live in as an expat, especially if you love nature and are looking to start your own business. 

The government accommodates all kinds of people who come into its borders. Our friend Ronald firmly agrees that an expat might need some time to get used to Georgia's various customs and traditions, but once that's done, they will come to love the country all on their own.

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