Starting a business in Georgia
REVERA Georgia advises clients on incorporation, establishment and structuring of a company in Georgia:
- registration of LLC, individual entrepreneur
- obtaining the status of an international company
- obtaining virtual zone resident status
- support for opening accounts
Steps to start a business
Company registration
- Pursuant to the general rule, it takes 1-2 days.
- The most common type of business entity is a limited liability company.
- There can be 1 participant.
- It is required to have a registered office address and its confirmation from the owner of the premises.
- There are no requirements to the minimum capital and to the terms of its contribution.
Registration of a sole proprietor (an individual entrepreneur)
- It takes 1 day.
- It is required to have a local registration address and its confirmation from the owner of the premises.
- To register a sole proprietorship, only a passport is required.
Opening a bank account
It is the most complicated procedure, uncertain in terms of time and the set of documents necessary to submit to the bank.
- The term for a sole proprietor can take several days.
- The term for LLC goes on case-by-case basis.
In addition to the questionnaire, the bank documents on the company’s turnover in other jurisdictions, list of counterparties, service contracts with companies, office lease, lists and copies of employees’ passports as well as other documents may be required.
Check with the lawyers immediately before starting the procedure for details.
Registration as an international company
An international company is a Georgian legal entity, which provides certain types of services abroad and receives income solely from this activity (it is allowed to receive less than 2% of income from other activities).
Requirements:
- A minimum of 2-year experience in IT sphere in certain types of activities
- Ensure that the company has a real presence in Georgia
Benefits:
- International company is exempt from income and profit tax on dividend distribution.
- Income tax on salaries of employees of an international company is reduced from 20% to 5%.
- Exempt from property tax (excluding land tax) if the property is to be used or used for an approved for an international company activity.
- 5% is corporate income tax, payable on profit distribution.
- 2% is a pension fund tax on resident employees.
For more details on the status of international company, see our material below.
Obtaining the status of a person in the virtual zone
A virtual zone person status can be granted to a company registered in Georgia and engaged in IT activities (research, maintenance, development, design, production and implementation of computer information systems resulting in the creation of software products).
Profit taxes and VAT:
- If information technologies were created on the territory of Georgia and were sold abroad.
- Profit tax — 0%, VAT — 0%
- If the work is done for a Georgian client, including the Georgian branch of a foreign company.
- Profit tax — 15%, VAT — 18%
- Other taxes:
- 5% — dividend tax
- 20% — income tax on employees
- 2% — tax to the pension fund from the resident employees
For more information on the status of the person of the virtual zone, see our material below.
We will be happy to accompany you every stage of the way
Projects
Gurtam
Consulting on issues of doing business in Georgia: developing a strategy for entering the market, determining the legal model of construction business, consulting on special legal regimes.
IT company with offices in 17 countries worldwide
Legal support was needed for the company's entry into the new jurisdictions, including Georgia, Cyprus, Poland, and Kazakhstan. Assistance to new R&D centers on corporate and tax issues. The opinions on special regimes for IT businesses in Kazakhstan (Astana Hub), Russia (Skolkovo, Innopolis), and the UAE (free zones) have been provided to enable the company to be successfull in new market entry.
Railway logistics operator
REVERA helped the client to choose a jurisdiction for business expansion and potential redomiciliation from Lithuania.The project required analysis of labour, tax, customs and corporate aspects.
Leader of the confectionery industry from the global TOP-10
Assisting the client in comprehensive counterparty analysis when setting up foreign trade activities in the Caucasus region.
Corporate structure for international IT-holding
REVERA was responsible for optimising the corporate structure and selecting the most efficient cooperation between the client's groups of companies in the USA, the Netherlands and Georgia. The project required expertise in international corporate law and taxation.
Global Travel Brand
Advising an international tour operator on the formats of presence and the algorithm of launching a business in Georgia with a focus on tax and labor issues.
A mobile game publisher from Latvia
Supporting the opening of a branch office for a Latvian publisher of mobile games in Georgia. Consulting on the contractual arrangements of the client's business, office lease agreement and special regimes in Georgia.
International software developer
Consulting on the possibilities of conducting company's business in Georgia. Supporting legalization of the company's employees in Georgia, consulting on tax issues, reviewing and analyzing employee contracts. Organization of a legal "helpdesk" for the company's employees.
International GameDev Studio
Consulting project on development of a multi-jurisdictional business restructuring scheme with inclusion of Georgia as an R&D center. Creation of contractual bundling of business within the group of companies. consulting on application of preferential tax regimes and attraction of foreign counterparties.
Large mobile application developer
Consulting a mobile application development company whose products are at the top of the download list in the USA and Europe. Support in opening a company, hiring employees and obtaining a status allowing the use of special preferential regimes in Georgia
International holding for distribution of IT products
Consulting on establishment of a representative office in Georgia, taking into account the structure of contractual relations and the nature of the client's transactions
IT startup enters the Georgian market
Supported entry into the Georgian market: determination of the legal model for building a business and selection of a special legal regime. Assisted in settling relations with a Belarusian company and a Swiss video game publisher on the development and use of a map for a video game.
Marketing automation software developer
Supporting the client in building cooperation between offices in several jurisdictions: corporate legal, migration, labor and contractual aspects.
International GameDev Group
Advising on the change of director for the company's branch in Armenia. The project involved close co-operation with the management of the parent company in Sweden and the elaboration of a strategy for the implementation of this procedure, as its mechanics were not stipulated in the statutory documents.
Startup packaging to attract investments
Choosing a jurisdiction for the creation of a startup and its further participation in the accelerator programme. The project included a comparative analysis of preferential regimes for IT-business in Georgia, Armenia and Cyprus. The process of establishing a company and obtaining the status of a virtual zone in Georgia was accomplished by the lawyers of REVERA in two days.
Investor in the mobile app industry
Choosing a suitable jurisdiction for the parent company of a holding company with subsidiaries in several countries and developing a corporate structure that meets the client's long-term business goals. The client considered Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, Hong Kong and Georgia as options. The key factors analysed were the tax burden on the parent company, the cost of maintaining the parent company and its subsidiaries, and the convenience of opening bank accounts.
SAP-ecosystem consulting company
Turnkey support of company registration in Georgia in a remote format for a large developer of SAP projects from Germany.
Payment system for fuel cards
Assisting businesses in choosing the right jurisdiction to expand their international presence, as well as supporting them in incorporating and obtaining the status of an ‘international company’ in Georgia.
Major distributor of cosmetics and household chemicals from the CIS
Formalising the presence of a well-known CIS cosmetics brand in the Georgian market, including corporate, labour law and options issues.
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