What to know before you go
Georgia has no ordinary Medicaid expansion — it has Pathways, with an 80-hour rule
CriticalInstead of expanding Medicaid, Georgia runs Pathways to Coverage: adults aged 19 to 64 with household income up to 100% of the federal poverty level can enrol, but must complete at least 80 hours a month of qualifying activity — work, study, training or approved volunteering — and report it, to keep coverage. No other state in this app conditions coverage this way. If your income is low, understand the reporting obligation before you rely on it.
Georgia left HealthCare.gov — use Georgia Access
CriticalGeorgia Access went live on 1 November 2024 as the state's own exchange, replacing the federal marketplace. Open enrolment for 2026 opened on 31 October 2025. Any guide, broker or bookmark pointing you at HealthCare.gov for a Georgia plan is describing a system the state no longer uses.
Thirty days, and your foreign licence comes back to you
CriticalGeorgia requires a licence within 30 days of becoming a resident — and residency is triggered by accepting employment or enrolling children in school, not by a waiting period. Georgia has reciprocal agreements with some nations whose drivers skip testing; everyone else takes the written, road and vision tests. Usefully, non-citizens are allowed to keep their out-of-country licence after being issued a Georgia one, unlike Illinois which confiscates.
A flat 4.99% state tax and no city income tax
CriticalGeorgia replaced its progressive brackets with a single flat rate, currently 4.99% and legislated to keep stepping down. Atlanta levies no city income tax. Combined with a relatively low cost of living, this is one of the friendlier tax positions among large US cities — and materially better than New York, California or Massachusetts.
Apply for your Social Security number about ten days after arriving
CriticalSSA verifies your status against DHS records that lag entry by one to two weeks, so an immediate visit usually wastes the trip. Only work-authorised people qualify; everyone else files IRS Form W-7 for an ITIN. The card is free.
You will need a car, and the traffic is genuinely among the worst in America
ImportantMARTA's two rail lines are useful along their axes and irrelevant to most of the metro. Atlanta consistently ranks among the most congested US cities, and the Connector at peak is legendarily bad. Choose where you live by commute, drive it at the real hour before signing, and treat 'inside the Perimeter' as a meaningful quality-of-life goal if you can afford it.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.