 Natelashvili was born in the town of Pasanauri, in the northern mountainous part of Georgia.He graduated from Tbilisi State University faculty of law, in 1981 and pursued his post-graduate degree at Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, majoring in international law.In 1981, he started his career at the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia as an investigator and was promoted to the position of Prosecutor and later to Head of Department for International Relations.