Buying property in Georgia as a foreigner

Georgia, the country with Tbilisi and Batumi, is one of the simplest places in the world for a foreigner to buy a flat. Apartments can be bought on the same terms as a Georgian, there is no transfer tax, and the Public Registry can record a sale the same day. The questions foreign buyers ask are about land, currency, off-plan risk and residence. Here is what an agent must be able to explain in October 2026.

The short version

1. Foreigners can buy apartments and non-agricultural property freely (GRATA International, September 2025).
2. Agricultural land is restricted to Georgian citizens and entities, with narrow exceptions.
3. Ownership is registered with the National Agency of Public Registry (NAPR), for 150 GEL in 4 working days, 270 GEL in 1 day or 350 GEL the same day.
4. There is no transfer tax and no stamp duty (Georgiafy; GeorgiaExpats).
5. A residential resale within 2 years is taxed at 5% of the gain, and after 2 years at 0% (Gegidze).
6. Prices are quoted in USD, but adverts must show GEL (ISET Policy Institute).
7. Property worth 150,000 USD or more can support temporary residence since 1 March 2026, but it does not give the right to work.

What foreigners can own

• Apartments, houses and commercial property on non-agricultural land: freely, on the same terms as locals (GRATA International).
• Agricultural land: restricted by the Constitution and the Law on Agricultural Land Ownership to Georgian citizens and entities. The exceptions are inheritance and Government-approved investment plans for foreign-owned Georgian companies (GRATA).

What it means for agents. Before you show a house with land or a plot outside a city, check the land category in the registry. A foreign buyer cannot simply buy farmland.

How a purchase works

1. Registry check. Get the NAPR extract and confirm the seller is the registered owner.
2. Deposit or reservation, with a written clause on refunds.
3. Sale contract, which can be signed at NAPR or the House of Justice. A notary is not required for every sale (ExpatHub; GeorgiaExpats).
4. Remote buyers usually sign through a notarised, apostilled power of attorney.
5. Registration at NAPR makes the buyer the owner.

Registration fees (napr.gov.ge, checked October 2026):

Service	Fee	Time
Standard	150 GEL	4 working days
Fast	270 GEL	1 working day
Same day	350 GEL	Same day

Some guides still quote 50 to 200 GEL. Use the official page.

Currency: USD prices, GEL adverts

• Since July 2017, businesses must advertise prices in GEL. Penalties start with a warning, then 1,000 GEL, then 5,000 GEL (ISET Policy Institute, February 2017).
• In practice, property is priced and often settled in USD. GeorgiaExpats (2026) says most Tbilisi deals are priced and settled in dollars. ExpatHub says GEL is the only legal tender and contracts state a USD equivalent.

Sources conflict on how foreign-currency settlement works today, so let the buyer’s lawyer and bank decide how the contract states the price and how the money moves.

Taxes for foreign owners

Tax	Rule	Source
Transfer tax or stamp duty	None	Georgiafy; GeorgiaExpats
Registration	NAPR fee from 150 GEL	napr.gov.ge
Gain on a residential resale	5% if sold within 2 years, 0% after more than 2 years	Gegidze; ExpatHub
Gain on a commercial resale	20% if sold within 2 years	Gegidze
Rental income	5% of gross rent for an individual who registers or opts in, otherwise 20%	Georgiafy; Gegidze
Annual property tax	Exempt if household income is below 40,000 GEL, then rising with income up to 1%, set by the municipality	Georgiafy; ExpatHub

Sources give different property tax bands, so tell buyers to confirm with the Revenue Service.

Worked example: a flat in Batumi, held for an investor

A foreign buyer pays 90,000 USD for a turnkey flat, rents it out and sells it 3 years later for 100,000 USD. We show USD for simplicity. Taxes are computed in lari in reality.

Item	Amount
Transfer tax on purchase	0
NAPR fee, standard	150 GEL
Rent: 600 USD a month for 12 months, registered at 5%	7,200 x 5% = 360 USD a year
Tax on the gain, held more than 2 years	0

Had the buyer sold within 2 years, the 10,000 USD gain would have been taxed at 5%: 500 USD. The rent figure is an assumption for the example.

Off-plan purchases

Most new flats are sold off plan. A buyer can be registered at NAPR as a future owner under the developer’s pre-purchase agreement, and full ownership follows completion and the fitness-for-use document (Legal.ge, October 2026). There is no escrow law and no developer register, and deposits are often non-refundable. See How off-plan works in Georgia.

Residence through property

• Temporary residence by property: since 1 March 2026, from 150,000 USD of market value, up from 100,000 USD. Valuation is by certified appraisal, and several properties can be combined. Existing holders can keep renewing under the old rules while they keep the property (Erickson Immigration Group, February 2026).
• Investment residence: from 300,000 USD, which can include real estate valued by an auditor. Issued for 5 years, then convertible to permanent residence (Legal.ge, October 2026).

Neither is a work permit. Since 1 March 2026, foreigners need a separate work permit to work, including self-employment (Legal.ge, February 2026). Whether investment residence holders are exempt is still debated among law firms.

Where foreigners buy

• Batumi: foreigners bought 52% of flats in 2025, with Israelis at 13% of all sales. The average turnkey price was 1,865 USD per m², Old Batumi above 3,000 USD and the periphery below 1,500 USD. Gross yield was 7.4% (Investor.ge, April 2026). In August 2026 foreign buyers were again 52% (Business Media Georgia).
• Tbilisi: about 90% of buyers are Georgian, then 4% Israeli and 2% Russian (Colliers, via Commersant, December 2025). The primary white frame average was 1,373 USD per m² in December 2025, from about 1,038 USD in Gldani to 2,781 USD in Vake, with a gross yield of 8.6% (Galt & Taggart).

What an agent should say on day one

• “You can own this flat outright, like a Georgian.”
• “There is no transfer tax. Registration costs 150 to 350 GEL depending on speed.”
• “If you sell within two years, you pay 5% on the gain.”
• “The price is in dollars, but the advert must show lari.”
• “Residence needs 150,000 USD under an appraisal, and it does not let you work here.”
• “Off plan, read the deposit clause with a lawyer before you pay.”

Georgia lets foreigners buy apartments freely, restricts agricultural land and charges no transfer tax. This guide was checked on the date shown above. It is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. CloserPass is not affiliated with NAPR or any government body in Georgia.

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