Setting up in Georgia: no licence, a business and GNARE

In many countries of this course, lesson 3 is about getting a licence. Georgia has none. What you need instead is a legal way to be paid: a job with an agency, or a business of your own. This lesson explains the options, a tax point that catches many newcomers, the anti-money laundering position and the one association you will hear about, GNARE.

No licence, no supervisor

No source we read describes a licensing or registration regime for agents in Georgia. MONEYVAL’s reports of December 2023 and December 2024 say real estate agents are not obliged entities under the anti-money laundering law and that there is no supervisor for them. We found no 2024 to 2026 law or draft law that would create a licence.

That does not make the job rule-free. The rules sit elsewhere:

• Immigration law: the work permit for foreigners (lesson 2).
• Business and tax law: how you register and are taxed (this lesson).
• Consumer and currency rules: the GEL price rule for adverts (lesson 4).
• The Public Registry: what you can prove about a property (lessons 4 and 6).

Anti-money laundering: who is obliged

The Law on Facilitating the Suppression of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing was amended in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and still left agents out. MONEYVAL calls this a “moderate shortcoming”. To cover property risk, the National Agency of Public Registry (NAPR) itself was made an obliged entity (MONEYVAL, December 2024).

What that means for you. You have no legal duty to run customer due diligence, but the registry that records your client’s purchase does. We found no later amendment adding agents, but the law changes often, so check the current version before you rely on this. Lesson 4 explains why good agents run client checks anyway.

Three ways to work

1. Employee of an agency. The agency is your employer, pays you under its contract and, if you are a foreigner, applies for your work permit (lesson 2). This is the simplest start.

2. Individual Entrepreneur (IE). You register as an IE at the House of Justice or NAPR, and a tax ID is assigned automatically (Legalese, July 2026). Many freelancers work with agencies this way. A foreigner who works as an IE needs a work permit as a self-employed person (Legal.ge, February 2026). ExpatHub, a service provider, sells an IE registration package for 600 GEL including the state fee. That is a commercial price, not the official fee.

3. Limited Liability Company (LLC). The usual vehicle for an agency with staff, partners or a brand. Many Georgian agencies trade as an LLC, for example Tbilisi Property LLC or Home24 LLC. We did not verify LLC registration fees for this course, so ask the House of Justice or an accountant.

The 1% tax trap

Georgia is known for its Small Business Status (SBS) for individual entrepreneurs. Legalese (July 2026) describes it:

Annual turnover	Tax
Up to 500,000 GEL	1% of turnover
500,000 to 1,000,000 GEL	3% on the part above 500,000 GEL
Above 1,000,000 GEL	Status lost

But law firms report that real estate brokerage is excluded. Legalese lists residential real estate brokerage among the excluded activities. Gegidze, another firm, lists real estate agency or brokerage activities and says brokering property disqualifies you from the 1% regime. Andersen Georgia (September 2026) does not mention brokerage in its summary, but it excludes advisory services.

How to say it. “Two Georgian law firms report that property brokerage cannot use the 1% status, so plan on the standard tax regime and ask an accountant to confirm it against the Tax Code.” Do not build your business plan on 1% until an accountant has checked the current list of excluded activities.

GNARE: the voluntary association

The Georgian National Association of Real Estate (GNARE) was founded in April 2014. On its own site it says that:

• It is the only Georgian partner of the US National Association of REALTORS, and the only body allowed to use the REALTOR trademark in Georgia.
• It runs an agent certification course accredited by CEPI, at 750 GEL for members and 900 GEL for others, and publishes a list of certified agents.
• A course notice calls it the first stage of broker certification.

GNARE does not describe any state licence, and certification is voluntary. It is still worth having: with no licence, a certificate and a membership are among the few signals an employer or client can check. Members listed on its site include Alliance Group, Citybroker, Dream Homes, Elite Property, Hestia, Linova Real Estate, Bloomer Properties and Brix Estate.

We found no evidence of another national agents’ association, so treat any other “official” body with care until you can check it.

How to check an agency before you join

1. Registration. What is the legal name and form (LLC or IE), and who are the owners?
2. Work permit, if you are foreign: will the agency apply for it, and when? Do not start before it is granted.
3. Your status. Employee or freelancer on commission? If freelancer, who handles your IE and tax?
4. Commission. What share do you get, when is it paid, and what happens to deals that close after you leave?
5. Due diligence. Does the agency check registry extracts and developers before it advertises?
6. Associations. Is it a GNARE member? Not compulsory, but a good sign.

Opening your own agency

1. Choose your form: IE if you start alone, LLC if you will hire or partner.
2. If you are a foreigner, get your work permit as a self-employed person first, with a business plan.
3. Ask an accountant which tax regime applies, given the reported brokerage exclusion from SBS.
4. Write your commission agreement and your client check routine (lesson 4).
5. Advertise prices in GEL (lesson 4) and list on the portals (lesson 7).

Rules change, so check the official source before you act. Practise with sales training.

This lesson is general information, not legal or tax advice. CloserPass is not affiliated with GNARE, NAPR or any government body in Georgia.