A deal from start to finish in Georgia

A Georgian sale is short on paperwork compared with most countries in this course. There is no transfer tax, no compulsory notary and the registry can record a sale in a day. That speed is exactly why your checks matter: once the contract is registered, it is done. This lesson follows a resale, then an off-plan purchase, and works through the numbers.

Who does what

• The agency: listing agreement, registry check, marketing, viewings, offer, negotiation, coordination.
• The buyer’s lawyer (strongly advised for foreigners): checks the registry record, the contract and, off plan, the developer.
• The National Agency of Public Registry (NAPR), also reached through the House of Justice: registers the change of ownership and collects the fee.
• A notary, only when needed. A sale does not require one, but a remote buyer or seller usually signs through a notarised, apostilled power of attorney (ExpatHub; GeorgiaExpats).
• The bank, when the buyer has a mortgage or the deal is paid by transfer.
• The developer, on a new build: its own pre-purchase contract and payment plan.

A resale, step by step

1. Listing agreement. Written, with the commission, currency, who pays and when it is due (lesson 4).
2. Registry extract. Confirm the seller is the registered owner and read everything recorded against the property, before you advertise.
3. Offer and deposit. A deposit or reservation agreement usually holds the flat. Whether the money is refundable depends on the wording, so read it with the buyer before any money moves.
4. Client checks. Identify both sides and understand the buyer’s money (lesson 4).
5. Sale contract. Price, currency, payment method and date, handover date and who pays which cost. The contract can be signed at NAPR or the House of Justice (ExpatHub).
6. Registration at NAPR. The buyer becomes owner when the registry records the change of right.
7. Handover and commission. Keys, meter readings, and the seller pays the agency by bank transfer against an invoice.

Currency. Prices are usually agreed in USD, and many deals settle in USD, while adverts must show GEL (ISET Policy Institute; GeorgiaExpats). How a contract must state the currency is a point for the lawyer, since sources conflict.

Registration fees

The official NAPR fee for registering a change of property right depends on how fast you want it (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

Older guides still quote 50 to 200 GEL, which suggests the fees have gone up. Use the official page, and check it again before each deal.

Taxes on the deal

• No transfer tax and no stamp duty on a purchase (Georgiafy, August 2026; GeorgiaExpats, 2026).
• The seller’s gain. If an individual sells a residential property within 2 years of buying it, the gain is taxed at 5%. After more than 2 years, there is no tax. A commercial property sold within 2 years is taxed at 20% (Gegidze, June 2024; ExpatHub).
• Annual property tax for individuals depends on household income: below 40,000 GEL a year the owner is exempt, and above that the rate rises with income, up to 1%, set by the municipality (Georgiafy; ExpatHub). Sources give different bands, so tell clients to confirm with the Revenue Service.
• Rental income. An individual who registers residential letting pays 5% of gross rent. Otherwise the rate is 20% (Georgiafy; Gegidze).

Worked example 1: a resale in Saburtalo, seller owned it 18 months

A buyer pays 98,700 USD for a 75 m² flat in a newer building, at 1,316 USD per m², the December 2025 average for secondary new projects (Galt & Taggart). The seller bought it 18 months ago for 90,000 USD. The agency’s commission is 3%, paid by the seller. The tax is computed in lari in reality. We show USD to keep the example simple.

Item	Calculation	Amount
Transfer tax	None in Georgia	0
NAPR fee, standard	Fixed	150 GEL
Seller’s gain	98,700 - 90,000	8,700 USD
Tax on the gain (under 2 years)	8,700 x 5%	435 USD
Commission, seller	98,700 x 3%	2,961 USD

The buyer’s costs are tiny: the registry fee, a lawyer if they hire one and any translation or power of attorney. That is a strong selling point with foreign buyers.

Worked example 2: the same flat, seller owned it 3 years

Same price, but the seller has owned the flat for three years.

Item	Amount
Tax on the gain	0, held more than 2 years
Commission	2,961 USD

The seller saves 435 USD. Ask every seller when they bought, in the first meeting.

Off plan: the developer’s contract

On a new build, the buyer signs the developer’s pre-purchase agreement. Legal.ge (October 2026) explains that the buyer can be registered at NAPR as a future owner, and that full ownership follows completion and the building’s fitness-for-use document. Check that the contract provides for this registration, and that it happens.

How the money moves. SOVA (October 2026) and GeorgiaExpats (2026) describe the usual pattern:

• Developer instalment plans usually run 2 to 3 years, mostly in foreign currency, often interest-free.
• The deposit is often 10%, generally non-refundable, and down payments can now be as low as 0%.
• Many buyers refinance the balance with a bank mortgage at handover.
• Off-plan prices are often about 20% to 30% below finished units.
• Instalments are exempt from the National Bank’s payment-to-income caps and may not appear at the credit bureau. As an economist told SOVA, there is no regulation there.

There is no escrow law and no developer register (Legal.ge; SOVA). The contract and the developer’s track record are the buyer’s only protection.

Worked example 3: an off-plan flat in Batumi

A buyer reserves a 45 m² flat at 1,400 USD per m², close to the August 2026 new-build average of 1,386 USD (Business Media Georgia), so 63,000 USD. The developer offers 10% down and 24 interest-free monthly payments. These terms are an illustration. The contract decides.

Stage	Payment	Paid to date
Deposit, 10%	6,300 USD	6,300 USD
24 monthly instalments	2,362.50 USD each	63,000 USD after 24 months
Registration as owner after completion	NAPR fee	Ownership in the buyer’s name

On a new build, the developer usually pays the agency, and the buyer pays no fee (lesson 8).

Worked example 4: a buyer who wants residence

A buyer wants property-based residence. Since 1 March 2026 the threshold is 150,000 USD of market value under a certified appraisal, and several properties can be combined (Erickson Immigration Group, February 2026).

A 55 m² new flat in Vake at the December 2025 primary average of 2,781 USD per m² comes to about 152,955 USD. That looks enough, but only the appraisal counts, and an appraiser may value it lower. Tell the buyer to budget a margin above 150,000 USD, and that residence does not give the right to work (lesson 2).

Taxes, fees and rules change, so check the official source before you act. Practise with sales training and the money exercises.

This lesson is general information, not legal or tax advice.