Buying property in Georgia as a foreigner

The short answer: yes, and with almost no restrictions. A foreign citizen buys an apartment, a house or commercial space on the same terms as a Georgian national — no citizenship, residence permit or local company required. There is exactly one prohibition, and it concerns agricultural land.

What you may buy without restriction

Apartments, houses, townhouses, commercial premises and non-agricultural land are open to foreign individuals and foreign companies on general terms. Ownership is registered in your name, and you may sell or gift the property as freely as any local owner.

There is no minimum transaction value, no holding period and no tax-residency requirement. Buying does not oblige you to live in the country and does not by itself create a tax liability in Georgia.

The one prohibition: agricultural land

Ownership of agricultural land by foreigners is barred at constitutional level. The ban covers not only individuals but also foreign legal entities and Georgian companies with foreign participation, so registering a firm is not a way around it.

Exceptions exist but are rare and require a separate government decision on strategic investment projects. The workable alternatives are a long-term lease of up to 49 years, or a right of build.

If you need a plot for a house, its designation can in principle be changed to non-agricultural. That is a decision of the authorities rather than an automatic procedure, and refusals are routine for good arable land. Acquiring agricultural land around the ban is grounds for confiscation, so the designation of a plot is checked before the deal, not after.

How the transaction works

The parties sign a sale contract, after which ownership is registered with the Public Registry — usually right at the Public Service Hall. Registration takes one to four working days: the faster the tariff, the higher the fee. You end up with an electronic extract from the registry, and that extract is your title document.

The deal can be done remotely under a power of attorney. Since 20 October 2023, however, a power of attorney issued abroad must be notarised — the registry no longer accepts a simple written form.

What the purchase costs

Georgia has no transfer tax and no stamp duty, so the buyer pays the state no percentage of the price. The costs are the notary tariff, charged as a sliding percentage of the transaction value, and the Public Registry fee for registration.

As an order of magnitude for the registry fee: around 157 GEL for four days, 270 GEL for the next working day and 350 GEL for same-day registration. Tariffs are revised from time to time, so confirm the current figures when you transact.

What the buyer needs

A passport. Everything else — the contract, the appraisal, a power of attorney if you are not coming in person — is arranged locally.