Short-term residence permit on the basis of real estate
Buying property in Georgia can carry a residence permit. This one runs one year per grant, for foreign owners of non-agricultural property above a fixed value threshold.
The threshold is the part people get wrong. Since 1 March 2026 it is USD 150,000, up from USD 100,000. Deals completed and paid in full before that date still qualify at the old figure. The test is not the price you agreed but the market value certified by an appraiser accredited by the Unified National Accreditation Body, which can come in below what you paid.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Foreign buyers of residential or commercial property, plus spouse and minor children |
| Route family | Investment |
| Validity | 1 year |
| Stay per entry | Tied to the permit |
| Threshold | USD 150,000 equivalent in GEL, appraised market value (2026) |
| Renewal | 1 year at a time, while ownership continues |
| Settlement | Switch required. Never permanent on its own |
| PR clock | 10 years of continuous temporary residence |
| Citizenship clock | 10 years of residence |
| Family | Yes, spouse and minor children on the same property |
| Local employment | No. A separate right-to-work decision is needed since March 2026 |
| Tax headline | 5% on rental income; no capital gains tax after 2 years; property tax above a GEL 100,000 threshold (2026) |
| Processing | 10 to 30 days |
Application flow
- Complete the purchase and register title. Agricultural land does not qualify at any value.
- Commission an accredited valuation. Several properties may be combined to clear the threshold.
- Assemble title documents, the valuation, proof of payment and a source of funds trail through a Georgian bank.
- Add kinship documents for family, apostilled or consularised and notarised in Georgian.
- File with the Public Service Development Agency. Renew before expiry, because a sale ends the permit immediately.
Good fit
A buyer who already intended to own a flat in Tbilisi or Batumi and wants a year of status at a time without tying up USD 300,000. Someone who splits the year between Georgia and elsewhere and does not need work rights here.
Poor fit
Anyone who wants permanence, because this permit renews forever and never becomes permanent by itself. Anyone who needs to earn locally. Anyone buying agricultural land. And anyone whose purchase price clears USD 150,000 but whose appraised value does not.
Watchpoints
- The threshold rose 50 percent on 1 March 2026. The date that matters is completion and payment, not signature.
- Valuation is not purchase price. A flat bought for the equivalent of USD 130,000 can be valued below the line, and a file that fails valuation fails the permit.
- Selling ends the permit immediately. There is no period to regularise status and no retention right.
- The permit does not allow work. Even renting out the property and consulting for Georgian clients needs a separate permission, a fee and a recorded interview.
- Agricultural land never qualifies, at any value.
- It does not shorten the ten year clock. Property time counts as temporary residence and no more.
Sources
- Public Service Development Agency, residence permit categories and documents, checked 2026-10-22
- Law on Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, Article 15(j), checked 2026-10-22
- Legal.ge, report on the 50 percent threshold rise, secondary, checked 2026-10-22