Georgia: serving expat buyers, documents and client checks

Many of the people who look at Georgia do not live there. They live in Poland, elsewhere in the EU or further away, may hold a different citizenship from the country they live in, and speak Russian, Polish or English rather than Georgian. For an agent this changes the paperwork more than the property. This briefing lists what to collect and check, and marks where we could not confirm a rule from a primary source.

The cross-border buyer in practice

Three facts usually decide how smooth the deal is: where the buyer lives, which passport they hold, and where the money comes from. A buyer who lives in Warsaw, holds a non-EU passport and pays from a bank in a third country is a different case from a Georgian citizen living abroad. Ask these three questions in the first conversation, before showing properties.

Identity and capacity

• A copy of the passport, and a second document where the contract or the bank asks for one.
• If the buyer is a company or buys through one, the registration documents, the people who own and control it, and who signs for it.
• If someone signs for the buyer, a power of attorney. A law firm that follows Georgian practice reports that a power of attorney issued abroad has had to be notarised as a public deed since October 2023, and that an apostille is normally needed: check the current rule with a Georgian lawyer, see this step-by-step guide.
• A translation of any foreign document into Georgian or English where the registry or the notary asks for it.

Source of funds and bank questions

Most deals are paid through a Georgian bank. Some sources note that banks may ask additional questions about the source of funds, including for buyers from certain countries, and advise opening the account before a deposit is paid (one example is this buyer FAQ). Treat this as a practical warning, not as a rule.

What helps, lawfully:

• Ask the buyer for evidence of where the money comes from early: salary and tax records, a sale contract, a savings history, an inheritance document.
• Tell the buyer which bank will receive the funds and ask them to open the account first.
• Keep the file in one place so the bank, the notary or the registry can be answered quickly.
• Never suggest splitting a payment or routing it through a third party to avoid a question. If a bank declines, the buyer should talk to a lawyer.

Status and the residence route

Buying a home in Georgia does not by itself give residence. A separate temporary residence route exists for owners of non-agricultural property above a value threshold. From 1 March 2026 the threshold is USD 150,000 (it was USD 100,000), the value is the market value set by an accredited appraiser rather than the price paid, and several properties may be combined to reach it; permit holders under the older threshold may keep renewing (see this note). One practice guide also describes a USD 300,000 investment route (source), which we could not confirm elsewhere. Agricultural land does not qualify. Owning property does not lead to citizenship on its own.

For an agent the practical rule is simple: do not promise residence. Say which threshold applies, say that an appraisal is needed, and send the buyer to a Georgian immigration lawyer for the decision.

When the buyer is a company

A buyer that is a company brings a second layer: the entity's registration documents from the country where it is registered, proof of who owns and controls it, who is authorised to sign, and a translation where needed. Ask early why the company is buying, because the answer affects both the compliance file and the tax treatment, and do not treat a company as a way around a question you would ask an individual.

Language and records

Check that the buyer understands the contract in the language of the signature. Give a translated summary if the contract is in Georgian, and say that the translation is a convenience. Keep a copy of every document you collected and note the date; a file that can be handed to a bank or a regulator within a day is worth more than a perfect file that takes a week.

Property-side checks

• Order an extract from the National Agency of Public Registry showing the owner, boundaries and any mortgage or lien, before any money moves.
• Foreigners generally cannot own agricultural land directly, so check the land category of any plot.
• Confirm that the person signing for the seller is the owner or has a valid authority to sell.

Screening and anti-money-laundering

Georgia has an anti-money-laundering law and a Financial Monitoring Service. A compliance-vendor overview lists real estate and property developers among the businesses covered, but it does not give thresholds or the exact duties, so confirm your own obligations with a lawyer or with the Service. Separately, an agent who works with partners or buyers in the EU, the UK or the US may be bound by those jurisdictions' sanctions rules as well. A sensible baseline for any cross-border file:

• Identify the buyer and, for a company, the people behind it.
• Check names against the sanctions lists that apply to you and to your partners.
• Ask whether the buyer or a close relative holds a prominent public position.
• Record the source of funds and keep the records.
• Escalate unusual requests instead of handling them informally.

Working with D.H. Realting

D.H. Realting is a trilingual (Russian, English and Polish) overseas-property platform that introduces buyers, including expats living in Poland, the EU and elsewhere, to property abroad and supports the process. Agencies in Georgia that handle the deal locally and would like to be introduced to such buyers can contact us through our partners page. Terms are discussed individually.

This briefing is for information only and is not legal, tax or compliance advice. Rules change; confirm with a local lawyer and the competent authority before acting.