Property in Georgia for a foreigner: what you can buy and what the constitution forbids

Georgia is one of the simplest markets for a foreign buyer of any on this list. No permissions are required, there is no limit on the number of properties, and registration takes a day. Exactly one restriction is material — and it is written at the very top.

What is permitted

• An apartment in a block — unrestricted, to an individual of any nationality.
• A house with a non-agricultural plot — permitted.
• Commercial premises, an office, an aparthotel — permitted.
• Non-agricultural land — permitted, including development plots inside city limits.

Neither residency, nor a local partner, nor an agency permission is needed. The buyer's citizenship is irrelevant.

What is not

Agricultural land is unavailable to foreigners — the prohibition is fixed at constitutional level and confirmed by a separate law. This is not a bureaucratic procedure you can work through: the category of the land settles the question entirely.

• The plot's category is checked against the register extract, not against the seller's word and not against what currently stands on it.
• Converting land out of the agricultural category is a separate procedure with its own outcome, and it cannot be assumed at purchase.
• A scheme through a Georgian company in relation to agricultural land is an area where practice has changed; relying on it as a dependable workaround is unwise.

How a transaction works

Registering title in Georgia is a rare case of genuinely fast bureaucracy. The contract is executed at the House of Justice and filed there, and the entry appears in the Public Register within one working day at the ordinary tariff; expedited registration carries a separate fee and is done the same day.

• The Public Register extract is the main verification document: owner, encumbrances, mortgage, seizures, land category.
• The contract is in Georgian with a notarised translation if the parties do not speak the language; signature in person or by power of attorney.
• Settlement through a bank; cash settlement on a large transaction complicates both proving the source of funds and the later sale.

What is asked about less often than it should be

• The building's status. In Tbilisi and Batumi some blocks were handed over in stages, and a "white frame" without an occupancy certificate is a common product. It is legal, but it is not a finished apartment.
• Seismicity and build quality. The region is seismic, and the construction boom of recent years produced very uneven execution even in neighbouring buildings.
• Who manages the building. The management company institution is less developed than in Dubai or Europe; a nominal monthly charge often means the service is nominal too.