The ways to move money for a purchase
For a property purchase, the question is not only what a transfer costs but whether it leaves a clean record from your account to the seller's. That record is what a notary, a registry, a later buyer and, if you apply for one, the residence-permit file will rely on.
| Route | Suits | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer (SWIFT) from your account | The price, instalments, large sums | Fees on both sides and possible correspondent charges |
| Transfer into your own Georgian account first | Instalments, rent, local costs | The account must be opened and approved first |
| Card payment or card withdrawal | Small costs, travel, deposits of modest size | Limits and conversion margins |
| Money transfer operator | Small personal amounts | Rarely suitable as the record of a purchase price |
| Cash carried across the border | Almost never for a purchase | Declaration above GEL 30,000, no paper trail, confiscation risk |
How an international bank transfer travels
A SWIFT transfer leaves your bank, may pass through one or more correspondent banks, and arrives at the Georgian bank that holds the receiving account. Each step can add time and, sometimes, a fee. When you send it, your bank will usually ask who pays the charges: you (often coded OUR), both sides (SHA) or the recipient (BEN). For a property price, choose the option under which the full amount arrives, because a seller or developer who receives a few dollars less than the contract states may treat the payment as incomplete.
Every transfer should name the person in the contract as the beneficiary, use the account number given in the contract, and carry a reference that ties it to the contract, such as its date and the property's cadastral code or unit number. Ask your bank for the transfer confirmation, sometimes called an MT103, which shows the date, amount, parties and reference; keep it with the contract.
Fees: who charges what
- Your home bank. An outgoing fee under its own tariff, often a percentage with a minimum and a maximum.
- Correspondent banks. A charge taken in transit, depending on the currency and the route, unless you chose to pay all charges yourself.
- The Georgian receiving bank. A fee for incoming international transfers under its tariff.
- Conversion. The difference between the bank's rate and the official rate, which is often larger than any listed fee.
For comparison on the Georgian side, the National Bank of Georgia publishes a tool that lists each bank's transfer fees. It shows, for example, that a standard outgoing dollar transfer at TBC Bank costs 0.2%, never less than $15 and never more than $150, while Silk Bank charges it at 0.2% with a minimum of 90 and a maximum of 400; Terabank's own tariff lists 0.2%, minimum 15 and maximum 500. Incoming fees and conversion rates vary in the same way, so check the tariff of the bank that will receive your money.
Limits: the legal ones and the practical ones
The one fixed threshold most buyers meet is at the border, not at the bank. Cash, cheques and securities worth more than GEL 30,000 in total must be declared to customs when you enter or leave Georgia, and undeclared amounts above that line can be confiscated under Article 169 of the Customs Code. There is no upper limit on what may be declared.
For bank transfers, the limits you are likely to meet are practical: the daily or per-transfer limits of your home bank's online banking, which can often be raised for a single large payment; your home bank's own checks on large outgoing transfers; and the Georgian bank's compliance review when the money arrives. Both banks are applying anti-money-laundering rules, and both may ask what the money is for and where it came from.
Sending the purchase money, step by step
Fix the route in the contract
The beneficiary, the bank, the account number and the currency, exactly as in the seller's or developer's details.
Tell your home bank in advance
Explain the purpose, send the contract if asked, and raise the transfer limit for the day.
Send a small test transfer
Confirm that it arrives, under which name and with what deductions.
Send the payment with a full reference
The contract date and the property's code or unit number, with charges set so that the full amount arrives.
Keep the confirmation
The transfer confirmation goes into the purchase file with the contract and the extract.
Confirm receipt in writing
Ask the seller, the developer or the escrow bank to confirm the amount received.
Paying a developer in instalments
An off-plan purchase turns one transfer into many. Each instalment should travel the same way: from the same account in your name, to the developer's account named in the contract, in the contract's currency, with a reference that gives the contract date, the unit number and the number of the instalment. Ask the developer for a written receipt for every payment and check it against your schedule. If an instalment is linked to a construction stage, send it only when that stage has been reached and confirmed. Paying from a Georgian account in your name usually makes the regular transfers cheaper and simpler than sending each one from abroad.
The paper trail to keep
- The contract and every annex. They name the amounts, the currency and the account.
- Each transfer confirmation. Date, amount, parties and reference.
- Your bank statements. They show the money leaving your account.
- Receipts from the seller or developer. They show it arriving.
- Conversion records. The rate and the amount, if you changed currency.
These papers answer the questions that come later: the value and price in a residence-permit file, the purchase price when you sell and the 5% tax on a gain is calculated, and any question from your own country's tax office.
When your home bank asks questions
Large transfers abroad are routine for banks but not automatic. Your bank may ask what the payment is for, who the recipient is and where the money came from. The quickest answer is the same file you gave the Georgian bank: the contract, a short note on the source of funds, and the recipient's details exactly as in the contract. Some banks are more cautious with certain countries; if yours hesitates, ask what document would settle the question rather than resending the transfer.
Where to convert the currency
Prices in Georgia are mostly quoted in dollars. If your savings are in another currency, you will convert once, either at home before sending or in Georgia after the money arrives. The cheaper side is the one with the smaller gap between the bank's rate and the official rate on the day, and that varies by bank and by currency, so ask both banks for the rate they would apply to the actual amount. For the payment of the price itself, sending the currency named in the contract avoids a second conversion and the risk that the amount received falls short.
Timing the money around the purchase
Money that arrives in Georgia too early sits idle and exposed to whatever happens to the deal; money that arrives late can delay the signing. The safer pattern is to have the funds in your own Georgian account, or in an escrow or a notary's deposit, shortly before the signing, and to release them to the seller only when the agreed condition, ideally your registration as owner, is met. The ways to hold the money until that moment are compared in our guide to safe payment.
Why not bring cash?
Because it solves nothing and creates three problems. Above GEL 30,000 it has to be declared at the border, and undeclared cash can be confiscated. It leaves no bank record, so the price you paid becomes harder to prove later, to a buyer, a tax office or a residence-permit file. And a bank that later receives the proceeds of a sale may ask how the flat was paid for in the first place.
Risks and exceptions
- A transfer that arrives short. Choose charges so the full amount lands.
- Details changed at the last minute. Confirm by phone with someone you know.
- Undeclared cash. Above GEL 30,000 it can be confiscated.
- Converting twice. Send the currency the contract names.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a limit on how much money I can send to Georgia?
The limits buyers usually meet are their own bank's transfer limits and both banks' compliance checks. At the border, cash above GEL 30,000 must be declared.
How long does an international transfer take?
Often within a few working days; longer if a correspondent bank or a compliance review holds it. Send a test first and allow time before the signing.
What do I write as the payment reference?
The contract's date and the property's cadastral code or unit number, so the payment can be matched to the deal.
Can I pay the seller in cash?
It is a poor idea: no record of the payment, a declaration above GEL 30,000 at the border, and questions later.
Should I convert before sending or after?
Wherever the bank's rate is closer to the official rate for your amount. For the price itself, send the contract's currency.
Who pays the transfer fees?
You choose when sending. For a purchase, choose so that the full amount arrives.
If you need an account in Georgia first, see opening a bank account as a non-resident.
Sources
- Tariff package comparison, National Bank of Georgia (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Service fees, Terabank (accessed 12 October 2026)
- How much cash can you bring into or take out of Georgia?, Madloba (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Customs seizes undeclared cash at Sarpi border crossing, Georgia Today (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Law of Georgia on Facilitating the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 12 October 2026)
Change log
- - Guide published from the NBG tariff comparison, bank tariffs, customs rules on cash and the AML law; being reviewed by the partner accountant.