Accredited valuation for a Georgian residence permit: process, time and cost

Why does the valuation decide the application?

A residence permit through property is granted on a number, and the number is not the price you paid. The aliens law asks for property whose market value exceeds $150,000 in its lari equivalent, and it names the only person who can establish that value: a certified assessor employed by a body that the Unified National Body of Accreditation has accredited. The agency compares the figure in that assessor's report with the threshold. A purchase contract, a developer's price list or a bank's loan valuation does not take its place.

That makes the valuation the step most applicants underestimate. It is quick and inexpensive compared with the purchase, but it is the document on which a yes or a no depends, and a report from the wrong kind of firm, about the wrong property or with a figure too close to the line can undo a year of planning. This guide covers the practical side: choosing the firm, what happens during the valuation, how long it takes, what to check in the report before you file it, and what to do if the figure comes in lower than you hoped. What counts towards the threshold, and how the dollar figure is converted, is explained in our guide to the $150,000 threshold.

Who is allowed to value the property?

Only an assessor certified within an accredited body. In Georgia, accreditation is granted by one public institution: the Unified National Body of Accreditation, known as the Accreditation Centre or GAC, a legal entity of public law under the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, founded in 2005. GAC is a full member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and a signatory of the European co-operation for Accreditation's multilateral agreement, which includes the accreditation of inspection bodies under the international standard ISO/IEC 17020. Valuation firms that work for residence permit applications are typically accredited in that inspection-body category.

Two practical consequences follow. First, a valuer's personal qualification is not enough on its own; the firm the valuer works for must hold the accreditation. Second, accreditation has a scope and a period. Before you commission a report, ask the firm for its accreditation certificate, check that real estate valuation is within the scope and that the certificate is current on the day the report will be issued, and confirm the details against GAC's own records.

How does the valuation work, step by step?

1. Make sure the property can be valued for the permit

   The property has to be registered in your name in the Public Registry and must not be agricultural land, including a homestead plot. An apartment that is still under construction and has no registered unit of its own cannot yet carry the permit.

   Before you call a valuer. Cost: the fee for a fresh extract.

2. Choose an accredited firm and get a written quote

   Ask two firms for their accreditation details, the price, the time to deliver and whether the report is addressed for a residence permit application. Agree all three in writing.

   A day of emails. The fee is set by each firm.

3. Send the documents the valuer asks for

   Usually the registry extract, the cadastral plan or floor plan, your passport and, for a new building, the commissioning documents. Send them before the visit so the report is not delayed.

   An hour. Most documents are already in your purchase file.

4. Arrange the inspection

   The valuer visits, measures, photographs and notes the condition, the finishing level and the building. Someone with keys must be there; it does not have to be you.

   One visit, usually under an hour.

5. Receive and read the draft

   Check the identification data, the figure and the date before the report is signed and issued. Corrections are easier before the final version exists.

   Commonly two or three working days after the visit, according to a Tbilisi firm.

6. File the signed report with the application

   The report goes into the application file as the document proving the market value, together with the extract and the other documents on the agency's list.

   On the day you apply; keep a scan and the original.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

The work itself is short. A Tbilisi real estate firm describes the usual valuation as taking two to three days, faster when urgent. In practice the timetable depends more on you than on the valuer: how quickly you send the documents, how soon someone can open the door, and whether the draft needs a correction. Allow a working week from the first call to the signed report, and start well before the last date on which you can file, which for a first application is at least 40 calendar days before your lawful stay ends.

The price is not set by any public tariff. Each accredited firm sets its own fee, and it usually depends on the type and size of the property, the city and the urgency. We do not publish a figure until we have quotes we can stand behind; ask for the fee in writing before the visit, and ask whether a second property valued at the same time costs less.

What should the report show before you file it?

The agency's list asks for a document proving the market value determined by a certified assessor of an accredited body. Read the report with that sentence in mind and check each line below before you file.

• The firm and the assessor are named With the firm's accreditation details and the assessor's signature or certification.
• The property matches the extract Cadastral code, address, area and the owner's name exactly as in the Public Registry.
• The value is a market value Not a liquidation value, an insurance value or a forced-sale value.
• The currency and the rate are clear A lari figure, and if a dollar figure is shown too, the rate and the date used.
• The report is dated and signed The valuation date and the issue date, both recent.
• The purpose is stated A report prepared for a residence permit application, not for a bank loan.
• Each property has its own figure If you rely on two properties, each is identified and valued separately.

Print this checklist

What if the value comes in below the threshold?

Then the property does not qualify on its own, and no argument about the price you paid changes that. You have three honest options. You can ask the firm to explain the figure and correct genuine errors, such as a wrong area or a missed parking space that is registered with the flat; a correction must rest on facts, not on the result you need. You can add a second non-agricultural property in your name, valued separately, if the total then exceeds the threshold. Or you can accept that this property does not carry the permit and plan another ground for your stay. Commissioning a second valuation from another firm in the hope of a higher figure is legal, but if the first figure was well below the line, a second one that lands just above it will be read critically.

The margin matters even when the figure is above the line. A report at $151,000 is a pass on paper, but it leaves no room for a different exchange rate or a correction. Our guide to the threshold works through an example in which the same lari value passes at one exchange rate and fails at another.

Is a bank's valuation the same thing?

Not necessarily. Banks commission valuations for their own purposes under the National Bank of Georgia's instruction on real estate valuation for commercial banks, in force since June 2018, which sets qualification and ethics requirements for the valuers banks use. A report written for a mortgage is addressed to the bank and serves the bank's assessment of collateral. It may come from an accredited firm and may even show a similar figure, but it is not automatically the document the residence permit procedure asks for. If you are buying with a Georgian mortgage, ask whether the same accredited firm can issue a separate report for the permit application at the same visit.

Will you need another valuation later?

Not for a renewal on the same property: the extension rule in Article 16(3) spares you a second report. You will need a new one if you apply on a different property, or if you apply for the investment permit on the ground of property worth more than $300,000. Keep the original report and a scan in your residence file; it is part of the record of how the permit was granted.

Risks and exceptions

• A firm without accreditation. A well-written report from a firm outside GAC's accreditation does not meet the legal requirement.
• A mismatch with the extract. A different area, a missing parking space or an outdated owner's name invites a request for clarification or a refusal.
• A figure at the edge. A value just above $150,000 can fall below it on a different exchange rate.
• Valuing the wrong thing. Homestead land counts as agricultural land and is excluded, even when it is valued.
• An old report. Until the lawyer confirms the agency's practice, file with a recent report rather than one from the purchase a year ago.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the valuation the developer gives me?

Only if it comes from a certified assessor of a GAC-accredited body and meets the agency's list. A developer's price list or marketing valuation is not that document.

Do I have to be present at the inspection?

No. Anyone with keys can let the valuer in, and the report is sent to you by email.

Is the valuation in dollars or in lari?

The law compares the market value with $150,000 in its lari equivalent. Ask the firm to state the lari value and, if it adds a dollar figure, the rate and date it used.

Can two properties be valued together?

Each property should be identified and valued separately in the report, so the agency can see what each contributes to the total.

Can I value an apartment that is not finished?

The permit rests on a property right to a registered property. An unfinished unit without its own registration cannot yet carry it.

Who pays for the valuation?

You do, as the applicant. The fee is agreed directly with the accredited firm.

The other documents for the application are listed in our document checklist, and the filing itself is described in applying step by step.

Sources

1. Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (Articles 15(j) and 16(3)), consolidated 25 June 2026, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 13 October 2026)
2. Migration and residence permits: documents for the short-term residence permit, Public Service Development Agency (accessed 13 October 2026)
3. ILAC welcomes GAC, Georgia, International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, 18 May 2022 (accessed 13 October 2026)
4. Property valuation process in Georgia, PB Services, 15 September 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
5. New regulation on real estate valuation, Property Georgia, 24 May 2018 (accessed 13 October 2026)

Change log

• 13 October 2026 - Guide published from Article 15(j) of the law, the agency's document list and GAC; being reviewed by the partner lawyer.