How long does the permit last, and what does renewal mean?
The residence permit you get through property is a short-term permit, and the law gives it a one-year rhythm. Article 16(1)(f) of the aliens law, formally the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, says the permit is issued and its validity may each time be extended for one year. There is no single long permit to wait for on this route: you hold a one-year permit, extend it, and extend it again, for as long as the ground for it exists.
The ground is ownership. The same article, and Article 21(11), say the permit ends when your right of ownership of the property ends. So renewal is not a new test of whether you deserve the permit; it is a yearly confirmation that the thing the permit rests on is still there. This page explains what that confirmation involves, when to start it, what you no longer need to provide, and the situations in which a renewal turns into a new application.
Do you need a new valuation every year?
No, as long as you keep the same property. Article 16(3) of the law exempts an alien who maintains ownership of the real property on which the short-term permit was issued from the obligation to submit a re-evaluation of its market value. In plain terms: the value was tested once, when the permit was first granted, and it is not tested again while the same property stays in your name.
This matters for two reasons. It saves the assessor's fee and the time of a visit every year. And it means a fall in property prices after you received the permit does not, by itself, put the renewal at risk. What would put it at risk is a change in ownership: a sale, a gift, a transfer to a company, or a court decision that takes the property away. Our guide to the $150,000 threshold covers how the value is set in the first place.
| Item | First application | Renewal, same property |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of ownership | Required | Required: the property must still be yours |
| Valuation by an accredited assessor | Required, above $150,000 | Not required (Article 16(3)) |
| Where you can be | In Georgia, in person or through a representative | In Georgia, or abroad by applying electronically |
| Term granted | One year | One more year each time |
| State fee to the agency | GEL 300, 450 or 600 | The same GEL 300, 450 or 600 |
| Decision period | Up to 30 days from a complete file | Up to 30 days from a complete file |
When should you start the renewal?
Start well before the current permit expires. The procedure order says a residence permit ends automatically when its validity runs out, so a renewal filed too late does not extend anything: it becomes a new application, and you may find yourself without a valid basis for staying while it is reviewed. The order also sets a deadline of at least 40 calendar days before the end of lawful stay for an application to issue a permit; the text is written for first applications, and whether the same 40 days apply to an extension is one of the points our partner lawyer is confirming.
The safe working rule is to treat the 40 days as applying to you as well. If your card expires on 15 March 2027, that means filing by 3 February 2027. Put the date in your calendar on the day you receive the card, together with a reminder a month earlier to check the documents.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm whether the 40-day rule of Resolution No 520, Article 3(4), applies to an extension of the short-term permit, and whether the agency publishes a separate document list for extensions.
How do you renew, step by step?
Check that nothing has changed
Get a fresh extract from the Public Registry and confirm the property is still registered to you, in the same form as when the permit was granted. If anything has changed, read the section on changes below before you do anything else.
Check every passport and stay document
A passport that expires within the coming year is a problem waiting to happen. Renew it first if needed, so that the new permit is tied to a valid document.
Fill in the application form
The extension uses the agency's application form, on paper or on its website, as the first application did.
Choose the speed and pay
GEL 300 for a decision by the 30th calendar day, GEL 450 by the 20th, GEL 600 by the 10th. Pay by card or transfer where you can, so that there is no paper receipt to keep track of.
File, in Georgia or from abroad
File in person or through a representative, or, if you are abroad, apply electronically through the agency's website. Filing online means a recorded video call with an agency official, with the paper set to follow within 10 days.
Answer requests and collect the decision
The agency may ask for additional documents. Once the extension is granted, the new term runs for one more year.
What about your spouse and children?
Family members hold permits on the owner's ground, so their permits follow the owner's. Each family member files with a copy of the owner's current permit, as the agency requires, so the owner's renewal comes first and the family's follow; keep everyone's dates in one calendar. If a child turns 18 during the permit, ask the lawyer before the next renewal how the change affects the child's ground; the details are in our page on family members and the residence permit.
What if something has changed since last year?
| Change | Effect on the renewal |
|---|---|
| The property's market value fell | No new valuation is required while you keep the same property, so the fall does not by itself block the renewal. |
| You sold or gave away the property | The permit ends when the ownership ends. There is nothing to renew; a new application needs a new ground. |
| You sold it and bought another property | The short-term permit has no replacement rule like the investment permit's. Treat the new property as a new application, with a new valuation above $150,000. |
| You transferred the property to your company | The company, not you, now owns it; the ground based on your own property right is gone. Ask the lawyer before any transfer. |
| You added a mortgage | Ownership stays with you, so the ground remains; the mortgage will be visible on the extract. |
| Your permit was granted under the $100,000 rule | According to our sources, you can keep renewing while you own the property that qualified you. Do not change that property without advice. |
The pattern behind the table is simple. The permit is about one property right that existed when it was granted. As long as that right continues, renewal is a formality. The moment it ends, the permit's ground ends with it, and no amount of other property changes that unless you apply again on a new basis.
Risks and exceptions
- Filing after the permit has expired. The permit ends automatically at the end of its validity; late filing turns a renewal into a new application.
- Changing the ownership mid-term. A sale, gift or transfer ends the permit and the family's permits with it.
- Relying on the replacement rule. Replacing the property keeps an investment permit alive, but the law has no equivalent for the short-term permit.
- An expired passport. Renewing the permit on a passport that is about to expire creates a second problem a few months later.
- Assuming the old rules. The protection for holders under the $100,000 rule is reported for those who keep their original property; it is not a general right to the old threshold.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a limit to how many times I can renew?
The law says the short-term permit may each time be extended for one year and does not set a number of renewals for this permit in the provisions we cite. Ask the lawyer about any overall limit before you plan a long stay on this ground alone.
Do I have to spend a minimum number of days in Georgia to renew?
The law does not set a minimum number of days for the short-term permit. Days in Georgia do matter for your tax position, which is a separate question.
Can my representative renew for me while I am abroad?
The order allows an application through a representative and also allows a holder who is abroad to apply for the extension electronically.
Will I get a new card?
The agency issues a residence card to a person who receives a permit. Ask at filing how the extended term is reflected on your card.
Can I switch to the investment permit at renewal?
Only by a separate application on that ground. If your property is worth more than $300,000, the investment permit offers five years instead of one; see our guide to the investment residence permit.
What happens if the renewal is refused?
You receive a written decision, which can be taken to court within 10 calendar days of service, and you can file a new application on the same ground no earlier than one month after the refusal.
For a renewal handled from start to finish, see our residence permit service. The first application is described in how to apply step by step, and the larger alternative in the investment residence permit guide.
Sources
- Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (Articles 15(j), 16 and 21), consolidated 25 June 2026, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Government Resolution No 520 on the procedures for residence permits (Articles 3, 13, 15 and 16), consolidated 26 August 2026, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Migration and residence permits: short-term residence permit, fees and terms, Public Service Development Agency (accessed 12 October 2026)
- Georgia to increase real estate investment threshold for residence permits, effective 1 March 2026, Erickson Immigration Group (accessed 11 October 2026)
Change log
- - Guide published from Articles 16 and 21 of the law and Resolution No 520; being reviewed by the partner lawyer.