Why are residence permit applications refused?
Most applications for a Georgian residence permit by property are granted, and most of those that fail do so for reasons that could have been seen in advance: a valuation that does not meet the rule, a title that does not match the applicant, a deadline missed by a few days, a document without its apostille. A smaller group of refusals rests on grounds the applicant cannot see at all, because they come from the security services. This guide separates the two, explains the legal grounds the agency relies on, and sets out what to do before you file and after a refusal.
The rules come from two texts. The Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons sets out, in Article 18, the grounds on which a permit may be refused. Government Resolution No 520 sets the procedure: how to file, which documents count, when the agency may ask for more and when it may leave an application unexamined. Both are in force as consolidated in 2026, and our partner lawyer is reviewing this page against their current text.
The legal grounds for a refusal
Article 18(1) of the law allows the agency to refuse a permit on any of the following grounds. The plain-language column is ours; the legal wording is longer.
| Ground | What it means in practice | Can the applicant prevent it? |
|---|---|---|
| State security or public safety | An authorised body concludes that your stay is inadvisable for security reasons | Rarely; it rests on information you do not see |
| The ground no longer exists | The property was sold, or the basis of the application has gone | Yes, by keeping the ground in place until the decision |
| Activity threatening security or public order | Conduct in Georgia that the authorities treat as a threat | Rarely, as above |
| Serious crimes and criminal proceedings | Crimes against peace and humanity, convictions or a pending prosecution | Disclose honestly; concealment is a separate ground |
| Listed infectious diseases | Diseases on the health ministry's list | Not by the file itself |
| Forged or invalid documents | A document that is false, expired or not properly legalised | Yes, by checking every document before filing |
| False or concealed information | Wrong data on the form, or a material fact left out | Yes, by answering fully and consistently |
| Requirements of Article 15 not met | For property: value not above $150,000, wrong type of property, title not in your name | Yes, this is where good preparation pays |
The list also covers a failure to cooperate with the commission that checks marriages in family applications. For a property owner the last three rows matter most, because they cover almost every refusal that a careful applicant can avoid.
The avoidable reasons, one by one
The valuation does not meet the rule
The law requires a market value above $150,000, set by a certified valuer who works for an accredited inspection body. A report from an unaccredited valuer, a figure of exactly $150,000, or a report that values a different unit from the one in the registry will not carry the application. Check the assessor's accreditation and the cadastral code on the report before you pay the fee; our page on accredited valuation shows what the report should contain.
The title does not match the applicant
The agency compares the owner named in the public registry with the person applying. A property held by a company you own, bought through a nominee, or still registered to the developer under an unregistered contract is not a property in your name. Agricultural land does not qualify at all. Joint ownership needs particular care, because the file has to show whose right supports which application.
The lawful stay ran out
Resolution No 520 requires the application to be filed at least 40 calendar days before your lawful stay ends. An application filed later than that, or after the visa-free year or the previous permit has already expired, starts from a weak position. Count the days from your entry stamp or the end date on your card, not from memory.
Documents in the wrong form
Foreign documents need a certified Georgian translation and, unless a treaty says otherwise, an apostille or legalisation. A passport with data in Latin script is accepted without translation; most other papers are not. A birth or marriage certificate without its apostille is a common reason for a family member's file to stall.
Procedural slips
After an online filing, the paper documents must reach the agency within 10 days of registration, or the application may be left unexamined. The agency may also ask for further documents at any stage and may summon the applicant; not appearing without a good reason has the same effect. Neither is a refusal on the merits, but both cost the time you planned for.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm which of these situations the agency treats as a refusal under Article 18 and which as an application left unexamined, and the consequences of each for the applicant's lawful stay.
Refusals on security grounds
A separate group of refusals cites the first or third ground of Article 18: that your stay is inadvisable for state security or public safety, or that your activity threatens them. In practice such decisions follow an opinion from the counter-intelligence department of the State Security Service, and the applicant does not see the material behind it. The decision itself may say little more than the article number.
These decisions have been challenged. In 2017 the Public Defender found one such refusal unreasoned and recommended that the agency cancel it and issue a new, substantiated decision, noting that confidential material does not remove the duty to justify an administrative act. The Georgian Young Lawyers' Association has reported court cases in which judges found the security opinion unsubstantiated and overturned the refusal. None of this makes the outcome predictable, but it does mean that a security refusal is not necessarily the end of the matter.
How to reduce the risk before you file
Read the registry extract first
Check that you are the registered owner, that the cadastral code matches the property you bought and that the land is not agricultural.
Check the valuer and the figure
Confirm the assessor's accreditation and that the market value is clearly above $150,000, not at it.
Set the filing date from your deadline
Work back 40 calendar days from the end of your lawful stay and file before that date, not on it.
Prepare documents in their final form
Translations certified, apostilles attached, names spelled the same way on every document.
Answer every question fully
Disclose earlier refusals, other citizenships and any criminal record. A complete answer can be explained; a concealed one is a ground in itself.
What to do after a refusal
You have two routes, and they can be weighed against each other.
- A new application. Article 19 of the law lets you apply again on the same ground once at least a month has passed since the refusal. This is the better route when the reason was in the file: a weak valuation, a missing apostille, a title that has since been registered.
- A court appeal. Decisions of the agency under the law are not appealed to a higher administrative body; they go to court. Article 21-2 of the law sets 10 calendar days from the day the decision is served. Resolution No 520 mentions one month, but the shorter deadline in the law is the one to plan around. An appeal is the better route when you believe the agency was wrong on the facts or the law, or when the refusal rests on security grounds with no reasons given.
| Question | New application | Court appeal |
|---|---|---|
| When | No earlier than 1 month after the refusal | Within 10 calendar days of service |
| Best when | The problem was in the file and can be fixed | The decision itself is wrong or unreasoned |
| Cost | A new state fee | Court and lawyer's costs |
| Your stay meanwhile | Depends on your remaining lawful stay | Ask the lawyer before relying on it |
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm how the 10-day period in Article 21-2 of the law relates to the one month in Article 17 of Resolution No 520, and whether a pending appeal or a new application extends the applicant's lawful stay.
Risks and exceptions
- Filing at the last moment. Less than 40 calendar days before your stay ends leaves no room for a request for more documents.
- A value at the threshold. The law asks for more than $150,000; a report at exactly that figure does not meet it.
- Reading the appeal deadline too generously. The law gives 10 calendar days from service; waiting a month can lose the appeal.
- Refiling the same file. A new application without fixing the reason usually meets the same answer.
Frequently asked questions
Will the refusal tell me the reason?
It cites the legal ground. For file problems that is usually enough to see what went wrong; for security grounds the decision may say very little, which is one reason such refusals are challenged in court.
How soon can I apply again?
No earlier than one month after the refusal, on the same ground, under Article 19 of the law.
Do I get the fee back after a refusal?
Plan on paying the state fee again for a new application. The agency's published fee list does not describe refunds after a refusal, so do not count on one.
Can a refusal affect my family's applications?
Family members apply on the ground of the main applicant's permit, so a refusal of the main application leaves their applications without a basis.
Can I stay in Georgia after a refusal?
Only as long as you have another lawful basis, such as the remainder of a visa-free year. Ask the lawyer straight away so you know your exact date.
The full application route, from the deadline to the card, is set out in our guide on applying step by step.
Sources
- Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (Articles 18, 19 and 21-2), Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated 25 June 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Government Resolution No 520 on the procedure for residence permits, Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated 26 August 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Public Defender requests cancellation of decision on residence permit and issue of new substantiated act, Public Defender of Georgia, 18 August 2017 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- GYLA calls on the Public Service Development Agency to review its residence permit practice, Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Migration and residence permits: documents and fees, Public Service Development Agency (accessed 13 October 2026)
Change log
- - Guide published from Articles 18, 19 and 21-2 of the Aliens Law, Resolution No 520, the Public Defender and GYLA; being reviewed by the partner lawyer.