Is there a retirement visa for Georgia?
No. Georgia has no residence permit designed for pensioners, and no permit that asks for proof of a pension. Retirees use the same routes as everyone else, and two of those routes happen to suit them well: the one-year visa-free stay, which lets citizens of many countries try Georgia without any paperwork, and the residence permit by property, which asks for an apartment worth more than $150,000 and nothing about income, age or the number of days you spend in the country.
This guide looks at those routes through a retiree's eyes: which permit fits, what happens to pension income, how healthcare works for a foreign resident, how a family can be included and what to arrange so that the property passes smoothly to the next generation.
The routes compared for retirees
| Route | Main condition | Length | For a retiree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa-free stay | Citizenship of a listed country; insurance | 1 year from entry | A trial year without commitments |
| Property permit | Property worth more than $150,000 | 1 year, renewed yearly | No income test and no minimum stay |
| Investment permit | Property or investment above $300,000 | 5 years | Fewer renewals for larger budgets |
| Family ground | A family member who holds a permit or is a citizen | Linked to that person | A spouse joins easily; a parent of an adult child does not |
| Permanent residence | Among other routes, 10 years on temporary permits | Indefinite | A long-term goal; see the note below |
Why the property permit suits retirees
Most residence routes test something a retiree may no longer have: a job, a business, a study place or a salary. The property permit tests only the property. The law sets no income requirement for it and no minimum number of days in Georgia, so a couple who spend the warm months by the sea in Batumi and the winter at home can keep the permit as long as they keep the apartment and renew it each year. The permit covers a spouse on the same ground. The full procedure, from the valuation to the card, is in our residence permit guide.
The yearly rhythm is worth planning for. Each renewal is filed at least 40 calendar days before the card runs out, and since the permit and the card last a year, the renewal becomes a fixed date in the calendar. For someone who prefers fewer visits to the Public Service Hall, the investment permit, which runs for five years, is the alternative for property worth more than $300,000.
Joining children who live in Georgia
A common plan is to retire near a son or daughter who already lives in Georgia. The law does not make that as simple as it sounds. Article 2 of the Aliens Law defines a family member as a spouse or a minor child, together with a few dependants; it counts the parent of a minor, but not the parent of an adult. A retired parent therefore cannot usually obtain a family permit on the ground of an adult child's permit, and needs a ground of their own. For most, that ground is a property of their own worth more than $150,000.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm whether a fully dependent parent of an adult permit holder can qualify as a dependant under Article 2, and which documents would prove dependency.
Your pension and Georgian tax
The permit and taxes are separate questions. Georgian tax residence depends on days: 183 days or more in Georgia within any unbroken 12-month period that ends in the tax year. A retiree who spends half the year in Georgia or more will usually be a Georgian tax resident, with or without a permit.
For residents, PwC's Worldwide Tax Summaries state that a Georgian tax resident pays no Georgian tax on income whose source lies outside Georgia. A pension paid from abroad would appear to fall into that category, which is why Georgia appears in so many retirement articles; our accountant is confirming the detail. Two cautions apply. Your home country may still tax the pension, either because it taxes pensions at source or because you remain resident there under its own rules; and the treaty between the two countries, if there is one, decides which country has priority. Rent from an apartment in Georgia remains Georgian income, taxed at 5% for residential letting. Our page on tax residency and residence permits explains the day count in detail.
To be added by the team: the partner accountant to confirm how state, occupational and private pensions paid from abroad are treated for a Georgian tax resident, and whether a Georgian tax residence certificate is usually accepted by pension payers abroad.
Healthcare: plan on insurance
Georgia's Universal Healthcare Programme, set by Government Resolution No 36 of 21 February 2013, is built for Georgian citizens; according to UNHCR it also applies to recognised stateless persons, refugees, people with humanitarian status and registered asylum seekers. Permanent residents gained access to the state maternal and child health programme from 1 January 2018, as the Public Defender noted. We have found no published rule that opens the universal programme to holders of a temporary permit such as the property permit.
In practice, a retiree on the property permit should plan on private health insurance from the first day, and keep it in force while living in Georgia. Since 1 January 2026, every visitor must hold health and accident insurance anyway, so the habit starts on the day of arrival. Check what a policy excludes for pre-existing conditions and from what age premiums rise, and keep a printed summary in English and Georgian for emergencies.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm whether holders of a temporary residence permit can join the Universal Healthcare Programme; the owner to add the insurers that our retired clients use and typical premium ranges by age, from real quotes.
Retiring to Georgia, step by step
Spend a trial season
Use the visa-free stay to live through at least one winter and one summer in the city you are considering.
Choose the home for the long term
Lifts, heating, distance to a clinic and a pharmacy, and the walk to the shops matter more at retirement than a sea view.
Buy and apply
With property worth more than $150,000, apply for the permit for you and your spouse at least 40 calendar days before your visa-free year ends.
Arrange money and insurance
Open a Georgian bank account, set up the pension transfer and keep private health insurance in force.
Plan for the next generation
Decide how the apartment should pass to your heirs and record it with a notary.
Leaving the apartment to your family
Property in Georgia passes under Georgian law, and a will made before a Georgian notary is the simplest way to make your wishes clear to the registry. On the tax side, Article 82 of the Tax Code exempts property received by inheritance or gift by heirs of the first and second line, which includes spouses, children and grandchildren, from income tax. Heirs further away are exempt up to GEL 150,000 a year. Your home country may have its own inheritance rules and taxes, so a will in Georgia should be read together with any will at home.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm which country's succession law applies to a foreign owner's Georgian apartment and how a foreign will is recognised by the Public Registry.
Risks and exceptions
- No health cover. Do not count on the state programme; keep private insurance in force.
- Relying on an adult child's permit. A parent of an adult is not a family member under Article 2.
- Missing the yearly renewal. The property permit lasts one year; long stays abroad make the date easy to forget.
- Selling before buying. A gap between two properties is a gap in the ground for your permit.
- Assuming the pension is tax-free everywhere. Georgia's treatment does not end obligations in your home country.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to show a pension or income for the property permit?
No. The property permit rests on the property; the law sets no income test for it.
Is there an age limit?
No. The residence rules set no maximum age.
Can I spend half the year abroad?
Yes, on the property permit, which has no minimum stay in the law. Remember that the days you spend in Georgia also decide your tax residence.
Can my spouse get a permit with me?
Yes. The property permit covers the owner's spouse, who applies on the owner's ground.
Can I get permanent residence later?
The general route counts 10 years on temporary permits. Whether years on the property permit count towards it is being checked by our lawyer; our page on permanent residence sets out every route.
What happens to my permit if I sell the apartment?
The property permit rests on the ownership, so it ends when the sale is registered. Plan any move to a new home so that the next property is registered first.
Will I get access to state healthcare?
Not as a holder of a temporary permit, as far as published rules show. Plan on private insurance.
Moving money for the purchase and the pension is covered in our guides on transferring money and opening a bank account.
Sources
- Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (Articles 2 and 15), Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated 25 June 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Georgia: taxes on personal income, PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, last reviewed 2 September 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Tax Code of Georgia (Articles 34, 81 and 82), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Healthcare in Georgia, UNHCR Georgia (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Public Defender establishes discrimination on grounds of nationality in a state health programme, Public Defender of Georgia, 13 April 2018 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Migration and residence permits, Public Service Development Agency (accessed 13 October 2026)
Change log
- - Guide published from the Aliens Law, the Tax Code, PwC, UNHCR and the Public Defender; being reviewed by the partner lawyer and accountant.