How do Georgia and Turkiye compare for a foreign buyer?
Georgia and Turkiye (Turkey) share a Black Sea coast, and many buyers view Batumi and Antalya on one trip. The rules behind a purchase differ on almost every line.
| Criterion | Georgia | Turkiye |
|---|---|---|
| Who may buy | Foreigners as citizens do; farmland reserved for citizens | Citizens of countries named by the President, within area caps and outside security zones |
| Transfer charge | No transfer tax; registration GEL 150 | Title deed fee 2% from buyer + 2% from seller |
| VAT on a new flat | 18%, only from a VAT-registered seller in business; usually in the price | Exempt for a non-resident paying in foreign currency; otherwise 1%, 10% or 20% |
| Residence | More than USD 150,000 (1 year); more than USD 300,000 (5 years) | At least USD 200,000; the home may not be let |
| Citizenship | 10 years' residence, with tests | Directly, for USD 400,000 kept 3 years |
| Rent tax | 5% of gross | Progressive, 15% to 40% |
| Resale gain | Exempt after more than 2 years | Exempt after 5 years |
| Inflation | 5.6% (September 2026) | 29.77% (October 2026) |
Neither column wins every row. The sections below give the source and the detail behind each line.
Who may buy, and where?
In Georgia, foreigners buy homes and commercial property on the same terms as citizens; only agricultural land is reserved for Georgians. Turkiye's Title Deed Law No 2644, Article 35, as rewritten in 2012 and amended in 2018, allows purchases by citizens of countries determined by the President, replacing the old reciprocity test. We found no current official list, so confirm your nationality before paying a deposit. The same article adds limits:
- foreign individuals may hold at most 10% of a district's privately ownable area, and 30 hectares each nationwide;
- the registry follows maps of military and security zones, and property acquired in breach of Article 35 is liquidated if the owner does not sell it in time;
- a buyer of land without a building must submit a project to the ministry within 2 years.
What does a USD 300,000 purchase cost to complete?
Turkiye's land registry charges a title deed fee under the Fees Law No 492: 2% from the buyer and 2% from the seller, on a declared value not below the property-tax value. Buyers often agree to pay all 4%; that is negotiation, not law. Every sale with a foreign party also needs a valuation report from a firm licensed by the Capital Markets Board, plus compulsory earthquake insurance (DASK). From 1 May 2025 the registry's service fee was TRY 16,629 for a foreign buyer against TRY 5,324 for a Turkish one, according to CNBC-e; 2026 amounts are not confirmed.
Georgia has no tax on a transfer: the Tax Code permits only the taxes it lists (Articles 5 and 6). Registration costs GEL 150, and a notary is optional.
| Item | Georgia | Turkiye |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer charge | None | USD 6,000, or USD 12,000 if the buyer pays both shares |
| Registry fee | GEL 150, about USD 58 | About USD 333 (TRY 16,629, 2025 tariff, at the TCMB rate of 2 November 2026) |
| Notary | Optional, about GEL 1,442 (USD 555) | Not used; signed at the registry |
| Valuation and DASK | Not required | Required; cost not confirmed |
The smaller Georgian items are in our guide to buying costs from official tariffs.
When does a Turkish buyer pay VAT on a new flat?
Under Article 13(1)(i) of the VAT Law No 3065, the first sale of a newly built home to a foreign individual not settled in Turkiye is exempt if the price is brought into the country in foreign currency. If the home is sold within three years, the unpaid VAT plus interest falls due before the transfer; Law No 7394 lengthened the period from one year in 2022. Keep the bank records of the transfer.
Buyers who do not qualify pay, for permits from 1 April 2022 and at rates in force since 10 July 2023: 1% on up to 150 m² of net area in urban-transformation risk areas, 10% on up to 150 m² elsewhere and 20% on the area above 150 m². KPMG Turkiye and Alomaliye report these rates; the tax office's own guide did not load. On our USD 300,000 flat, the exemption is worth USD 30,000 at the 10% rate, and more on a flat over 150 m². A resale by a private owner carries no VAT.
What does each residence permit allow?
The Turkish permit is tied to living in the home; the Georgian one to owning it. Turkiye's Law No 6458, Article 31, makes owning real estate a ground for a short-term permit of up to 2 years at a time, with the Ministry of Interior setting the qualifying value. The migration authority's document list requires a home worth at least the lira equivalent of USD 200,000 at acquisition, used by the foreigner as a dwelling: "Konut, kira ve benzeri gelir getirici amaçlarla kullanılamaz" (the home may not be used for rent or similar income). Ekonomim and Cumhuriyet reported that this minimum replaced USD 75,000 and USD 50,000 on 16 October 2023; we found no official notice of the date.
Address matters too. From 2022 the authority closed neighbourhoods with a high share of foreigners to new residence registrations, and in July 2023 it named 10 Istanbul districts closed to new applications. No current official list was found, so check the address before signing.
Georgia's Law on the Legal Status of Aliens grants a 1-year permit, renewed while you keep the property, for non-agricultural property with a market value of more than USD 150,000, and a 5-year investment permit for more than USD 300,000. We found no rule against letting that property; a lawyer should confirm. Our residence by property guide covers the steps, and the country comparison tool sets both routes against other countries.
Citizenship: a purchase route against a residence clock
Turkiye grants citizenship directly for property worth at least USD 400,000 under Article 20(1)(b) of the Regulation on the Turkish Citizenship Law. The unit must be under condominium ownership or construction servitude, or be land with a building, and a three-year no-sale note goes on the title. Spouse and minor children can be included, and no residence period applies. Presidential Decision No 5554 raised the figure from USD 250,000 from 13 June 2022. The note bars a sale, not letting; whether letting in that period carries risk is a question for a Turkish lawyer.
Georgia offers no passport for a purchase. General naturalisation under Article 12 of the Organic Law on Georgian Citizenship needs 10 consecutive years of lawful residence, tests in language, history and law, and a job, real estate or business in Georgia.
How much of the rent goes in tax?
Georgia taxes an individual's residential rent at 5% of the gross, with no deductions (Tax Code Article 81(2)); see our rental income tax guide. Turkiye taxes non-residents on Turkish rent too, according to the tax office's February 2025 guide. The landlord deducts actual costs or a flat 15%, and the 2026 scale in Article 103 of the Income Tax Law is 15% to TRY 190,000, 20% to TRY 400,000, 27% to TRY 1,000,000, then 35% and 40%. The return is due in March.
The consolidated law still shows a TRY 58,000 yearly exemption for residential rent, but in October 2025 the tax office announced a bill keeping it only for pensioners. Its status is not confirmed, so the example shows both cases.
| Case | Tax | Share of rent |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | USD 750 | 5% |
| Turkiye, with the exemption | About TRY 120,900 (USD 2,420) | About 16% |
| Turkiye, without it | About TRY 134,200 (USD 2,690) | About 18% |
Higher rent pushes more of it into the 27% and 35% bands. Your home country may tax the rent as well.
What does owning cost each year in tax?
Turkiye's Property Tax Law No 1319 charges homes 0.1% of the municipal tax value each year, or 0.2% in metropolitan municipalities such as Istanbul and Antalya, plus 0.3% to 1.0% on homes with very high tax values. In Georgia, no tax is due on a flat while the family earned no more than GEL 100,000 the year before (Tax Code Article 206, as amended on 30 September 2026); a family above that line pays 0.8% to 1% of market value. How family income is set for a non-resident is a question for an accountant.
Selling later: two years or five
In Georgia, a home sold within two years pays 5% on the gain (Tax Code Article 81(3)); after more than two years the gain is exempt (Article 82). In Turkiye, the tax office's 2026 guide says a gain on property sold within five years of purchase, counted in calendar days, is taxed. The cost is first indexed to producer prices if they rose 10% or more, the first TRY 150,000 of such gains in 2026 is exempt and the rest goes on the 15% to 40% scale. A Turkish accountant should confirm how this applies to a non-resident. A Turkish exit also carries the seller's 2% title deed fee, the VAT repayment within three years of an exempt purchase, and the three-year sale bar on a citizenship home. A buyer who holds for three or four years is exempt in Georgia but still taxable in Turkiye.
How have the two markets moved since 2022?
Turkiye recorded 1,688,910 home sales in 2025, according to the statistics office TUIK. Sales to foreigners fell from 67,490 in 2022 (4.5% of all sales) to 23,781 in 2024 and 21,534 in 2025 (1.3%), and reached 15,308 in January-September 2026, 4.3% fewer than a year earlier. The fall coincided with the higher citizenship threshold from June 2022 and the higher residence threshold from October 2023. In 2025 foreigners bought 7,989 homes in Istanbul and 7,118 in Antalya. Galt & Taggart counted 17,478 flat sales in Batumi in 2025 with a foreign share of 52% (March 2026 edition), roughly 9,100 by our calculation; the definitions differ, so treat that as scale only.
The central bank's house price index rose 22.3% in lira in the year to September 2026 but fell 5.7% after inflation; Istanbul rose 26.8%. As the dollar gained 17.9% on the lira over the year, the rise in dollars was about 3.7%, by our calculation. New tenants' rents rose 26.6% in lira, down 2.4% in real terms. The bank publishes no rental yield, and we found no confirmed figure.
In Tbilisi, Galt & Taggart's white-frame price was USD 1,432 per m² in August 2026, up 6.8% in a year, with a gross yield of 8.7%. Monthly series are in our price index and rent index.
Why does the currency matter so much here?
The Turkish central bank's rate was TRY 13.33 per dollar at the end of 2021 and TRY 49.88 for 3 November 2026: the lira lost about 73% of its dollar value, by our calculation. Consumer prices rose 29.77% in the year to October 2026 (TUIK). Over the same period the lari strengthened, from GEL 3.0976 at the end of 2021 to GEL 2.5973 for 3 November 2026 per dollar (National Bank of Georgia), though it has fallen sharply before, as in 2014-2015 and 2020. A landlord paid in lira loses in dollar terms whenever rents trail the exchange rate. We could not confirm whether Turkish banks lend to foreign non-residents.
Which country fits which priority?
| Priority | Stronger | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A passport through the purchase | Turkiye | USD 400,000 route; none in Georgia |
| Residence plus rental income | Georgia | No letting ban found |
| Low entry costs | Georgia | No transfer tax |
| Low tax on rent and resale | Georgia | 5% rent tax; gain exempt after more than 2 years |
| A VAT-free new build | Turkiye | Exemption for non-residents paying in foreign currency |
| A large market | Turkiye | About 1.7 million home sales in 2025 |
For a city-level view see Batumi or Antalya; for the Gulf, Georgia or Dubai.
Risks and exceptions
- Assuming your nationality may buy in Turkiye. No current official list was found.
- Letting a Turkish residence home. The permit rules forbid it.
- Buying in a closed neighbourhood. The address may give no residence registration.
- Selling within three years of a VAT-free purchase. The VAT and interest come due.
- Reading lira growth as a dollar return. 22.3% in lira was about 3.7% in dollars.
Frequently asked questions
Is buying cheaper in Georgia or in Turkiye?
On official charges, Georgia: GEL 150 registration and no transfer tax, against a 4% title deed fee split between the parties in Turkiye.
Can I let a Turkish home that gives me residence?
No. The migration authority's list says the home may not be used for rent. We found no such rule in Georgia; a lawyer should confirm.
Does buying in Georgia give citizenship?
No; naturalisation needs 10 years of residence. Turkiye grants it for USD 400,000 of property kept three years.
When is a resale gain tax-free?
After more than two years of ownership in Georgia, and after five years in Turkiye.
Sources
- Title Deed Law No 2644, Article 35, mevzuat.gov.tr (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Frequently asked questions, Land Registry and Cadastre (TKGM) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Fees Law No 492, mevzuat.gov.tr (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Land registry service fee rise, CNBC-e, 4 May 2025 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- VAT Law No 3065, Article 13, mevzuat.gov.tr (accessed 3 November 2026)
- VAT rate on housing, KPMG Turkiye, 23 September 2022 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- VAT rate on housing after Decision 7346, Alomaliye, 10 July 2023 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Law No 6458, Article 31, mevzuat.gov.tr (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Short-term residence permit documents, Presidency of Migration Management, 18 March 2025 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- New restriction on sales to foreigners, Ekonomim, October 2023 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Another limit on sales to foreigners, Cumhuriyet, October 2023 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Neighbourhood closure notice, Presidency of Migration Management, 16 May 2022 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Statement on Istanbul districts, Presidency of Migration Management, 16 July 2023 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Citizenship Regulation, Article 20, mevzuat.gov.tr (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Presidential Decision No 5554, Official Gazette, 13 May 2022 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Rental income guide for non-residents, Revenue Administration, February 2025 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Income Tax Law No 193, mevzuat.gov.tr (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Revenue Administration notice on rent, Alomaliye, 23 October 2025 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Other income guide 2026, Revenue Administration, 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Property Tax Law No 1319, mevzuat.gov.tr (accessed 3 November 2026)
- TUIK house sales, 2025, Alomaliye, 20 January 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Sales to foreigners at a seven-year low, Ekonomim, January 2025 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- TUIK house sales, September 2026, DHA, 16 October 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- TCMB house price and rent indices, Alomaliye, 16 October 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- October 2026 inflation, Timeturk, 3 November 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Indicative exchange rates, Central Bank of Turkiye, 2 November 2026, with the files for 31 December 2021 and 30 September 2025 and 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Buying guide: Georgia, Global Property Guide (accessed 10 October 2026)
- Tax Code of Georgia, Articles 5 and 6 (Georgian), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Tax Code of Georgia, Articles 81, 82 and 206, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Registration fees and terms, National Agency of Public Registry (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Resolution No 507 on notarial tariffs, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, Articles 15 and 16, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 11 October 2026)
- Organic Law on Georgian Citizenship, Article 12, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 11 October 2026)
- Tbilisi Residential Real Estate, August 2026, Galt & Taggart, 23 October 2026 (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Regional Residential Real Estate, 2025, Galt & Taggart, 6 March 2026 (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Inflation Rate in Georgia, September 2026, Geostat, 2 October 2026 (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Official lari exchange rate, National Bank of Georgia (accessed 3 November 2026)
Change log
- - Comparison published from Turkish laws, land registry, migration, tax and central bank sources, TUIK statistics, and Georgian law and market data.