Documents needed to buy property in Georgia: the full list for a foreign buyer

What documents does a foreign buyer need?

Fewer than most buyers expect for the registration itself, and more than most expect around it. To register a purchase, the Public Registry needs an application, your identity document, the signed contract and proof that the fee is paid. Everything else on this page exists either to protect you before you sign, to fit a particular situation such as a power of attorney, a company or a mortgage, or to deal with what follows the purchase: tax, address and, if you want one, a residence permit.

The lists below follow the order in which the documents are usually needed. Each line gives the reason the document matters and, where there is one, the rule behind it. Print the page or tick the boxes as you go; the lists are a checklist, not legal advice for your particular deal.

The four documents the registry needs

The registry may ask for any further document it needs in a specific case. If a required document is missing or in the wrong form, the case is suspended for 30 calendar days, and the suspension decision must list everything missing at once; if the gap is not closed in time, the case ends. An unpaid fee suspends the case for 3 working days, and an application filed online is registered only after payment.

Where the contract is signed

Two places can certify the signatures on a sale: a Public Service Hall, where a registry officer certifies who signed and the fact of signing, and a notary. The registry officer does not examine whether the contract is lawful or whether the parties really meant it; the parties sign in the officer's presence together with the registration application, and only one copy of the contract is certified. A notary draws up or certifies the deal as a notarial act.

• When a notary is required. The registry may not certify signatures on a deal concluded under a power of attorney issued abroad, among other exceptions, so such a deal goes to a Georgian notary.
• Signing by video. Until 1 January 2028 the registry allows signing by video link with an officer, but only for Georgian citizens and holders of a permanent residence permit who can be identified in the agency's database. Most foreign buyers therefore sign in person or through a representative.

Our guide to notaries in a property deal explains their fees and role.

Documents to see from the seller

• A fresh registry extract In a deal on real estate, a person's authority over the property is proved only by the extract; order a new one shortly before signing.
• The seller's identity document The name and personal or passport number must match the extract.
• Every registered co-owner Disposing of property in common ownership needs all owners registered in the registry.
• The spouse's consent, as a precaution A spouse not registered as co-owner is not needed by law, but a written consent removes a later argument.
• The guardianship authority's consent if a minor owns a share Required in advance for selling a ward's property.
• The heir's own registration An heir may sell only after registering ownership on the certificate of inheritance.
• A company seller's authority A notary-certified signature and the extract from the Registry of Entrepreneurs showing who represents it.
• Confirmation of no association debt A new owner answers for the previous owner's unpaid contributions.

On the spouse, the Civil Code protects a buyer who relies on the register: the registered seller is presumed to be the sole owner unless the buyer knew otherwise, and a spouse cannot void a deal only because they did not know of it or disagreed. A consent is still worth asking for when the seller is married and the flat was bought during the marriage, because it closes the question before it is raised. Our guide on homeowners' associations covers the debt letter.

If a representative signs for you

• A notarised power of attorney Naming the property by its cadastral code and the acts allowed.
• Apostille or legalisation Foreign documents are accepted only with one or the other, unless a treaty provides otherwise.
• A certified Georgian translation Of the power of attorney and any other foreign document.
• The representative's identity document A copy is filed with the application.
• A Georgian notary for the deal Required when the power of attorney was issued abroad.

See our guides to the power of attorney, the apostille and notarised translation.

If you buy through a company

A company buyer needs a little more paper. Signatures on registration documents drawn up by or with a legal entity must be certified by a notary or an authorised body, or carry a qualified electronic signature or seal, and a power of attorney issued by a company for registration must be notarised or signed the same way. The registry reads the company's data and representatives from the Registry of Entrepreneurs. Under the anti-money-laundering law, the registry, the notary and the bank will also identify the beneficial owners: the natural persons holding 25% or more, or otherwise in control.

A foreign company that owns property in Georgia pays property tax on it, and to register with the Revenue Service it files its founding documents, apostilled or legalised and translated into Georgian with a notarised translation, plus a document naming its directors and founders. Our guide to buying through a company weighs whether the structure is worth it.

If you buy with a mortgage

The mortgage is registered as a separate right on the same flat, and it takes legal force on registration. The registry's information card for mortgages lists the application, a copy of the identity document, the mortgage contract and proof of the fee, plus a power of attorney and the representative's ID if someone else files; the borrower, the owner or the lender may file. The card says that a mortgage securing a loan must be certified by a notary, who explains the consequences of default, but that this does not apply to mortgages securing loans from commercial banks, microfinance organisations and credit unions.

Banks set their own lists for foreign borrowers and do not publish them in full. One Georgian bank's published mortgage terms, for example, allow loans below GEL 1,000,000 only in lari unless the borrower's income is in the loan currency, and accept salary, dividends, rent, remittances and self-employment income as income. Ask the bank for its list in writing before you rely on a mortgage.

If you buy a new build

• The land extract Owner, area and any mortgage on the plot.
• The construction permit or the plot's land-use conditions Without permit documents, the registry does not register a building at all.
• The building under construction in the registry Or, before that, the conditions that allow the developer's obligation to be registered.
• Registration of your right or the developer's obligation A preliminary registration blocks other registrations based on a transaction.
• The commissioning act, at completion It updates the registered data of every unit.
• Your unit as a separate registered object A unit can be sold only after it is registered as one.

The Law on the Public Registry ties registration to permits: a building or unit is registered on the basis of the title document and the construction documentation, or the commissioning act once it is finished, or a legalisation act. Without one of these, the landowner receives only an information card and the building does not appear on the extract or the cadastral plan. Preliminary registration of ownership is free only for property in the occupied territories, so budget the normal registration fee for it. In Tbilisi, the City Hall has published an interactive map showing buildings approved for use and sites where construction has been suspended. Our developer checklist goes through the developer itself.

For the payment

Your bank, the notary and the registry will identify you and ask about the purpose of the transaction, and for larger or higher-risk transfers about the origin of the money. Bring your passport, the contract or reservation agreement that explains the payment, and documents showing where the money comes from. Our explainer on source of funds sets out why each of them asks and what is reported.

After registration

• A new extract in your name GEL 13 online within 1 working day, or GEL 52 online the same day.
• Tax registration, when a tax liability arises A non-citizen applies to the Revenue Service with form I-01 and an identity document; registration takes up to 5 working days.
• A property tax return, if you are liable Due by 1 November; homes are exempt when the family's income last year did not exceed GEL 100,000.
• An income tax return for rent 5% on residential rent; a non-resident files before 1 April of the following year.
• Address registration, if you live there Free, with proof of ownership.
• Residence permit documents, if you want one Application, passport copy, proof of lawful stay, title, valuation, photo and fee receipt.

Buying property does not give you a Georgian personal number. A personal number is assigned when a person registers a place of residence or receives an identity document such as a residence card; until then the extract identifies a foreign owner by name and passport details. For the residence permit, the property must be valued at more than $150,000 by a certified assessor of an accredited body, and the fee is GEL 300, 450 or 600 depending on the speed. See our residence permit documents guide.

Risks and exceptions

• An old extract. Rights registered since it was printed will not appear on it.
• A foreign power of attorney at the registry. The deal has to go to a Georgian notary.
• A missing document. The case is suspended, and lost if not completed in time.
• A new build without permit documents. It cannot be registered.
• A married seller who says nothing. Ask, and get a consent as a precaution.

Frequently asked questions

Does my passport need a translation?

Not at the registry if it is filled in in Russian or English; ask the notary about a notarised deal.

Do I need a Georgian personal number to buy?

No, a foreign passport is enough; a personal number comes with residence registration or a residence card.

Can I sign at the registry through a representative?

Only if the power of attorney was not issued abroad; a foreign one means a Georgian notary.

Can I sign by video from abroad?

The registry's video signing is open only to Georgian citizens and permanent residents.

Does the seller's spouse have to sign?

Not by law if the spouse is not a registered co-owner, but a written consent is a sensible precaution.

What happens if a document is missing?

The case is suspended for 30 calendar days and ends if the gap is not closed.

Must I register for tax after buying?

When a tax liability arises, for example rent or property tax above the exemption.

Which documents prove a new build is legal?

The construction permit documents, the registered building and, at completion, the commissioning act.

Sources

1. Law of Georgia on the Public Registry (Articles 8-12, 15-6, 21, 22), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
2. Instruction on the Public Registry, Justice Minister Order No 487 (Articles 4, 6, 12, 13, 16-18, 20, 55-58-1), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
3. Civil Code of Georgia (Articles 183, 312, 1158, 1160, 1161, 1294, 1499, 1500), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
4. Immovable property registration: fees and terms, National Agency of Public Registry (accessed 18 October 2026)
5. How to register a mortgage (information card), National Agency of Public Registry (accessed 18 October 2026)
6. How to register property rights based on succession (information card), National Agency of Public Registry (accessed 18 October 2026)
7. Finance Minister Order No 996 on Tax Administration (Articles 2, 3), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
8. Tax Code of Georgia (Articles 81, 153, 201, 205, 206), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
9. Law of Georgia on the Procedure for Registering Citizens of Georgia and Aliens Residing in Georgia (Article 11), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
10. Law of Georgia on Facilitating the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism (Articles 3, 10, 11, 13), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 18 October 2026)
11. Residence permits, Public Service Development Agency (accessed 18 October 2026)
12. Mortgage loan terms, Terabank (accessed 18 October 2026)
13. Tbilisi launches map to verify construction project status, Georgia Today (accessed 18 October 2026)

Change log

• 18 October 2026 - Checklist published from the Law on the Public Registry, Instruction No 487 (consolidated 31 May 2026), the Civil Code, Order No 996, the Tax Code and the registry's information cards.