Living in Georgia as a Foreigner in 2026: Costs, Visas, Tax, Housing

Living in Georgia as a Foreigner in 2026: Costs, Visas, Tax, Housing

Living in Georgia as a foreigner is legally straightforward for the first year and more regulated after that: according to the UK government’s entry guidance, British citizens can enter without a visa and stay for up to one year, a health insurance policy of at least GEL 30,000 (about $11,500) has been required for tourists entering since 1 January 2026, and anyone who wants to work, including remotely or through their own business, now needs a work permit under rules that started on 1 March 2026. A single person’s monthly budget in Tbilisi runs from roughly $735 to $2,340 depending on the district and the lifestyle, as the worked budget below shows. This guide was last checked on 23 October 2026.

The sections below cover what a foreign resident actually has to do and pay: entry and the one-year limit, the 2026 work permit regime, the residence permit routes (including the property route that moved from USD 100,000 to USD 150,000 on 1 March 2026), taxes, rents in Tbilisi and Batumi, the cost of everyday life, healthcare, banking, schools, the political and security background, and the real drawbacks. All lari amounts are converted at the National Bank of Georgia official rate of GEL 2.5976 per US dollar on 22 October 2026, and every price, tax rate and rule carries its source and date. Where our own Batumi listings are relevant, the figures come from the individual listing pages.

Living in Georgia as a Foreigner: Key Facts at a Glance

The table collects the numbers that most often decide whether a move works. Each is explained, with its source, in the section named in the last column. Amounts in lari are converted at GEL 2.5976 per dollar, the National Bank of Georgia rate for 22 October 2026.

Is Living in Georgia as a Foreigner Possible on Visa-Free Entry?

Yes, for a first stay. According to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), a British citizen with a full British passport can visit Georgia without a visa for up to one year, and the passport should remain valid for the whole stay. Georgia publishes its own list of visa-free nationalities, and the stay allowed differs by country, so the one-year rule should be checked for each passport on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list before travelling.

The one-year allowance is the reason Georgia attracts long-stay residents who never apply for a residence permit. There is no day-count window such as the 90 days in 180 that applies in the Schengen area, and Georgia is not part of Schengen. What the allowance does not give is any right to work, any right to a longer stay, or any protection if the government changes the list, so long stays that depend on repeated border crossings are a planning risk rather than a right.

What changed on 1 January 2026: mandatory health insurance for tourists

Since 1 January 2026, every tourist entering Georgia must hold a health and accident insurance policy with cover of at least GEL 30,000, or about $11,549 at the current rate. A notice published by Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 27 December 2025 sets out the rule: the policy can come from a Georgian or a foreign insurer, can be on paper or electronic, must be in Georgian or English, and must cover the entire stay from entry until departure. The FCDO entry page repeats the requirement and says a traveller may be asked for proof at check-in or on arrival.

The exemptions listed in the ministry’s notice are narrow: holders of diplomatic or special visas and passports, accredited diplomatic and international-organisation staff with their accredited family members, people entering under international treaties, and drivers in international freight and passenger transport. The notice speaks of tourists. It does not describe how the rule applies to residence permit holders already living in the country, so a resident should treat the point as separate from the entry requirement and ask the insurer or the Public Service Development Agency.

Passports, nationalities and tightened entry rules

Not every passport has the same access. Reporting by OC Media recorded that the government amended its resolution on 17 April 2025 with effect from 16 May 2025, stopping citizens of 17 countries, among them Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria and Sudan, from entering visa-free on the strength of a Gulf visa or residence permit that has less than one year of validity left on the day they cross the border. Citizens of those countries who hold a valid visa or residence permit from any of 50 listed countries are not affected. For nationals of countries that need a visa or an e-visa, the application is made before travel, and the rules below on work permits and residence permits apply in addition.

The practical lesson is that visa-free entry is a policy of the government of the day, written into a resolution that has been amended before. Anyone planning a multi-year life around it should hold a residence permit rather than rely on the entry regime, and anyone who needs the right to work must obtain it separately, as the next section explains.

Working While Living in Georgia as a Foreigner: The 2026 Work Permit Rules

Since 1 March 2026, most foreigners without permanent residence need a work permit to work in Georgia, and visa-free entry no longer implies the right to work. The change came from amendments to the Law on Labour Migration and the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons that Parliament adopted in June 2025. The FCDO states that foreign nationals who want to work in Georgia, including remotely or by running a business, need a work permit, that it is valid for one year and tied to a specific job and employer, and that a visa or worker’s residence permit follows approval.

Who needs a work permit and who is exempt

According to an OC Media explainer based on the government decree of 20 February 2026, the permit applies to employees working under a contract with a Georgian employer, to self-employed people such as sole entrepreneurs and freelancers, to company founders, directors and partners, and to remote workers employed by a Georgian employer. The exempt groups are refugees, people with additional or temporary protection, asylum seekers, staff of diplomatic missions and international organisations, accredited foreign journalists and holders of investment-based residence permits. Permanent residents are outside the regime altogether.

The treatment of foreigners who work remotely for clients or employers outside Georgia is the question most newcomers ask. The OC Media explainer notes that the law does not explicitly address them and quotes a Georgian lawyer who reads it as aimed at people working in Georgia’s own labour market. A consultancy guide published by IBCCS on 21 September 2026 describes a person working fully remotely for a Georgian employer without needing to enter Georgia as outside the regime, and describes services provided to non-residents that relate to their activities abroad as generally exempt, while stressing that business registration as an individual entrepreneur does not by itself replace the right-to-work analysis. The FCDO wording is broader and mentions remote work expressly. A person in that position is therefore dealing with a rule that official guidance and local advisers describe in different ways, and a written answer from the labour migration authority is the only firm basis for a decision.

Fees, processing times and validity

The fee table below follows the OC Media explainer and the IBCCS guide, which agree on the figures. Amounts in dollars are converted at the National Bank rate of 22 October 2026.

A work permit alone is not enough to live and work legally. A person outside Georgia has to apply for a D1 immigration visa within 30 calendar days of the permit, while a person already inside the country has to apply for a work or IT-sector residence permit within 10 calendar days, according to the OC Media explainer. Employees are applied for by the employer, who also pays the fee and must first post the vacancy on the government’s Worknet platform at least 10 business days before applying. Self-employed applicants apply personally through the Labour Migration Electronic System, and the IBCCS guide notes that since the July 2026 amendments this must be done in person, with a video interview in Georgian or English and the original passport.

Transition dates and the July 2026 amendments

Self-employed foreigners already active on 1 March 2026 had until 1 May 2026 to comply, and employees registered in the Labour Ministry database on 1 March 2026 have until 1 January 2027 to obtain both the work permit and any residence permit they need. That second date is about ten weeks away at the time of writing. The IBCCS guide lists several changes made in July 2026: wider exemptions, a short-term professional activity route of up to four months per calendar year with free registration, employer annual quotas triggered by more than five foreign citizens or more than 5% of the workforce, a turnover threshold of generally GEL 50,000 per foreign applicant (GEL 35,000 for educational and medical institutions), and the end of a new application for a change of position level, salary or schedule where the position stays the same.

Some sectors have quotas set at zero: delivery drivers, passenger-transport drivers and tour guides, while mountain and ski guiding has an annual quota of 200, according to the OC Media explainer. For most office workers, freelancers and business owners these sector rules do not matter, but they show how far the 2026 regime goes beyond a registration formality.

Residence Permits for Living in Georgia as a Foreigner

A residence permit is not needed to start living in Georgia as a foreigner, because visa-free entry covers the first year, but it becomes the basis for a longer stay, a mortgage or a local contract. The main categories are work, study, family reunification, property ownership and investment, with an IT-sector variant of the work permit. First applications are made inside Georgia through the Public Service Development Agency or a Public Service Hall, while renewals can be filed online from abroad if the current permit is valid, according to an ExpatHub summary of the categories.

The state fee for a temporary permit depends on the speed of the decision. Older firm guides give a scale of GEL 210, 330 and 410 for decisions in 30, 20 and 10 days, but fees are set by the agency and have been revised before, so the amount on the agency’s current schedule should be taken at the counter rather than from a guide.

How the property route works after 1 March 2026

The property route is the one most buyers ask about. According to law firm EIG, Georgia raised the minimum real estate value for a temporary residence permit from USD 100,000 to USD 150,000, effective 1 March 2026, on the basis of immigration law amendments passed in June 2025. The value is that of non-agricultural property assessed by an accredited appraiser, not the purchase price, and several properties can be combined to reach the threshold. The permit is renewable annually and can cover the spouse and children. New applicants from 1 March 2026 must meet the USD 150,000 level, and existing holders may continue to renew under the earlier rules as long as they keep the qualifying property, the same firm reports.

USD 150,000 is GEL 389,640 at the 22 October 2026 rate. Because the appraisal, not the invoice, decides eligibility, the sale price and the appraised value can differ in either direction, and a purchase just above the line should be tested against an appraisal before the contract is signed. A permit on this basis does not by itself lead to permanent status in a short time: ExpatHub and IBCCS describe permanent residence as generally available after about ten years of lawful temporary residence, while the USD 300,000 investment permit is issued for five years and can lead to permanent residence if its conditions are kept.

Our guide on how to get a residency permit in Georgia walks through the application sequence in more detail, and the legal checklist for buying property in Georgia covers the contract and registry points that come before the permit.

Taxes for Living in Georgia as a Foreigner

Georgia taxes residents on Georgian-source income at a flat 20% and, according to PwC’s Worldwide Tax Summaries (last reviewed 2 September 2026), does not tax resident individuals on income that has no Georgian source. Tax residence follows a 183-day test, which makes the number of days spent in the country, and not the type of permit, the trigger. This section sets out the rates that matter to a foreign resident; none of it replaces advice from a Georgian tax adviser, and it says nothing about the tax a person owes to the country of citizenship.

When does a foreigner become a Georgian tax resident?

A person is a tax resident if actually present in Georgia for 183 days or more in any continuous 12-month period ending in the current tax year, according to PwC. Residence is set separately for each tax period, and days counted toward residence in the previous period are excluded when the next one is tested. The FCDO adds a warning aimed at visitors: a person who stays more than 183 days and does paid work becomes liable for Georgian income tax. A tourist who spends eight months in the country without working in Georgia is therefore a different case from an employee on a Georgian payroll.

Residence for tax purposes is not the same as a residence permit: the test counts days of presence, so holding no permit does not remove the obligation once the 183 days are reached. The tax authority is the Revenue Service.

Rates that apply to most newcomers

A worked example shows what the small-business regime means. A freelancer who invoices Georgian clients $3,000 a month earns $36,000 a year, which is GEL 93,514 and well under the GEL 500,000 ceiling. At 1% of turnover the annual tax is GEL 935 (about $360). The same turnover taxed as ordinary income at 20% would be $7,200. The comparison is only meaningful if the person qualifies for small-business status, if the activity is not excluded from it, and if the person has the right to work described above, which is why an entrepreneur registration is a tax status and not a work permit. The IBCCS guide of 21 September 2026 states plainly that business registration does not replace the right-to-work analysis.

Property taxes: purchase, ownership and sale

Buying property in Georgia triggers a registration fee rather than a transfer tax. The National Agency of Public Registry fee schedule lists GEL 150 for registration of a change in the right to immovable property within four working days, GEL 270 within one working day and GEL 350 on the day of filing; the agency’s page does not label the speeds, so the pairing of fee and term follows the order of its table. Our Wyndham Grand Residences Gonio listing pages state that there is no property transfer tax and put notary fees at about $50 to $100.

Owning property can bring an annual property tax on individuals. The Revenue Service page splits its calculator at household income of GEL 100,000 and gives the declaration deadline as 1 November and payment by 15 November, with the tax prorated for the months of ownership. Advisory guides describe the rate bands as exempt for households with income under GEL 40,000 ($15,399), 0.05% to 0.2% of market value between GEL 40,000 and 100,000, and 0.8% to 1% above GEL 100,000, with land taxed separately. On a $100,000 apartment, valued at GEL 259,760, the bill would be about GEL 520 at 0.2% and GEL 2,598 at 1%. The household-income test counts worldwide income, so a foreign resident should expect to document it.

On sale, PwC and Andersen Georgia report that a gain on an apartment or house with attached land is taxed at 5%, and that a residential property held for more than two years can be sold free of personal income tax, even if it was let to residential tenants in the meantime. On a $20,000 gain, the 5% rate means $1,000 of tax where the exemption does not apply. Rental income from a residential let is taxed at 5% if no expenses are deducted, which is also the rate quoted on our Wyndham Grand Residences Gonio listing pages.

Cost of Living in Georgia as a Foreigner: A Monthly Budget

A single person living in Tbilisi spends roughly $735 on a tight budget and about $2,340 at the top of a comfortable one, once rent is included. Both figures are sums of the itemised ranges published by EasyGeorgian on 11 May 2026, and they fit that guide’s own totals of $725 to $1,170 for a budget lifestyle and $1,350 to $2,370 for a comfortable one. Wise’s cost-of-living page for Tbilisi gives $1,355 a month for one person including rent and $668 without, and puts Batumi at about $1,023.

The low column takes the low end of EasyGeorgian’s ranges and the outer-district rent of $400 to $600; the high column takes the top of the comfortable ranges and the central rent of $700 to $1,200. Wise’s estimate of $1,355 for one person sits between the two columns. The rent line is the swing factor. At $400 it is 54% of the low budget, and at $1,200 it is 51% of the high one, so the district chosen decides the budget more than any other habit.

Food, restaurants and everyday prices

EasyGeorgian lists groceries at $150 to $250 a month on a budget and $250 to $400 comfortably, with a khachapuri at $3 to $6, a glass of Georgian wine at $4 to $7, a dinner for two with wine at $30 to $60 and a flat white in a central cafe at 12 to 18 lari. Wise’s figures are similar: about $215 a month for groceries, $11 for an inexpensive restaurant meal and about $41 for a mid-range three-course meal for two. These numbers are for Tbilisi. Food prices overall rose 3.4% over the year to September 2026, while restaurants and hotels rose 7.3%, according to the Geostat figures reported by Trading Economics, so eating out has become dearer faster than cooking at home.

Utilities, internet and transport

Electricity is regulated. The Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission raised household tariffs by 5 tetri per kWh for consumption from 1 April 2026, and JAMnews reports that Telmico customers in Tbilisi pay between 20.041 and 28.537 tetri per kWh depending on consumption. A flat that uses 200 kWh in a month therefore pays between GEL 40.08 and GEL 57.07, or $15.40 to $22.00, depending on the tiers it falls into. EasyGeorgian puts gas at $5 to $15 in summer and $40 to $80 in winter, water at $5 to $10 and the building fee at $5 to $20, and notes that a comfortable one-bedroom costs $80 to $150 in deep winter and $40 to $80 for the rest of the year.

Public transport is cheap. According to a Wander-Lush guide updated on 21 October 2026, the metro, city buses and city minibuses each cost 1 lari a ride, about $0.38, and a transfer within 90 minutes is free when the same MetroMoney card is used again. A cross-town taxi ride costs 8 to 15 lari ($3 to $6) in EasyGeorgian’s estimate. Fibre internet is $10 to $40 a month and a mobile plan with unlimited calls and 30 GB or more is $10 to $20.

Salaries, inflation and what incomes look like locally

Geostat reports an average monthly nominal salary of GEL 2,389.3 in the second quarter of 2026, up 8% from GEL 2,212.0 a year earlier, which is $920 at today’s rate and before income tax. The highest-paid sector is information and communication at GEL 4,400.4 ($1,694). A 50 m2 flat at the Tbilisi average rent of $500 equals GEL 1,299, or 54% of the average gross salary, and that ratio is a useful reminder that local pay and the prices charged to foreigners are set in different markets.

Annual inflation was 5.6% in September 2026, unchanged from August, and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose 9.2% over the year, according to Geostat figures reported by Trading Economics. In August the housing group was up 8.5%, with actual rentals up 8.4% and electricity, gas and fuels up 10.3%, according to Trend.az citing Geostat. A budget built on last year’s numbers will be low by roughly the inflation rate, and the housing lines will be low by more.

How Much Does Rent Cost in Tbilisi and Batumi?

Asking rents for a 50 to 60 m2 flat in Tbilisi averaged about $10.0 per m2 per month in April 2026, up 5.2% on the year, according to Georgia Today’s report of 17 August 2026, which ranged from $8.2 per m2 in Samgori to $14.2 in Vake (later cited in the same article as $15.0) and gave the citywide average elsewhere in the text as $10.2. The Tbilisi Home market report for the third quarter of 2026, built from listings on the main portals, puts district rents between $8.8 and $11.1 per m2 and implied gross yields between 6.6% and 7.7%. Galt & Taggart’s Batumi table, as republished by Partner Estate, shows average monthly rent of $10.6 per m2 in both the inner and peripheral zones.

The rents in the table are asking prices from listing portals and company research, not registered contracts, and Georgia has no public record of closed rents. The same flat can therefore be listed at different prices, and comparing several listings in the same building shows the spread. Georgia Today’s own budget guidance is that $600 to $900 covers one- or two-bedroom apartments in Saburtalo, Chugureti, Isani, Didube and Didi Dighomi, and $900 to $1,300 covers modern two-bedrooms in several mid-range districts.

Rental inflation is part of the picture. Geostat’s index of actual housing rentals was up 8.4% year on year in August 2026, according to Trend.az, so a contract signed this autumn faces a market in which rents are rising faster than the general price level of 5.6%. Renting first lets a newcomer learn a district’s noise, heating and building quality before any purchase, and it needs nothing beyond a valid stay.

Can Foreigners Buy Property in Georgia, and What Does the Market Look Like?

Foreigners can buy apartments, houses and other non-agricultural property in Georgia without a permit, and the restriction that applies to them concerns agricultural land. Ownership is registered with the National Agency of Public Registry, and our Batumi listing pages describe registration taking between one and five business days. Buying is separate from living in the country: a purchase of any size does not create a right to work, and it leads to a residence permit only if the property route described above is met.

Geostat’s Residential Property Price Index for the second quarter of 2026 rose 0.9% on the previous quarter and 4.9% on the same quarter of 2025, leaving prices 63.8% above the 2020 average; flats were up 4.8% and detached houses 5.5% on the year. The index is built from offer prices scraped from listings and expressed in lari, so it measures asking prices rather than registered sales. In dollars, the Tbilisi Home report for the third quarter of 2026 gives median asking prices for newly renovated flats of $1,480 per m2 in Isani-Samgori, $1,560 in Gldani-Nadzaladevi, $1,730 in Didube-Chughureti, $1,890 in Vake-Saburtalo and $1,990 in Old Tbilisi, and notes that actual sale prices usually land below asking prices because Georgia has no public record of closed sales.

Batumi follows a different pattern from the capital. According to Galt & Taggart’s review, published by Investor.ge on 20 April 2026, the average turnkey price in Batumi rose from $1,569 per m2 in 2023 to $1,699 in 2024 and $1,865 in 2025, apartment sales reached 17,478 units in 2025 (up 15%), foreign buyers made up 52% of sales, and about 12,400 units were unsold in the developer projects surveyed at the end of 2025, up nearly 14% on the year. Gross rental yield in Batumi fell from 8.8% in 2024 to 7.4% in 2025 on the same source, and the review described 2026 as a year of consolidation with price growth forecast at 4 to 6%.

Is Tbilisi or Batumi better suited to living in Georgia as a foreigner?

The answer depends on what the person needs from a city, because the two differ in size, climate, season and housing stock. Tbilisi is a capital of about 1.37 million people with a dry continental climate, a year-round economy and most of the country’s English-speaking services. Batumi is a Black Sea resort city of about 246,000 people, with a humid subtropical climate, heavy rainfall and a property market built around new apartment towers. The table sets out the measurable differences.

On price, Batumi’s average turnkey price of $1,865 per m2 for 2025 sits inside the Tbilisi asking range of $1,480 to $1,990, although the series use different methods and dates, and Old Batumi at $3,239 is far above any Tbilisi district in the table. Rents are close: $10.6 against $10.0 per m2. The difference in monthly running costs reported by Wise is about $332 a month ($1,355 against $1,023).

Our own city pages describe the two markets in more detail: Batumi and the Georgia country page. The listings on this site are all in Batumi and Gonio, so every comparison with Tbilisi in this guide uses market research rather than our own projects. Our analysis of Batumi apartment prices per square metre sets our twelve listings against the Galt & Taggart zone averages.

Our Batumi Listings Against the USD 150,000 Residence Threshold

Only some of the twelve Georgian projects on this site reach USD 150,000 at their entry price, so the choice of project changes how many square metres a buyer needs for the property route. The table uses each listing page as the source, writes the entry price as stated there, and divides USD 150,000 by the entry rate per m2 where the page gives enough information. Prices are quoted starting prices and not offers, and the figures change with the developer’s price list.

The arithmetic shows how little the entry price says on its own. Mardi Hills has the lowest entry ticket in the table at $45,276, yet at its entry rate of $1,680 per m2 a buyer would need about 89 m2 to reach USD 150,000, while Wyndham Grand Residences Gonio Aqua costs about two and a half times as much per m2 and reaches the threshold with about 34.8 m2. The cheapest square metre in the table is Horizon Grand Residence at $1,058, and at that rate the threshold takes about 142 m2, far larger than the 52 m2 unit the page describes. Several properties can be combined to reach the threshold, according to the EIG note, but each must be registered and assessed.

The Wyndham pages state that foreigners hold 100% freehold on the Gonio projects, with monthly owners’ association fees of $150 to $350 for Family Club and Rivera and $200 to $400 for the villas. For hotel-operated units such as those at Mardi Aquapark, the page explains that the title structure should be checked in the sale contract and the registry extract. Prices per m2 for the four Wyndham releases are far above the Gonio-Kvariati zone average of $2,228 per m2 reported for finished new-build primary flats in the Galt & Taggart zone table that Partner Estate republished: the Aqua entry rate of $4,313 is 94% above it.

A purchase budget for any of these projects should also include the registry fee, notary costs (about $50 to $100 on the Wyndham pages) and the annual property tax described earlier. The comparison of what $100,000 buys in six markets places Georgian prices against other countries, and the overview of all projects is on the Georgia country page.

Healthcare, Insurance and Schools When Living in Georgia as a Foreigner

Private cover is the working assumption for a foreign resident. The FCDO states that medical facilities in Tbilisi are available but can be expensive, that facilities outside Tbilisi are limited, and that the United Kingdom has no reciprocal healthcare agreement with Georgia, so patients or their insurers pay for treatment as it is given. The emergency number is 112, and rabies treatment is available in Tbilisi and major towns, according to the same advice.

EasyGeorgian puts private health insurance for one person at $20 to $60 a month and a specialist visit paid out of pocket at $30 to $50. The state universal healthcare programme was designed for citizens, and expat guides say that eligibility for foreign residents depends on legal status and registration; a newcomer should not plan around it. The entry rule described earlier also means a policy of at least GEL 30,000 is needed on arrival, so a long-stay policy bought for the first year does double duty.

Schools for foreign children

Around a dozen Tbilisi schools teach in English, according to a September 2026 guide from ISA that profiles QSI, the British International School, the European School, the New School and Buckswood. Its indicative annual tuition ranges for 2026-27 are $8,000 to $20,000 for primary, $10,000 to $24,000 for lower secondary and $12,000 to $27,000 for the IB Diploma, A Level or the last two grades, with registration fees of $200 to $1,000 and school transport at $1,200 to $2,000 a year. Georgian private schools with English streams cost GEL 12,000 to 25,000 ($4,620 to $9,624) a year on the same source. These are guide ranges, not fee schedules, and each school publishes its own.

Banking, Money and the Lari

Non-residents can open accounts in Georgia. A PB Services guide of 15 June 2026 reports that personal and business accounts can be opened in person or through an attorney, that a residence permit or tax residence improves the chance of approval, that applicants from sanctioned countries are refused by default, and that the main retail banks are Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank, Liberty Bank and Terabank. The bank will ask for a declaration of the source of income and expected turnover, and a remote opening through a power of attorney takes about two to four weeks on the same source. Walk-in opening takes about 30 minutes plus a one-day compliance review.

The lari strengthened against the dollar over the past year. The National Bank of Georgia official rate was GEL 2.5976 per dollar on 22 October 2026 and GEL 2.7110 on 22 October 2025, so a dollar buys 4.2% fewer lari. The euro rate was GEL 2.9163 on 22 October 2026. Property in Georgia is usually priced in dollars, as our listing pages show, while rents, salaries and day-to-day prices are in lari, so someone paid in dollars sees local costs rise by the lari’s strength plus local inflation of 5.6%. The tax code works in lari, which is why the thresholds in this guide, such as GEL 500,000 for the small-business regime, move in dollar terms with the exchange rate.

Crime, Protests and Personal Risk for Foreigners in Georgia

Ordinary crime is low, but the political situation needs attention. The FCDO’s security and crime advice, last updated on 15 September 2026, states that overall crime is low and pickpocketing occurs in crowded places, that drink spiking has been reported, that attacks cannot be ruled out, and that ethnic minorities and LGBT+ people may face harassment or discrimination. It also states that protests have continued for 650 consecutive days, mainly around the Parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, that some have turned violent, that tensions can escalate without warning, and that protest participants may face extra questioning on exit or be refused re-entry.

The FCDO advises against all travel to the Russian-occupied regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and against all but essential travel to areas next to the administrative boundary lines. For drivers, it warns of poorly lit roads in poor condition outside city centres, stray livestock and erratic driving, and notes that Georgia’s drink-driving limit is lower than the United Kingdom’s. A UK licence is valid for up to one year, and rental companies may require a 1968 international driving permit obtained before travel. Another government’s advice may differ in wording, so a foreign resident should read the guidance issued by their own foreign ministry.

Climate, Air Quality and Getting Around

Tbilisi has hot summers, with a mean July temperature of 25.4 C, and cold winters, with a mean January temperature of 2.7 C, and receives about 511 mm of rain a year, according to the climate tables in the encyclopedia entry built on NOAA and NCEI data. Batumi is humid subtropical: January averages 5.4 C, July 22.6 C, and rain reaches around 2,435 to 2,519 mm a year, nearly five times Tbilisi’s total. A person who dislikes persistent winter rain will notice that difference more than any difference in price.

Air quality is a stated weakness. IQAir recorded an annual average of 16.9 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre for Georgia in 2025, which is 3.4 times the World Health Organization’s annual guideline of 5 micrograms. National figures hide differences between towns and between seasons, and heating in winter raises pollution in the capital; anyone with a respiratory condition should check local monitors before choosing a district.

Between the two cities, travel guides describe the Stadler double-decker train taking about five hours. Within Tbilisi, the metro and buses cost 1 lari a ride, as described above, and taxis are cheap by Western standards. Outside the cities, minibuses are the common way to travel, and the FCDO’s warnings about road conditions apply.

Drawbacks of Living in Georgia as a Foreigner

The costs are lower than in Western Europe, but the drawbacks are specific and worth stating plainly. The first is regulatory volatility: the work permit regime started on 1 March 2026 and was amended again in July 2026, the property residency threshold rose by 50% in the same month, and entry rules have been changed by resolution before. Anyone who builds a life around a rule should assume the rule may change, and should keep documents that prove when and under which rule a permit was issued.

The second is the mismatch between currencies. Rents and property are quoted in dollars, wages are paid in lari, and the lari moved 4.2% against the dollar in a year. The third is that local pay is low relative to prices: an average salary of $920 against a 50 m2 rent of $500. The fourth is the quality of information. Georgia has no public record of closed sale prices, so market reports measure asking prices, and the yields quoted by developers are projections that depend on occupancy and costs.

The fifth is seasonality and oversupply in Batumi, where Galt & Taggart counted about 12,400 unsold units in the developer projects it surveyed. The sixth is the environment: air quality in Tbilisi, uneven roads, and a political situation described by the UK government as including 650 days of protest. The seventh is language. English is common among younger people and in Tbilisi services, but official paperwork, notaries and most contracts are in Georgian, so translation costs belong in the budget.

How Do You Start Moving to Georgia as a Foreigner? A Step-by-Step Plan

The order matters because some documents expire and some rules attach to the date of entry or purchase. The steps below follow the sources cited above and do not replace advice from a Georgian lawyer.

1. Check the entry regime for your passport on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list and buy a health and accident policy of at least GEL 30,000 that covers the whole stay.
2. Rent for the first months and compare districts using the rent table above, rather than committing to a long lease or a purchase on arrival.
3. Decide whether you will work. If you will, apply for the work permit (GEL 200 standard) and the matching visa or residence permit within the 10- or 30-day deadlines, and do not start before the decision.
4. Count days. At 183 days in any continuous 12 months you are a tax resident, and the Georgian tax obligations described above begin to apply from that point.
5. Open a bank account with your passport, a declaration of the source of funds and translated documents, and apply at more than one bank if the first refuses.
6. If you want a residence permit on the property route, obtain an accredited appraisal showing at least USD 150,000 before relying on the purchase price, check the registry extract, and keep the property for as long as you want to renew.
7. Register the property, pay the registry fee, and diarise the property tax declaration (1 November) and payment (15 November).

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can you stay while living in Georgia as a foreigner?

According to the UK government’s travel advice, British citizens can stay without a visa for up to one year. Stay lengths vary by nationality and are set by Georgia’s visa-free list, so check your own passport. Living in Georgia as a foreigner beyond that point needs a residence permit or a fresh qualifying entry, and none of the permits is automatic.

Do you need a work permit to work remotely from Georgia?

Remote work while living in Georgia as a foreigner is covered by the rule too, according to the UK government. Since 1 March 2026, it says foreign nationals who want to work in Georgia, including remotely or by running a business, need a work permit. Georgian advisers read the law differently for people who work only for clients abroad, and the legal text does not expressly name them, so the answer should be obtained in writing from the labour migration authority before working.

How much does living in Georgia as a foreigner cost per month?

The cost of living in Georgia as a foreigner comes to roughly $735 a month on a tight budget in an outer Tbilisi district and $2,340 for a comfortable life in a central one, including rent, when EasyGeorgian’s May 2026 ranges are added up. Wise gives $1,355 for one person in Tbilisi and about $1,023 in Batumi. The rent line, $400 to $1,200 for a furnished one-bedroom, drives the difference.

Is health insurance compulsory for foreigners entering Georgia?

Yes for tourists. Since 1 January 2026 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires a health and accident policy with cover of at least GEL 30,000 (about $11,549) for the whole stay, from a Georgian or foreign insurer, in Georgian or English. The notice does not say how the rule applies to residence permit holders, so residents should ask their insurer.

What is the minimum property value for a residence permit in Georgia?

For applications from 1 March 2026 the property route needs non-agricultural property valued at USD 150,000 or more by an accredited appraiser, up from USD 100,000. USD 150,000 is GEL 389,640 at the October 2026 rate. Several properties can be combined, and the permit is renewable annually.

How much tax does a foreigner pay when living in Georgia as a foreigner?

Tax for living in Georgia as a foreigner starts with a flat 20% on Georgian-source personal income; individual entrepreneurs with small-business status pay 1% of turnover up to GEL 500,000, residential rent is taxed at 5%, and PwC reports that resident individuals are not taxed on foreign-source income. Tax residence starts at 183 days in any continuous 12 months.

Is Tbilisi cheaper than Batumi?

Slightly, on the available data: Georgia Today reports about $10.0 per m2 a month in Tbilisi for April 2026, and Galt & Taggart’s Batumi table shows $10.6. Wise estimates a single person’s monthly cost at $1,355 in Tbilisi and $1,023 in Batumi. Purchase prices in Batumi averaged $1,865 per m2 in 2025, within the $1,480 to $1,990 asking range for Tbilisi districts in the third quarter of 2026.

Can foreigners buy any property in Georgia?

Foreigners can buy non-agricultural property, including apartments and houses, and the restriction concerns agricultural land. Registration is at the National Agency of Public Registry, with fees of GEL 150, 270 or 350 depending on speed. For anyone living in Georgia as a foreigner, owning a flat does not carry a right to work.

Are the protests a risk for people living in Georgia as a foreigner?

For people living in Georgia as a foreigner, the FCDO says overall crime is low but that protests have continued for 650 consecutive days around Parliament on Rustaveli Avenue, that some have turned violent, and that participants may face extra questioning on exit or refusal of re-entry. Foreign residents are advised to avoid large gatherings and follow local media.

Can a foreigner open a bank account in Georgia?

Yes. PB Services reports that non-residents can open personal accounts at Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank, Liberty Bank and Terabank, in person or through an attorney, and that a residence permit improves the chance of approval. Applicants from sanctioned countries are refused by default.

Which rules are most likely to change next for living in Georgia as a foreigner?

The nearest date is 1 January 2027, the deadline for employees already registered in the labour database to obtain a work permit and any residence permit they need. The work permit regime was also amended in July 2026, so details can move again.

Does buying a property let you live permanently in Georgia?

No. The property permit is renewable annually, and ExpatHub and IBCCS describe permanent residence as generally available after about ten years of lawful temporary residence. Someone living in Georgia as a foreigner on the investment route of USD 300,000 receives a five-year permit instead, with permanent residence possible afterwards if the conditions are kept.

Last checked: 23 October 2026. Sources: UK FCDO, Georgia entry requirements; UK FCDO, crime and security advice; UK FCDO, health; Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, insurance notice; OC Media, new labour laws explainer; OC Media, entry rules for 17 countries; IBCCS, work permit guide; PB Services, work permits; EIG Law, USD 150,000 threshold; ExpatHub, residence permits; PwC, Georgia personal income; PwC, Georgia residence; PwC, income determination; PwC, other taxes; Andersen Georgia, tax on sale of residential property; Revenue Service, property tax; ExpatHub, property taxes; National Agency of Public Registry, fees; Geostat, Residential Property Price Index Q2 2026; Georgia Today, Geostat salaries; Trading Economics, September 2026 inflation; Trend.az, August 2026 housing costs; National Bank of Georgia, exchange rate; Georgia Today, Tbilisi rents; Tbilisi Home, Q3 2026 market report; Partner Estate, Batumi (Galt & Taggart data); Investor.ge, Batumi residential review; EasyGeorgian, cost of living; Wise, cost of living in Tbilisi; JAMnews, electricity tariffs; Wander-Lush, Tbilisi transport; PB Services, bank accounts; ISA, Tbilisi school fees; IQAir, Georgia air quality; Wikipedia, Tbilisi climate; Wikipedia, Batumi climate.