Georgia residence permit for property above $150,000: 2026 rules

Published November 11, 2026 · Fact-checked: November 11, 2026 · 8 min read · Levelvale · Methodology

Taxes

Since March 1, 2026, a foreign national qualifies for a short-term residence permit in Georgia by owning real estate in the country with a market value above $150,000 in lari equivalent. A report by a certified appraiser confirms the value. The permit is extended one year at a time for as long as the property stays in your name, and since September 1, 2026 an extension no longer requires a new appraisal. The owner's spouse and children get the permit as well. The permit does not make you a tax resident of Georgia: tax residency comes from 183 days in the country.

The numbers in the law

What counts as the value

The law speaks of market value established by a certified appraiser of an accredited body. The Public Service Development Agency lists the documents: the application form, a copy of your passport, proof of lawful stay in Georgia, the title document for real estate worth more than $150,000, the appraisal report, a 3×4 photo and proof of fee payment. The purchase price in your sale contract is not on that list.

The wording is “exceeding USD 150,000 equivalent in GEL.” An apartment appraised at exactly $150,000 does not meet it. The law does not say which exchange rate the agency uses on the filing date, so ask when you apply.

The permit is extended for as long as the property is yours

Article 16 of the law: the short-term residence permit may be extended one year at a time, and it terminates when your ownership of the property terminates. Sell the apartment and the basis for the permit is gone. Temporary residence permits are capped at 12 years in total.

Law No. 1803 of June 25, 2026 removed the repeat appraisal. If you keep ownership of the same property, you are exempt from submitting a new market value appraisal when you extend. The rule has applied since September 1, 2026. The law extends that exemption to renewals of the D5 immigration visa.

After 10 years of living in Georgia on a temporary permit, you can apply for a permanent one. Years spent in the country for study or medical treatment do not count toward the 10.

A residence permit and tax residency are two different things

The migration agency issues the residence permit; the Tax Code decides your tax status. Under Article 34 of the Tax Code, you are a Georgian tax resident for the whole tax year if you actually spent 183 or more days in Georgia in any continuous 12-calendar-month period ending in that year. The article counts days in the country, and only those. We covered the 183-day rule in “Georgia tax residency: the 183-day rule and what it means for apartment owners”.

For an apartment owner this means two things. You pay Georgian taxes on the apartment either way, with or without the permit. And the country where you remain a tax resident may tax your Georgian rental income under its own rules.

Check the property tax separately: households with income above GEL 100,000 a year pay it at 0.8% to 1% of the property's value. If your household income is above that threshold, an apartment worth more than $150,000 is subject to the tax. The details are in “Georgia property tax 2026”.

For comparison: Dubai

Dubai often comes up next to Georgia in conversations about a “residence permit for an apartment.” The rules differ, and we take them from the Dubai Land Department and the federal ICP pages as of November 11, 2026.

The UAE has no personal income tax: the government portal u.ae says so outright. Georgia still charges its own taxes on renting out and selling the apartment. How those combine with the taxes of the country you live in is covered in “An apartment in Georgia while you live and pay taxes elsewhere”.

How Levelvale runs the numbers

The calculator does not issue permits and does not calculate government fees. It calculates what you actually keep from the apartment after Georgian taxes, vacant months, agent fees and running costs, and compares that with a savings account, bonds and an index fund. If you are buying for the permit, your price is above $150,000, and your purchase costs are higher too: see “An apartment in Georgia: the full cost before the first rent”. Enter your own price and rent below, and in the full analysis pick your country of tax residency: the calculator adds its tax to the Georgian one.

The scenario below: the worked-example apartment from the home page, price $60,000, rent $450 a month, long-term rental, a 10-year horizon. Replace the price with yours.

Questions and answers

I bought an apartment worth more than $150,000. Am I a Georgian tax resident now? No. The residence permit and tax residency are governed by different laws. You become a tax resident for the whole year after 183 days in Georgia in any continuous 12-month period ending in that tax year, Article 34 of the Tax Code.

Is the price in my contract enough to prove $150,000? Under the law, the value is established by a certified appraiser of an accredited body. The agency asks for the appraisal report as a separate document.

What happens to the permit if I sell the apartment? The short-term residence permit terminates when your ownership of the property terminates, Article 16 of the law.

Do I need a new appraisal every year? Not since September 1, 2026. If you keep ownership of the same property, no new appraisal is required for an extension, Law No. 1803.

Can my family be included? Yes. The short-term residence permit is also issued to the owner's spouse and children. They submit a copy of the owner's permit and proof of the family relationship.

This is a summary of laws and official pages, not legal advice. Rules change; all sources were checked on November 11, 2026. This is a calculation, not investment advice.

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