Personal Bank Account in Georgia: How to Open One, Which Banks, Which Documents

You can open a personal account at a Georgian bank without a residence permit, without a registered business, and in some cases without even traveling to Georgia, through a representative with a power of attorney. In 2026, though, banks look much harder at where your money comes from and what you need the account for.

Bank of Georgia and TBC Hold Most of the Market

Georgia has 17 licensed commercial banks, but for a foreigner the choice usually comes down to two names. Bank of Georgia and TBC Bank together hold about 75% of the country's banking assets, and they have the most experience with non-residents.

Liberty Bank, Basisbank, and Credo deserve a look as well. They are easier to get into and their terms are more lenient for clients without a registered address in Georgia, although they offer fewer currencies and online services than the big two.

What Documents You Will Need

On paper, a passport is enough to open a personal account: most banks do not require a residence permit, a registered business, or proof of a Georgian address. In practice, walking in with nothing but a passport in 2026 almost guarantees a refusal.

The bank asks you to fill out a form about your occupation, the source of your funds, and how much money you expect to move through the account. It often wants proof of income too, such as recent pay stubs, an employment verification letter, or a statement in English from your home bank for the last 6-12 months. A second ID, for example a driver's license, and proof of address, whether a utility bill or a lease, improve your chances of approval.

Almost every bank asks for one more thing: a Georgian phone number for the SMS code when the account is opened, because most banks do not accept numbers from other countries. You can buy a SIM card in Georgia with just your passport, so get a local number before you visit the bank.

Can You Open an Account Without Coming to Georgia?

Bank of Georgia requires every non-resident to visit a branch in person and has no remote option for personal accounts. At TBC, a non-resident signs a declaration during the branch visit about the purpose of the account and the transactions they expect.

If you cannot make the trip, the only other option is to have a representative act for you under a notarized power of attorney valid in Georgia. This route does not work at every bank: Bank of Georgia, for one, opens accounts for non-residents only in person, so ask your chosen bank in advance whether it will accept a power of attorney.

A power of attorney issued in the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada, or Australia needs an apostille, and in Georgia it is translated into Georgian with the translation certified by a notary. The whole process, from preparing the papers to receiving the account details, takes 2-4 weeks.

Anyone who holds Russian or Belarusian citizenship, even as a second one, gets a first account at Bank of Georgia only after filing an online application at kyc.bog.ge, and the bank does not accept a power of attorney for that first account.

Citizens of the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada, and Australia face no special procedure, and the usual documents apply: a passport, proof of income, and a Georgian phone number. US citizens also fill out a FATCA form at the bank, and if they refuse, the bank may block their transactions and close the account. Every client is also asked where they are a tax resident, because Georgia shares account data under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

Once you are a TBC client, you can open additional accounts in other currencies through online or mobile banking without a visit to a branch.

Is It Easier With a Residence Permit?

A residence permit does not exempt you from the source-of-funds check, but it makes the process noticeably easier: the bank already sees a legal basis for your stay in Georgia, so it asks for fewer documents beyond the usual set.

Permit holders land in the higher-risk category less often, because unlike tourists they have a clear tie to the country. The grounds on which your residence permit in Georgia was issued matter far less to the bank than the fact that you have one.

What Opening and Maintaining an Account Costs

A non-resident pays separately for the review of the application and separately for account maintenance, and if the bank says no, the review fee is usually not refunded. TBC requires neither an opening deposit nor a minimum balance on a checking account.

Package prices come from the National Bank of Georgia's fee comparison for October 2026. Bank of Georgia and Liberty Bank do not publish their application review fee, so those amounts are based on client reviews posted in September 2026. Confirm them with the bank before your visit.

Almost every bank opens a multi-currency account in lari, US dollars, and euros right away, which suits anyone whose income arrives in more than one currency. Such an account is also the simplest way to receive money transfers to Georgia from other countries: Wise pays lari straight to the account's IBAN.

After the account is open, the mobile app becomes your main tool. The Bank of Georgia and TBC apps rank among the best mobile banking apps in the region, with transfers by phone number inside the country, payment of utility bills in Georgia, and push notifications for every transaction in Georgian, Russian, or English, whichever you choose.

Why a Bank Might Say No

In recent years Georgian banks have tightened their compliance procedures considerably and now vet clients to standards close to the international FATF anti-money-laundering requirements, although Georgia itself is on neither the FATF gray list nor its blacklist.

In practice this means the bank can request extra documents or refuse without giving a reason, especially if the client's citizenship falls into a higher-risk category or the purpose of the account looks unclear.

Companies opening a business bank account in Georgia run into the same problem: the bank can spend weeks on the application and then refuse without explanation, even with a complete set of documents.

Choosing a branch used to working with foreigners improves your odds. The large branches in central Tbilisi are more likely than smaller ones to have English- and Russian-speaking staff and to know how to handle clients with unusual circumstances.

Georgia has 17 commercial banks licensed by the National Bank, so the choice is not limited to Bank of Georgia, TBC, Liberty Bank, Basisbank, and Credo. Each bank sets its own terms, fees, and requirements for non-residents, and they change over time. Compare the current offers of several banks before you choose. You can also get initial information and advice from Bebgur on opening an account.