Buying a House or Land in Georgia: What Foreigners Need to Know

A foreigner can buy a house, an apartment, or a land plot in Georgia almost as freely as a citizen, with one significant exception that sellers and real estate agents do not always mention upfront. The line between "can buy" and "cannot buy" depends not on the buyer's citizenship but on the land's registered status.

Houses and Residential Land: No Restrictions

A finished private house, an apartment, commercial space, or a plot designated "for residential construction" can be bought by a foreigner directly, in their own name, without a residence permit or a Georgian partner. A passport is enough for the deal and for registering ownership.

The rule applies equally in Tbilisi and Batumi: the only difference is in prices and demand for a specific district, and real estate in Batumi remains one of the most sought-after segments on the coast.

The only category of land closed to direct purchase by a foreigner is agricultural land. Formally, this restriction applies not only to foreign individuals but also to Georgian companies in which a foreigner acts as the "dominant partner."

Agricultural Land: Why It Cannot Be Bought Directly

Under the Organic Law of Georgia on Ownership of Agricultural Land, the right to own such land is reserved for the state, local self-government, a citizen of Georgia, or an association of Georgian citizens. A foreigner, whether an individual or a foreign legal entity, has no direct way to buy an agricultural plot.

A Georgian company can also own agricultural land if its dominant partner is a Georgian citizen. The law treats as the dominant partner whoever holds more than 50% of the shares or has a decisive influence over the company's decisions on land. If that partner is a foreigner, the company can obtain land only under an investment plan and by decision of the Government of Georgia.

The legal route investors use works like this. They register an LLC in Georgia where the controlling stake belongs to a Georgian citizen, and the foreigner joins as a minority partner. Such a company can legally buy agricultural land, and the foreigner gets a stake in the business, but the plot belongs to the company, not to them personally. The ownership structure cannot later be changed so that a foreigner becomes the dominant partner.

The second legal path is not a purchase but a long-term lease from a Georgian owner. The Civil Code sets no maximum lease term, but if a contract is signed for more than 10 years, either party may terminate it once ten years have passed, provided the contract allows for this. A lease gives the right to use the land (to farm it, put up greenhouses or plant a vineyard), but the tenant does not become its owner.

A foreigner can personally own agricultural land only if they inherited it. The restrictions in the law do not apply to inheritance, so the heir is not obliged to sell the inherited plot.

How to Check a Plot's Land Category Before Paying a Deposit

In practice, a plot with a private house or a suburban dacha is not automatically classified as "non-agricultural": some land in villages and on city outskirts is still formally registered as agricultural, even if a residential house has stood on it for decades. It is worth checking a specific plot's category before paying a deposit, rather than relying on the seller's or agent's word.

This can be done for free, on your own:

• Cadastral code: every plot in Georgia has its own, in the format XX.XX.XX.XXX, stated in the seller's certificate of ownership.
• maps.gov.ge: using the cadastral code, the National Agency of Public Registry's map shows the plot's boundaries and designated use.
• napr.gov.ge: an extract from the Public Registry, the same cadastral code plus the transaction history, encumbrances (mortgage, seizure, easement), and the exact area.

If the plot turns out to be agricultural and the buyer is not prepared to set up an LLC with a majority Georgian partner, the deal in its current form simply will not pass registration in the Public Registry. This is worth finding out in advance, not in the notary's office.

The Plot Is Agricultural, But You Need It for a House

The land's designated use can be changed from agricultural to "for residential construction": this is a separate procedure at the National Agency of Public Registry, not an automatic result of the purchase.

Changing the status requires justification (such as a house project) and approval from the municipality where the plot is located; the agency itself makes the final decision based on the submitted documents.

The procedure is neither fast nor guaranteed, so before signing the contract, it is more practical to buy a plot that already has the needed status than to treat a change of designation as a formality built into the deal.

A Finished House or a Plot for Your Own Construction

The two scenarios carry different risks, and the verification checklist differs too.

For a finished house, what matters most is legal cleanliness: whether the actual layout matches what is registered (illegal extensions are common on the secondary market in villages and suburbs), whether there are any encumbrances, and whether the seller is truly the sole owner or the consent of other co-owners will be required.

For an empty plot, the risks shift to infrastructure: whether electricity and water are already connected or will need to be run in at the buyer's expense, whether there is official access to a public road (a typical case is a plot "set back" from the road, reachable only through someone else's land), and of course the land's designated use.

Construction Permit

Building a house on your own land without a permit is not allowed: the procedure is handled at the municipal level, and for permitting purposes, buildings in Georgia are divided into 5 complexity classes depending on the future building's parameters. A typical private house of ordinary size and height usually falls into one of the first, less complex classes.

What is needed to submit an application:

• A document confirming ownership of the plot.
• An architectural project of the building.
• Approvals from relevant authorities if the land is near a protected zone, utility networks, or a cultural heritage site.
• A receipt confirming payment of the fee.

The fee for issuing a construction permit is set separately by each city's municipal council (Sakrebulo) and cannot exceed 1 lari per square meter of the building's planned floor area. For example, for a 150 m² house, the fee would be no more than 150 lari. Without additional approvals, the permit itself is issued by the municipality in about 20 working days.

What to Check Before Paying a Deposit

• The land category (agricultural or residential) using the cadastral code via maps.gov.ge.
• Encumbrances and the transaction history via an extract from napr.gov.ge.
• For a finished house: whether the actual layout matches the registered one.
• For a plot: connected utilities and official road access.
• If the plot is agricultural and the buyer is a foreigner: readiness to set up an LLC with a majority Georgian partner or to switch to a long-term lease arrangement.

From there, the deal follows the same process as buying an apartment in Georgia: contract, payment, registration in the Public Registry. The only difference is in the documents for the land itself and in who acts as the party to the contract if the LLC structure was used.