Property taxes and costs in Georgia for foreign owners

Georgia is often described as a low-tax place to own property, and for many owners it is. But low is not zero, and the property tax rules changed on 30 September 2026. This guide sets out what you pay when you buy, while you own, when you rent out and when you sell, with the official source for each figure and a worked example at the end. It covers individuals who own residential property. Companies and professional property traders follow different rules.

The short version

When you buy: state fees, not a transfer tax

Georgia's Tax Code does not include a separate property transfer tax or stamp duty.⁠^S4 The state costs of a purchase are the fees of the National Agency of Public Registry (NAPR):⁠^S2

• Registration of ownership: GEL 150 (4 working days), GEL 270 (1 working day) or GEL 350 (same day).
• Signature certification by the NAPR official when the agreement is filed: GEL 7.
• Public Registry extract to check the title before you buy: GEL 20, or GEL 13 online.

A standard sale agreement doesn't need a notary⁠^S22.⁠^S23 The NAPR official who certifies the signatures only identifies the signatories and doesn't check whether the contract is lawful.⁠^S23 That makes an independent legal review worth its cost, particularly for off-plan purchases.

The other purchase costs are not set by law, so ask for written quotes:

• Translation. If you don't speak Georgian, the contract is filed with a Georgian translation, and the translator signs the translation in front of the NAPR official before you do.⁠^S23
• Power of attorney, if someone signs for you: notarization, an apostille or legalization, and a Georgian translation notarized in Georgia⁠^S24.⁠^S25 See How to buy property in Georgia remotely.
• Legal review of the contract and the title.
• Certified valuation, if you plan to apply for residency.
• Finishing and furnishing, if you buy black or white frame.

While you own: the income-based property tax

This is the rule most often misunderstood. Property tax in Georgia depends on family income, not nationality. For individuals, buildings and apartments are exempt if the family's total income in the previous calendar year did not exceed GEL 100,000. Above that, the annual rate is 0.8%–1% of the property's market value. Land is taxed separately, whatever the family's income. These rules come from Law № 1874-VIმს-XIმპ amending the Tax Code of Georgia, adopted on 30 September 2026; it applies to the property tax declared in 2026⁠^S5.⁠^S20

Three practical points:

1. The test is family income, not your passport or tax residence. A foreign owner is treated the same way as a Georgian owner.⁠^S4
2. Older figures are out of date. The amendment replaced the previous multi-tier thresholds and rates with this single rule⁠^S5.⁠^S21 If you read an older article, check its date.
3. Deadlines in 2026. According to the Revenue Service, families whose 2025 income did not exceed GEL 100,000 don't need to file a property tax return for property other than land. Owners above the threshold who hold taxable property, and anyone who owns taxable land, file by 2 November 2026 inclusive. If you filed for 2025 and nothing has changed, the Revenue Service assesses the tax automatically; you only pay it, no later than 16 November 2026.⁠^S29

Get local tax advice on filing, especially if your family has income in several countries.

Other running costs

Taxes are usually the smaller part of running costs. Budget also for:

• the building's service or maintenance charge, which varies by project;
• utilities, including in months when the unit is empty;
• insurance;
• rental management fees, if you let the unit;
• periodic refurbishment and replacement of furniture.

Ask for each project's service charge in writing before you buy. These costs shape your net return more than the headline yield does. See Rental yields in Georgia 2026: gross vs net explained.

When you rent out: 5% or 20%

An individual who rents out a residential property for residential use can pay 5% of gross rental income, with no deductions. To use this rate, the landlord must be registered in the Revenue Service's register for this regime. Otherwise the general 20% personal income tax rate applies to net income⁠^S4.⁠^S6

The 5% regime is simple, but it taxes gross rent, so expenses can't be deducted. Ask a tax adviser whether it fits your rental model, for example short-term holiday lets, and how it interacts with tax in your home country. Hotel rooms and units within hotel infrastructure are a special case: Decision No. 143 treats them as not residential, so the 5% rate is doubtful for them. Confirm with a tax adviser before you rely on it.⁠^S30

When you sell: the two-year rule

For individuals, a gain on selling a residential apartment or house owned for more than two years is generally exempt from personal income tax. If you sell within two years, the gain is generally taxed at 5%⁠^S4.⁠^S16 Two decisions of the Minister of Finance set out where these rules don't apply⁠^S30:⁠^S31

• Hotel rooms and units within hotel infrastructure are not residential property, so a gain on a sale within two years is taxed at 20%.⁠^S30
• Selling your rights under a preliminary (off-plan) contract is the sale of a right, not of a home, so the standard rate applies rather than 5%.⁠^S30
• Systematic, organized trading as an individual entrepreneur loses the 5% rate and the two-year exemption. Simply owning several apartments doesn't count as trading.⁠^S31

If you buy off-plan, the two-year period runs from the date of the ownership document drawn up for registration (Tax Code Art. 82(4)(a), Decision No. 143)⁠^S4.⁠^S30

Worked example

Illustrative assumptions, not a forecast or a quote: an individual buys a ready apartment in Batumi for $90,000. They sign in person with a translator, register in 4 working days, let the unit long-term for $6,000 a year in gross rent and are registered for the 5% regime. For simplicity, the market value equals the price.

Not included: translation, legal review, valuation, furnishing, service charges, management and utilities, which depend on the project and on the providers you choose. Taxes are assessed in GEL, so the dollar amounts move with the exchange rate.

This example uses illustrative assumptions. It is not a forecast, not a tax calculation for your case and not a guarantee of any rent or price.

Checklist before you commit

1. Ask for a registry extract and the full list of purchase costs in writing.
2. Check whether your family's income in the previous year exceeded GEL 100,000.
3. Decide whether you will register for the 5% rental regime.
4. Get the building's service charge and any management terms in writing.
5. Plan your holding period around the two-year rule.
6. Check how your home country taxes foreign rent and gains.

How SPG helps

Before you reserve, we can put the numbers for a specific unit on one page: price, payment schedule, state fees and the running costs that the developer or building manager confirms in writing. For the whole buying process, read Buying property in Georgia as a foreigner or our FAQ on costs and taxes.

Want a cost sheet for a specific unit? Message us on WhatsApp (+995 511 229 942).

General information only, not legal, tax or investment advice. Prices as listed on spg-realty.com in October 2026 and subject to change; laws and fees also change. Yields quoted are market averages, not forecasts for any specific unit; rental income and capital growth are not guaranteed. Confirm your situation, and any contract, with licensed professionals.