2026 में प्रॉपर्टी निवेश के ज़रिए जॉर्जिया की रेज़िडेंसी: $150,000 की सीमा को समझें

For foreign investors, Georgia has long been one of the most accessible places in the region to combine a real-estate purchase with a residence permit. That accessibility narrowed in 2026. On 1 March 2026, the minimum property value required to qualify for a residence permit rose by 50% — from USD 100,000 to USD 150,000 — under an amendment adopted in June 2025, as reported by Legal.ge. The USD 150,000 minimum is now in force; the earlier USD 100,000 window closed on 28 February 2026.

This was the single most significant change for buyers in 2026. If you are weighing a purchase that would also unlock residency, the figure that now applies is straightforward: the qualifying property must be worth at least USD 150,000, evidenced as completed, fully paid and registered. The lower USD 100,000 figure is no longer available — it applied only to property completed, paid and registered before 1 March 2026.

Below is a precise, source-cited walkthrough of Georgia’s visa-free regime, the property residence permit and how it is changing, the higher-tier investor route, how to include your family, the application process, and the longer road from a one-year permit to permanent residency and citizenship.

Georgia’s 1-year visa-free regime: who qualifies

Before discussing residence permits, it helps to understand why so many investors hold property in Georgia without one. Georgia operates one of the most generous visa-free regimes in the world. According to Georgia Expats, citizens of roughly 95 countries — including all EU member states, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, Israel, Japan and South Korea — can enter and stay visa-free for up to 365 days.

That full year is significant. For many buyers, it removes any immediate pressure to obtain a permit at all: you can purchase, furnish and let a property, and spend extended periods in the country, on the strength of the visa-free entry alone. A residence permit becomes worthwhile when you want continuity beyond the visa-free window, a clearer legal status, or a foundation for the longer path toward permanent residency and, eventually, citizenship.

One nuance to keep in mind: as we explain later, the years you spend in Georgia purely on visa-free entry do not count toward the residence requirement for permanent residency or naturalization. If long-term status is your goal, the clock effectively starts when you hold a residence permit.

The property residence permit: $100,000 → $150,000 from 1 March 2026

The property route is the most popular path to a Georgian residence permit for foreign buyers. The principle is straightforward: own qualifying real estate at or above the minimum value, and you become eligible for a short-term residence permit tied to that ownership.

The threshold changed in 2026. Per Legal.ge, a June 2025 amendment raised the minimum property value from USD 100,000 to USD 150,000, effective 1 March 2026 — a 50% increase that is now in force.

The permit itself is modest in duration but renewable. According to Relocation Georgia, the property residence permit is issued for one year and renewable annually, for as long as you maintain ownership of property above the threshold. In other words, the permit is contingent: sell or fall below the qualifying value, and the basis for renewal falls away.

Feature	Property residence permit
Minimum property value (until 28 Feb 2026)	USD 100,000
Minimum property value (from 1 March 2026)	USD 150,000
Permit duration	1 year, renewable annually
Renewal condition	Maintain ownership above the threshold
Family inclusion	Spouse and minor children on the same property

One practical point worth flagging: sources differ on whether the USD 100,000 / 150,000 figure refers to the purchase price or to a certified appraised value. In practice, an accredited Georgian appraisal appears to be required — and it is explicitly required for the higher investor route described below. Before committing, confirm the exact document checklist and valuation basis with Georgia’s Public Service Development Agency (PSDA) at sda.gov.ge or a qualified local adviser.

How the old $100k threshold worked (and why it closed)

The USD 100,000 level closed to new applicants on 1 March 2026, but the conditions that governed it are worth understanding — both as context and because the same logic now applies at the USD 150,000 floor. Per Legal.ge, to qualify under the old threshold the property had to be completed, fully paid and registered before 1 March 2026.

Each of those three conditions is a potential trap for off-plan buyers in particular:

• Completed — a unit still under construction at the 1 March 2026 cut-off did not count under the old figure, regardless of how much had been paid. The same now applies at the USD 150,000 level.
• Fully paid — a property purchased on an installment plan with an outstanding balance is unlikely to satisfy the requirement until settled in full.
• Registered — ownership must be formally recorded at the National Agency of Public Registry (NAPR). The good news here is speed: NAPR registration is fast (more on timelines below).

The takeaway still applies, now at the higher figure. To qualify on the strength of a purchase, you should be looking at completed, ready-to-register stock that is worth at least USD 150,000 — the floor that has been in force since 1 March 2026 — rather than off-plan projects whose value or completion status is uncertain at application time.

The USD 300,000 investor permit and fast-track to PR

Above the standard property route sits a more substantial option for larger investors. According to Immigration Georgia, an investment of USD 300,000 or more grants an initial 5-year residence permit — rather than the one-year permit of the property route.

The structural advantage is what happens at the end of that term. Per the same source, if the real estate is not sold after five years, the holder is granted permanent residence. That converts a higher upfront commitment into a clearer, faster route to long-term status, without the annual renewal cycle of the standard property permit.

	Property route	Investor route
Minimum investment	USD 150,000 (from 1 Mar 2026)	USD 300,000+
Initial permit length	1 year	5 years
Renewal	Annual, while above threshold	PR if property retained after 5 years

For investors who are already planning a portfolio-scale purchase — for example, a branded or hotel-managed residence — the USD 300,000 route can be the more efficient path to permanence. As with the property route, confirm the appraisal and documentation requirements with the PSDA before relying on a particular valuation.

Including your spouse and children

A major attraction of the property route is that it is not limited to the individual buyer. According to Relocation Georgia, a spouse and minor children can be included on the same single property — meaning one qualifying purchase can support residence permits for the whole immediate family, rather than requiring a separate property per applicant.

This materially improves the economics of the route. A family of four securing residence on the strength of one USD 150,000 property is a very different proposition from jurisdictions that scale the investment requirement per dependant. It is one of the reasons Georgia’s property permit remains competitive even after the March 2026 increase.

The application process, documents and timelines

The administrative side of obtaining a Georgian residence permit is comparatively light. Per Immigration Georgia, applications are processed through the Public Service Development Agency (PSDA / sda.gov.ge), with permit processing taking around 30 days.

The property registration that underpins the application is even quicker. The same source notes that property is registered at NAPR in 1–4 days — an unusually fast turnaround that is central to the “completed, paid and registered” deadline logic discussed earlier.

A typical sequence looks like this:

• Purchase and register the qualifying property — NAPR registration in roughly 1–4 days.
• Obtain a valuation where required, using an accredited Georgian appraiser to evidence the property meets the threshold.
• Submit the residence-permit application to the PSDA with the required supporting documents.
• Await a decision — approximately 30 days for processing.

Because sources differ on the precise valuation basis and document checklist, treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a definitive list, and verify the current requirements directly with the PSDA at sda.gov.ge before you file.

From residence permit to permanent residency and citizenship

A residence permit is the entry point, not the destination, for investors thinking about the long term. According to Immigrant Invest, permanent residency is generally available after 6 years of lawful residence, and citizenship by naturalization after 10 years (reduced to 5 years for spouses of Georgian citizens).

The critical caveat — and the reason the visa-free regime is not a shortcut to a passport — is that years spent in Georgia on visa-free entry do not count toward these residence requirements. The clock that matters for permanent residency and citizenship runs on the time you hold an actual residence permit.

Milestone	Requirement
Permanent residency	~6 years of lawful residence (permit-based)
Citizenship (general)	10 years of lawful residence
Citizenship (spouse of citizen)	5 years
Visa-free time toward the above	Does not count

This is precisely where the USD 300,000 investor route can shorten the journey: by delivering permanent residence after five years of retained ownership, it sidesteps much of the incremental, renewal-by-renewal accumulation that the standard property route entails.

How Palmera can help

Whether you are entering at the current USD 150,000 threshold with a completed, ready-to-register unit, or building toward permanent residency through a larger investment, the property you choose is the foundation of the whole strategy. Palmera works with hand-picked projects across Georgia’s two key markets — from Batumi’s Gonio beachfront to Tbilisi’s riverfront — including Radisson Blu Residences in Gonio, Gonio Yachts & Marina, Tbilisi Waterfront and MIRA VERDE – Trussardi Residences in Tbilisi.

Browse the full Georgia portfolio, explore our vetted developers, or talk to an advisor who can map the residency timeline against the right property and the current USD 150,000 threshold. Reach the team at [email protected] or +971 54 215 4066.

This guide is for general information only and is not legal or immigration advice. Residence-permit rules and valuation requirements can change; confirm the current criteria with Georgia’s Public Service Development Agency (sda.gov.ge) or a qualified Georgian adviser before acting.