Selling property in Georgia is administratively light, and that surprises most owners coming from Europe. There is no transfer tax, no stamp duty, no capital gains tax on a home you have held for more than two years, and the change of ownership is registered in one working day for GEL 270.
The two things worth planning are the two-year rule, which decides whether you pay anything at all, and the documents, which decide whether the sale takes a week or a month.
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The two-year rule
For an individual selling a residential apartment or house with its attached land, the holding period decides the tax:
- Owned more than two years: the gain is exempt from personal income tax. You pay nothing on the profit.
- Owned two years or less: 5% of the gain.
- Anything that is not residential property, or a sale that forms part of a business activity: the standard 20% rate.
The exemption is for owners, not for developers. If you buy, finish and resell repeatedly, the Revenue Service can treat the activity as a business and tax it at 20% regardless of how long each property was held. One sale of your own home is not a business; four in two years may be.
Where a property was inherited or received as a gift from a close relative, it is generally treated favourably and the holding period is not reset by the transfer. The detail matters, so check your specific case before you sign.
How the taxable gain is calculated
If the 5% does apply, it falls on the gain and not on the sale price. The gain is what you sold it for, less what you paid for it, less the costs that genuinely added value and that you can document.
- The purchase price, as it appears in the registered purchase contract.
- Documented renovation and improvement costs. Invoices, not recollections. This is the single most common reason an owner pays more tax than necessary: the receipts for a $30,000 renovation were never kept.
- Costs directly connected to the sale.
A worked example. You bought a Vake apartment for $180,000, spent $25,000 on a renovation you have invoices for, and sell eighteen months later for $230,000. The gain is $25,000 and the tax is $1,250. Had you sold six months later, after the two-year mark, it would have been nothing.
What it costs to sell
| Item | Amount | Normally paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Tax on the gain | 0% if you have owned it more than two years; otherwise 5% of the gain | Seller |
| Agency commission | 3% of the final sale price, due only at signature | Seller |
| Public Registry (NAPR) registration | GEL 150 for four working days, GEL 270 for one working day, GEL 350 same day | Buyer, by custom |
| Notary | A fixed fee, not a percentage | Usually the buyer |
| Certified translation | Charged per page, when a party does not read Georgian | The party who needs it |
| Transfer tax or stamp duty | None in Georgia | — |
On a $230,000 sale completed after two years of ownership, a seller’s total cost is therefore the 3% commission, about $6,900, and nothing else. There is no percentage-based transfer tax in Georgia.
How long it takes
- Preparation: a few days. Public Registry extract, floor plans, identity documents, and the photography and video. Floor plans are the item that most often causes delay, because many owners do not have them.
- Finding the buyer: weeks to months. This is the only genuinely variable step, and the asking price at launch is what decides it. A correctly priced central apartment generally sells within one to three months; an optimistically priced one sits, is reduced, and sells lower months later.
- Signature and registration: one working day. The contract is signed before a notary or an authorised registrar and the new owner is entered at the Public Registry for GEL 270, or the same day for GEL 350.
If you are abroad, the signature and registration can be done without you, by a representative holding a notarised power of attorney. How that works in practice.
The two other taxes an owner should know about
Annual property tax. Payable by individuals whose annual household income reaches GEL 40,000. Between GEL 40,000 and GEL 100,000 of household income the rate runs from 0.05% to 0.2% of the property’s market value; above GEL 100,000 it runs from 0.8% to 1%. Below GEL 40,000, residential property is generally exempt, though land tax is still due. The declaration is filed by 1 November of the following year and paid by 15 November.
Rental income tax. 5% of gross rent for residential property let to individuals, provided you claim no expense deductions, and 20% for commercial lettings. The 5% rate applies to nightly rentals as well as long leases. What rent your property can achieve.
What to have ready before you list
- The Public Registry (NAPR) extract for the property, current rather than from the year you bought it.
- Floor plans. Serious buyers ask for these first, and not having them visibly slows a sale.
- Your passport or Georgian ID, and a notarised power of attorney if someone will sign for you.
- The registered purchase contract and the invoices for any renovation, if there is any chance the two-year rule does not cover you.
- Confirmation that the registered layout matches the actual one. An enclosed balcony or an unregistered extension will be found during the buyer’s checks; it is far cheaper to resolve beforehand than during a negotiation.
Questions owners ask
Do I pay capital gains tax when I sell property in Georgia?
Not if you are an individual selling residential property you have owned for more than two years: the gain is exempt. If you have owned it for two years or less, the rate is 5% of the gain, not of the sale price.
Is it different for a foreigner or a non-resident?
The two-year exemption and the 5% rate apply on the same basis. What differs is your own country: you may have a declaration or a liability where you are tax resident, and whether a double-tax treaty helps depends on which country that is.
Is there a transfer tax or stamp duty?
No. Georgia has no percentage-based property transfer tax and no stamp duty. The only state charge on the transfer is the Public Registry fee, GEL 150 to GEL 350 depending on how fast you want it.
How quickly can the ownership actually change hands?
One working day at the Public Registry for GEL 270, or the same day for GEL 350. The registration is not the slow part of selling a property in Georgia.
Can I sell without coming to Georgia?
Yes, with a notarised power of attorney naming the property and the acts permitted. If you sign it abroad it will need local notarisation, an apostille and a certified Georgian translation.
What does it cost to sell with Caucasus Elite Estate?
3% of the final sale price, due only when the definitive contract is signed with a buyer introduced by the agency. Nothing is paid upfront.
Should I renovate before selling?
Rarely a full renovation, at Tbilisi price levels. Almost always the things a buyer notices immediately: the entrance, the light, visible water damage, and having the floor plans available.
Can I sell discreetly, without a public listing?
Yes. An off-market sale presents the property privately, without the address or a full photo set, only to buyers identified and qualified in advance. How that is handled.
General information, current as at November 2026, not tax or legal advice. Georgian tax rules change, and your own position depends on your residence and your history with the property. Confirm with the Revenue Service, a Georgian accountant or a lawyer before you sign.
Sources: National Agency of Public Registry, registration fees and terms · Selling property in Georgia, 2026 tax rules (Expathub) · Georgia property tax (Andersen)
Talk about selling your property on WhatsApp · contact@cel.estate · +995 577 94 00 68
Market figures reviewed and verified by Alain Lavit, Caucasus Elite Estate, Tbilisi. Drafted with AI assistance.
