Georgia is the low-tax crossroads on the seam between Europe and Asia. It runs a territorial tax system that does not touch foreign income, a 1 percent regime on small-business turnover, and property ownership open to foreign buyers on the same footing as citizens. For anyone weighing Georgia residency, Georgia visa rules, or a Georgia tax base in 2026, the country pairs the cheapest productive tax stack in the region with a Black Sea coast and an eight-thousand-year wine culture.

The residency threshold that changed on 1 March 2026

On 1 March 2026 Georgia raised the property-based residence-permit threshold from $100,000 to $150,000 of appraised value, a 50 percent increase in one step. The $150,000 route grants a one-year renewable permit on the path to permanent residence. A $300,000 real-estate investment delivers immediate five-year residency for the applicant, spouse, and minor children, and converts to permanent status after five years. Titles registered before 1 March keep the old $100,000 threshold. Georgia has no citizenship-by-investment programme, so this is a residency play, not a passport play.

Territorial tax and the 1 percent regime

A Georgian tax resident pays zero on foreign-source income, so foreign dividends, foreign bank interest, and most foreign capital gains are untaxed. A registered individual entrepreneur with small-business status pays 1 percent on turnover up to 500,000 lari a year, roughly $180,000. Personal income tax is a flat 20 percent on Georgian-source income only. Corporate profit follows the Estonian model, taxed at 15 percent when distributed and zero when retained. There is no wealth tax, no inheritance tax, and no gift tax. Georgia holds 58 double-tax treaties, though none with the United States, Australia, or Canada.

Property, banking, and the single-day company

Foreign nationals buy urban, commercial, and resort property outright, with title transferring at the public registry in one to two business days. Only agricultural land is closed to foreign individuals. Tbilisi averages around $1,500 per square metre in mid-2026, and Batumi seafront and Kakheti wine country price well below any Mediterranean equivalent. TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia open multi-currency accounts, and the country runs no capital controls, so a dollar windfall converts in a single clean leg. A Georgian company registers for a $35 state fee in one business day, and four free industrial zones charge zero corporate tax.

The complete IR-012 report maps every residency pathway, the full tax and treaty picture, banking and source-of-funds requirements, property pricing by city, and the political risks behind the low entry prices. Data is current as of 4 June 2026. Read the full Georgia country analysis.