How to send money to Georgia in 2026: bank transfer, card and crediting times

In 2026 money most often reaches Georgia by bank transfer to your own account at a Georgian bank: 1-3 business days, credited in lari, dollars or euros with no mandatory sale. A local bank card covers living costs, and from $10,000 the bank asks for a source of funds document.

In detail

How to receive money in Georgia: what the recipient needs

The recipient in Georgia needs an account or card at a Georgian bank in their own name. A non-resident opens an account with a passport at a branch, in lari, dollars and euros at once, and gives the sender the 22-character account number and the name in Latin letters as at the bank. A bank transfer is credited in 1-3 business days in the currency it was sent in, and there is no need to exchange it: dollars can stay dollars. A local bank card suits money for living costs, and for a large amount the Georgian bank will ask the recipient for a source of funds document, so the sender prepares the statement and contract in advance. If a relative pays, the purpose is written plainly: family support or a gift.

How many documents your amount needs

• Up to $10,000. An account in your own name and a clear purpose are enough: family support, rent, living costs.
• From $10,000 to $100,000. The Georgian bank will ask for a source of funds document: a statement, an income certificate or a sale agreement. The fuller the package with the first transfer, the faster the next ones are credited.
• From $100,000. The whole chain is needed: where the money came from, how it reached the sender's bank and what it will be used for in Georgia. For a home purchase the contract and property valuation are added. All routes for large amounts are in the capital relocation section.

Preparing a large transfer for a flat or deposits? Our manager will check the documents and the route before the first payment. How to prove the source of money is covered in the article proof of source of funds.

What changed on the Georgian route in 2026

The main change is the channels. Since summer 2026, money for the first weeks of living is more often sent to a Georgian bank card: by card number or through a money transfer system that credits dollars to the card. Checked on 9 October 2026. Large amounts go by bank transfer to your own account.

If your bank does not send payments to Georgia, tell our manager where you are sending from, and they will find a route for your situation. General rules for large amounts are in the article transferring a large amount abroad.

A card-to-card transfer to Georgia depends on the banks on both sides, so for an amount larger than a month's expenses a transfer to an account is more reliable: it leaves a statement for the bank, the notary and the migration service.

A transfer to your own account in Georgia: a passport and what to bring to the bank

No residence permit is needed for an account: a Georgian bank opens one for a non-resident with a passport during a branch visit, in three currencies at once. The bank will ask why you need an account in Georgia specifically and where the money comes from, so a short package is prepared for the visit:

• passport;
• an address in Georgia and in your country of residence: a lease or a utility bill;
• the tax number of your country of residence - for the tax information exchange form;
• a document on the source of the amount: a salary certificate, statements, a property sale agreement, an inheritance certificate;
• papers showing ties to Georgia, if any: an employment contract, company or university documents.

Ties to the country - a lease, work, studies, property or your own business - speed up the bank's decision for any citizenship. The payment purpose must match the documents, and account turnover must match the income stated in the form: then large incoming payments are credited without extra requests.

Once the account is open, the transfer to Georgia is made online in your bank's app: you need the 22-character Georgian account number, the name in Latin letters as at the bank and the payment purpose. The money arrives in 1-3 business days.

Not sure which bank will open an account faster for your profile? A specialist will tell you where to go and what to put in the folder.

Foreign income is not taxed in Georgia: what about deposit interest

Georgia taxes individuals on a territorial basis: 20% income tax is charged on Georgian income, and income from foreign sources is not taxed regardless of residence. You become a tax resident after 183 days in the country in any 12 consecutive months.

If the money is your earnings from clients abroad, Georgia has the individual entrepreneur regime with small business status: 1% of turnover up to 500,000 lari ($200,000) a year. The bank credits such payments against the contract with the client and the invoice, and an individual entrepreneur is registered in one visit to a Public Service Hall.

Since 1 April 2026 deposits are insured up to $20,000 (50,000 lari) per depositor at each bank, so large savings are spread across several banks. Since 2024 Georgia has exchanged account information with the tax authorities of other countries: in 2025 there were 44 partners. More on days and status is in the article Georgian tax residence.

Money for a flat in Tbilisi and a residence permit from $150,000

A flat in Georgia is a common reason for a transfer, and it comes with a bonus: property worth $150,000 or more by an accredited valuer's assessment gives a one-year residence permit with renewal, and from $300,000 a 5-year investment residence permit. The threshold is counted by the valuation, not by the price in the contract. More on the pages Georgia residence permit and property in Georgia.

Payment is made by bank transfer: the statement confirms the investment when applying for a residence permit and will be useful when the flat is sold later. Example: for a $160,000 flat the money is sent to your own account in one payment with the purpose as in the contract, the sale agreement for the previous flat and statements are attached, and a small test payment goes before the main one.

To Georgia from Belarus and Kazakhstan

Checked on 9 October 2026 against the data of the national banks of Belarus and Kazakhstan. From both countries money goes by bank transfer to an account at a Georgian bank in lari, dollars or euros: the sender needs the 22-character account number and the recipient's name in Latin letters, as at the bank.

• From Belarus. An individual freely sends their own money to their own account abroad, and since 1 March 2019 no permission from the National Bank of Belarus is needed to open such an account. Help for a relative in Georgia is handled by the bank as an ordinary bank transfer.
• From Kazakhstan. From their own account an individual sends money abroad in any amount, and without opening an account - up to $10,000. From $50,000 the bank may ask for the basis of the transfer, so the contract or statement is prepared in advance.

A convenient order for a move: open an account in Georgia with a passport on your first visit and send the large amount to it.

Dollars or lari, the amount ladder and the transfer steps are on the page how to send money from Kazakhstan to Georgia.

An account in Georgia as a waypoint: Kazakhstan, Armenia, Turkey

An account at a Georgian bank also works as a waypoint: from Georgia, money in dollars and euros goes by bank transfer to Kazakhstan, Armenia and Turkey.

• To Kazakhstan - tenge and dollars to your own account
• To Armenia - an account in one visit
• To Turkey - the tax number first

Sending money to neighbouring countries

• Armenia - an account in one visit
• Azerbaijan - manats to your own account
• Turkey - the tax number first
• Kazakhstan - tenge to your own account
• UAE - dollars with no exchange rate risk

We handle large transfers to and from the Caucasus as part of capital relocation.

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