To buy property or live in Georgia, you need to move money into the country. Technically it's simple, but from 2026 banks scrutinise the origin of funds more closely.
Transfer methods
- SWIFT transfer from a foreign bank to a Georgian account — the standard route for large sums (e.g. buying a home).
- Wise and similar services — faster and cheaper for smaller amounts.
- Crypto — operations are legal; the National Bank licenses and monitors Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), which must perform full customer identification (KYC).
Tighter controls from 2026
Georgia has moved to stricter, more digital AML supervision under FATF standards. Banks examine "source of funds" and "source of wealth" more closely and may request extra documents or suspend a transaction that doesn't match the client's profile. From 2026, online currency exchange also requires a National Bank licence.
How to explain the source of funds
- Statements from your home-country bank for 6–12 months.
- Documents on an asset sale, salary, dividends or inheritance.
- For crypto — transaction history and proof of legal origin.
Practical tip
Prepare source-of-funds documents IN ADVANCE, before transferring a large sum — it speeds up both the property purchase and account opening (see the relevant articles). Don't move money "blind": a payment with no clear explanation can be frozen pending clarification.