Plenty of people arrive in Tbilisi with their savings in USDT or Bitcoin and a simple question: can I just buy a flat with it? You can use crypto to fund the purchase. What you can’t legally do is hand the coins to a developer. The money that reaches the seller has to be dollars or lari, and the conversion has to happen at a provider registered with the National Bank of GeorgiaNBGNational Bank of Georgia — the central bank. It supervises banks and, since 2023, crypto service providers (VASPs)..
This guide walks through that route for a purchase in Tbilisi: the legal reason behind it, why so many listings still say “crypto accepted”, where to convert, what the Public Registry charges and how the $150,000 residence rule works. If you’re looking at the coast, our guide to buying an apartment in Batumi with USDT covers the local market and exchange offices there.
Why you can’t simply pay the developer in USDT
Georgia regulates crypto through the Organic Law on the National Bank of Georgia. Article 39¹ is two sentences long and decides everything here: “A virtual asset is not a legal tender”, and payments with virtual assets are prohibited except in cases the NBG defines for running virtual-asset services. The NBG’s own FAQ spells out what that means for business: a Georgian legal entity or individual entrepreneur “is not authorised to receive payment” in virtual assets for goods or services.
A developer is a company. An agency is a company. So a contract where you transfer 150,000 USDT to a developer’s wallet in exchange for an apartment sits outside the rules. Only one route is explicitly allowed: on your instruction, a registered VASPVASPVirtual Asset Service Provider — a crypto exchange, ATM operator or custodian. In Georgia every VASP must be registered with the National Bank (NBG). exchanges your crypto and sends the fiatFiatOrdinary government money — lari (GEL), dollars, euros. proceeds onward. That’s the model every serious intermediary in Georgia now describes.
The deal between two private individuals, a flat swapped for coins, is a grey zone. The law bans “payments with virtual assets” in general terms, not only by businesses, and we found no official guidance blessing private barter. Some consultancies still describe crypto payments as legal barter; that framing conflicts with the NBG’s wording, so don’t build a six-figure purchase on it. There’s also a practical problem: the Public Registry registers ownership on the basis of the contract, and a contract that names crypto as the price could later be challenged. For the full legal background, see is crypto legal in Georgia.
Why “accepts USDT” listings exist anyway, and what to check
Search for apartments in Tbilisi and you’ll find listings tagged “payment with cryptocurrency”: Archi Universe on Vazha-Pshavela (on an agency site, metropolitan.realestate), Outlook Forest in Krtsanisi and Lisi Residence (on the Realting marketplace), and Next Group’s Tbilisi projects (on the agency site realestatebatumi.ge, which itself says it isn’t a Next Group sales partner). Older press coverage described Coinmania, an NBG-registered provider (0013-9404), building an invoicing system with ELT Building so that buyers could pay in crypto while the developer received fiat. Mardi Holding announced something similar years earlier.
Here’s what we noticed when we checked: no developer’s own website we found states that it accepts crypto. Next Group’s site talks about 0% instalments for up to 48 months with a first payment from 20%, and says nothing about crypto. Every “crypto accepted” badge comes from an agency or a listing portal. The agency that’s most open about it says plainly that the payment goes through a crypto service provider registered with the NBG, which converts it.
So the badge usually means “we have an exchange partner who will convert your coins and pay the developer”. That can be perfectly fine. Before you rely on it, check:
- Who converts? Get the provider’s legal name and look it up on the NBG register of virtual asset service providers. If it isn’t one of the 43 active entries, walk away. Our list of licensed crypto exchanges in Georgia makes this quicker.
- Where does the money land? The developer’s company bank account named in your contract, not a personal wallet or card of a “manager”.
- What rate and fee? In writing, before you send anything. Ask whether the rate is fixed at the moment your coins arrive or later.
- Who signs? The sale contract is between you and the developer, priced in USD or GEL. The exchange gives you a separate receipt for the conversion.
Step by step: from USDT to keys
This is the order of operations that keeps you compliant and leaves a clean paper trail. It assumes a new-build apartment from a developer in Tbilisi; a resale flat from a private owner works the same way, minus the construction checks.
Choose and check the property
Ask the seller for the cadastral code and order a fresh extract from the Public Registry (napr.gov.ge). It shows who owns the plot or unit and whether there’s a mortgage, seizure or other encumbrance. For off-plan, check the construction permit. Agree the price in USD or GEL.
Sign the preliminary contract
For off-plan units this is usually a sale or instalment agreement with the developer, registered later. It should fix the price, the payment schedule and the developer’s bank account. Don’t let it name crypto as the payment. If you can’t come to Georgia, a notarised and apostilled power of attorney lets a lawyer sign for you.
Pick an NBG-registered exchange
Choose a provider from the register: an office in Tbilisi if you want to sit across a desk, or an online one if you’re happy with app-based verification. Ask for the rate, fee, payout options (USD or GEL, account or cash) and what documents they want for your amount.
Pass KYC and send a test amount
Verify your identity. Send a small test, for example 100 USDT, check that it arrived and that the quoted rate held, then send the rest. Agencies report USDT transfers taking minutes and Bitcoin 10–60 minutes, depending on confirmations.
Pay the seller in USD or GEL
Either the exchange pays the developer’s account directly against an invoice, or you receive the money in your own Georgian bank account and transfer it. The second path costs an extra bank step but gives you a clean bank-to-bank payment. Keep every receipt.
Register ownership at the Public Registry
The sale is registered at the National Agency of Public Registry, usually through a Public Service Hall. The official fee is 150 GEL for 4 working days, 270 GEL for the next working day or 350 GEL for the same day. For off-plan units this happens once the developer can transfer title.
For off-plan purchases, there’s no escrow account in the Western sense. The nearest thing is staging: pay in instalments tied to the contract schedule rather than the full price up front, convert only what’s due each time, and check the registry extract again before each large payment. With 0% instalment plans common among big developers, converting in tranches also limits how much crypto price risk you carry between signing and handover.
Choosing where to convert in Tbilisi
You need a provider that can take your coins and either pay a third party or pay you in a way your bank will accept. In Tbilisi that means an office of a registered VASP, an online exchange with a Georgian registration, or a bank’s own crypto service.
| Option | Examples (NBG no.) | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange office | Coinmania, Paliashvili 63 (0013); PLEX, Chavchavadze 37z (0017); Bithold, Chavchavadze 47 (0008) | Large one-off conversion, talking to a person | Rates aren’t published; ask in writing |
| Office near the airport | Alltrust.me, Atoneli 18 + airport branch (0010) | Buyers flying in for the signing | Fees and minimums not published |
| Georgian-registered online exchange | Bybit Georgia (0019), WhiteBIT Georgia (0007) | Selling online and withdrawing to a Georgian account | Check withdrawal routes and limits first |
| Bank app | TBC mobile bank, via Bybit Georgia | Smaller amounts, money lands in your TBC account | Launched May 2026; large-sum terms not published |
We didn’t find published spreads or minimums for office conversions in Tbilisi, so shop around: ask two or three offices for a firm quote on the same amount on the same day. Our guide to OTC desks and exchange offices explains how to compare quotes, and how to cash out crypto in Georgia covers smaller sums. If you need USDT in the first place, see how to buy USDT in Georgia.
Still holding dollars or euros, not USDT?Buy USDT with a card, then follow the conversion route above.
Buy USDTProof of funds, KYC and what your bank will ask
Every registered provider is an obliged person under Georgia’s anti-money-laundering law. According to Andersen’s summary of the rules, full customer due diligence kicks in for any single crypto transaction above USD 1,000 (or GEL 3,000), which every property deal will exceed. Expect KYCKYCKnow Your Customer: identity checks (passport, selfie, sometimes proof of address) that licensed services must run before you trade. with your passport, and expect questions about where the crypto came from.
The source of fundsSource of fundsDocuments showing where money came from (salary, sale of property, exchange statements). Georgian banks may ask for them on large crypto-related transfers. question is where most delays happen. One Tbilisi service quoted by Madloba asks for documents above about USD 50,000; that’s not an official threshold, and each provider sets its own. Prepare before you arrive:
- exchange account statements showing how and when you bought the crypto
- withdrawal records and wallet addresses that link your exchange account to the wallet you’re sending from
- the origin of the original money: salary slips, a sale of property or a business, tax returns
- the preliminary contract, so the provider can see what the payment is for
Banks receiving crypto-derived money look for the same trail, and secondary sources report that unexplained crypto inflows can lead to frozen transfers. Sources also mention extra questions for some passports, Russian citizens in particular. Our guide to Georgian banks and crypto goes deeper on what TBC, Bank of Georgia and others expect.
Costs, taxes and timing
The biggest cost isn’t a tax; it’s the conversion. ExpatHub, an agency that sells this service, quotes brokerage conversion fees of 1–4% per transaction, with cash payouts cheaper than wires. On a USD 150,000 apartment that’s USD 1,500 to 6,000, which is why two quotes are worth the effort. Use the calculator at the top of this page to see your own numbers.
| Item | What we found | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion | 1–4% per transaction | Agency quote |
| Public Registry | 150 / 270 / 350 GEL (4 days / 1 day / same day) | Official fee |
| Transfer tax for the buyer | None, per agencies | Not confirmed with the Revenue Service |
| Notary | Not needed for a standard in-person purchase; needed for a power of attorney | Confirm with your lawyer |
| Property tax | Exempt if household income is under GEL 100,000; 0.8–1% of value above it | Changed 30 September 2026 |
On the crypto side, Ministry of Finance Public Decision No. 201 (28 June 2019) says an individual’s income from supplying crypto-assets is not Georgian-source income, so it isn’t subject to Georgian personal income tax. The caveats matter: this doesn’t apply to crypto received as salary or for goods and services, the position for business-scale trading is unsettled, and your home country may tax the gain regardless. The details are in our Georgia crypto tax guide. One consultancy says resale within two years attracts 5% capital gains tax; we haven’t been able to confirm that with the Revenue Service, so check before you plan a quick flip.
On timing: the Public Registry step takes one to four working days. ExpatHub puts the whole purchase, including conversion and legal work, at four to twelve weeks.
Residence permit: the $150,000 rule
A lot of crypto holders buy in Georgia partly for residency, and the threshold changed. Under Article 15 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, owning non-agricultural real estate worth more than USD 150,000 (by an accredited appraiser) supports a short-term residence permit. The threshold rose from USD 100,000 on 1 March 2026. Older guides still quote USD 100,000; they’re out of date.
How it works in practice:
- The permit is extended one year at a time and ends if you sell the property.
- You can combine more than one property to reach the value.
- It can cover your spouse and children.
- People who got a permit under the old rule can renew it while they keep the property.
- An investment of more than USD 300,000 can support a five-year investment residence permit, extendable by three years at a time.
Agricultural land is restricted for foreigners; apartments and houses are not. If you’re moving to Georgia, our guide to crypto for expats in Georgia covers banking and tax residency too.
The Tbilisi market in numbers
Most of these figures come from Galt & Taggart research as quoted by Georgian business media; we saw several of them only in search summaries, not in the original reports, so treat them as indicative.
New-build prices in Tbilisi rose 4% in 2025, after 11.6% in 2024 and 20.2% in 2023, and reached about $1,426 per m² by July 2026. Newer secondary-market flats averaged $1,316 per m² in December 2025. The spread between districts is wide: Mtatsminda and the top of Vake are reported above $3,000 per m², while outer districts sit well below the average. Gross rental yields have slipped from 8.9% in November 2025 to about 8.4%, with rent around $10 per m² a month.
The buyer mix is the clearest contrast with Batumi. In Tbilisi about three quarters of new-build buyers are Georgians, with Israelis around 10–11% and Russians about 3%. That makes Tbilisi a market driven by local demand and long-term rentals, whereas Batumi leans on foreign buyers and summer tourism. Colliers’ headline figure of roughly 87,000 apartments under construction is worth remembering before you pay a premium for an off-plan unit.
Buying in Batumi instead?
The legal route is identical on the coast, but almost everything else differs: more than half the buyers are foreigners, the agency “pay in USDT” offers are concentrated there, there are many registered exchange offices around Orbi City and Old Batumi, and rental income depends on the season. Our Batumi apartment guide covers prices, yields, unsold stock and the local offices step by step. If you’re settling in the capital, buying crypto in Tbilisi maps the offices and ATMs, and the same convert-then-pay logic applies to buying a car with crypto.
