Useful information

Road to Georgia

You can get by air only with a transfer in third countries. In 2022, such transit is the fastest and cheapest way through Belarus, Armenia and Turkey. Belavia Airlines flies from Minsk to Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi.

On his car, he usually gets to Georgia through the Ossetian border checkpoint "Upper Lars".

Visa

Residents of more than 90 countries do not need a visa to visit Georgia. These include Russia, the CIS countries, the EU countries, etc. Please consult our manager for details.

Currency

Georgia`s national currency is the Georgian Lari (GEL). Payments are mostly made in local currency, except for some markets or small shops, where Rubles, US dollars or Euros can be accepted, though at the worst rate.

It is better to exchange currency in Georgia in banks or exchange offices. As a rule there is a couple of bank offices in every small Georgian town where currency exchange is available. In Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, exchange offices are located near the subway station. Mostly demanded foreign currencies are US dollars and Euros.

Climate

The best time to visit Georgia is spring and early summer (May - June) as well as early autumn (September). This is the time when the weather in most of the Georgian regions is comfortable - not too hot, but quite warm and sunny. Travelling in summer is recommended for those who would like to spend their vacation on the Black Sea coast; mountains and sea breezes ease the heat here.

One can roughly divide Georgia into 3 climatic zones: Western Georgia features a milder climate, warm winter and hot, humid summer. Eastern Georgia is known for its cold winter and dry summer. In Central Georgia between them, it is not as cold in winter as, for example, in Eastern Georgia, and summer is not as hot as it is in the West.

Taxi

Taxi in Georgia is quite convenient for long-distance trips - for example, from one side of the city to the other. Local taxi is also frequently used to travel from one city to another or for sightseeing tours. If you don’t need to go far when in Georgia, you may use public transport or have a walk.

There are not so many official taxis in Georgia yet, but you will see plenty of cars with a checker pattern on their roofs in the streets. Taking such private taxi is easy - just stand on the roadside and wave a hand; these taxis are also available in the busy areas of the city, such as near subway stations, markets and shopping centers.

Before taking a private taxi, make sure you agree upon a route and a price. Many drivers try to quote a higher price hoping that tourists will unknowingly accept it.

If you call to an official taxi service, the price is usually stated by the operator. When you are in the car, you can discuss the final price and the route with the driver. Most official taxis are equipped with taximeters.

Cuisine

Georgia is a small paradise for gourmets. Traditional Georgian cuisine features a variety of flavors, combinations of ingredients, cooking techniques as well as significant regional differences.

Wine

“Georgian wine” sounds like a brand, because it is is the brand of Georgia indeed. Georgia and the wine are inseparable, and if you go to Georgia, any guide will recommend you to try it, even if you are not fond of wines. Wines can be different: white and red, bad and good, sweet and sour, strong and low alcohol, but none of these characteristics apply to Georgian wine, because it is special.

Attendance

In January-June 2022, 247.1 thousand Russian citizens visited Georgia, which is 463.7% more than in the first half of 2021, and 64.3% less than in 2019, according to a message on the website of the National Tourism Administration .

According to the agency, the number of visits by international travelers to Georgia in January-June 2022 increased by 234.5% compared to the same period last year.

Georgia received 1.6 million international visitors in the six months since the beginning of the year, a 57.9% decrease from before the pandemic in 2019.

Business in Georgia

In the last 10 years, Georgia has become an attractive country for investment. An important fact is that not only millionaires, but people with very modest financial capabilities can open a business in Georgia in 2022. Thus, micro-businesses, in general, are not subject to income tax, and small businesses in Georgia are subject to it in a preferential regime.

Business status is defined as follows:

Microbusiness. The owner is considered to be an individual engaged in independent economic activity, with an annual income not exceeding 30 thousand GEL;

A micro businessman does not pay taxes and is exempted from using a cash register.

Small business. The status of a small business owner is assigned to an individual whose economic activity for the current calendar year has generated income approaching 100 thousand lari.

Small business income tax - 5% per year. However, if a businessman submits documents confirming that 60% of his profits went to the cost of improving the business, the tax is reduced to 3% per year.

Real estate market

Georgia has been actively developing over the past few years. The key cities are Tbilisi (the capital) and Batumi (a popular seaside resort). Before the start of the pandemic in 2020, Georgia showed a rapid growth in tourism, which partly provoked a construction boom.

Russians have always been a significant proportion of buyers of local real estate.

What is important to know now: Georgia is not included in the list of so-called "unfriendly" countries (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 81 of March 1, 2022), so citizens of the Russian Federation can easily process the purchase of real estate here and transfer money to the developer's account.

Traditionally, foreigners purchase property in Georgia for various purposes: as an investment to generate rental income, for relocation/immigration and long-term residence, or as a personal holiday home.

If we consider the purchase of real estate in Georgia as an investment, then it should be borne in mind that the demand for long-term rentals is constantly growing here, as more and more foreigners, especially CIS citizens, are moving here for a long time or for “wintering”. Over the past month, there has been a real surge in requests for apartments for living, and with it a jump in prices for long-term rentals, which have reached "summer" levels and so far continue to grow.