Opening a bank account in Georgia as a foreigner

Which banks

The main retail banks in Georgia are TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia and Liberty Bank. We have not compared their fees or account types.

Bank of Georgia publishes a page for non-residents. TBC Bank and Liberty Bank did not give us official non-resident requirements in a form we could read. Ask the bank directly before you travel for an appointment.

In person or remote

Reports from law firms and advisers in 2025 and 2026 agree on the main pattern:

• A first personal account usually needs a visit to a branch in Georgia.
• If you cannot come, a representative can act for you with a notarised power of attorney. A power of attorney is a signed document that lets another person act for you. Notarised means a notary has certified your signature.
• Fully remote opening of a first personal account is limited.

Bank of Georgia has its own route for citizens of Russia and Belarus, including people who hold either citizenship together with another. They apply electronically at kyc.bog.ge before a first account can open. The bank asks for a passport, a six-month bank statement or other proof of income, and proof of professional or business activity. It also charges a fee for the review. We could not see the amount.

If a power of attorney is signed outside Georgia, it will usually need an apostille or consular legalisation before Georgian bodies accept it. The residence permit rules work that way for foreign documents (Ordinance 520, Article 4). Whether each bank applies the same standard is a question for the bank.

Documents to have ready

No single official list applies to all banks. Based on what the sources report, prepare:

• Your passport.
• Proof of the source of your funds, such as recent bank statements, a payslip, a contract or company papers.
• An explanation of why you need the account and what money will pass through it.
• Any document that links you to Georgia: a residence permit, a Georgian employment contract, a lease or a registered business.

The last item is not a formal requirement in any text we found. Advisers report that refusals are more common without a link to Georgia, so it helps to bring what you have.

The 2025 to 2026 tightening

Several Georgian advisers describe the same change. Banks now run closer checks on new foreign clients. They ask for evidence of where the money comes from and what the account is for. People with no work, business or residence in Georgia are refused more often than before.

These reports come from legal.ge, PB Services and Gegidze, which are law and advisory firms. None of them is a bank or the National Bank of Georgia. We did not find a published rule from a bank or the central bank that sets out the change.

A bank account does not change your status

Opening an account in Georgia does not give you a residence permit. It also does not make you a Georgian tax resident. Tax residency depends on days spent in Georgia under Article 34 of the Tax Code. See the 183-day rule.

Some residence permits need proof of funds. The Public Service Development Agency (PSDA), the state body that issues permits, lists bank funds as one form of income proof for some permit types. A Georgian account can help there. See the document list for each permit.

Interest and tax reporting

Interest that a licensed Georgian financial institution pays you, such as interest on a bank deposit, is not taxed at source. It is also not included in your gross income (Tax Code Article 131(5)).

Georgia joined the international system for exchanging financial account information, the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), with first exchanges planned for September 2024. Under CRS, banks report accounts held by residents of other participating countries to their tax authorities. If your home country takes part, expect it to receive information about your Georgian account. Whether the first exchange took place in September 2024 is not confirmed.

Practical order of steps

1. Decide which bank, and check its current requirements by phone, email or in a branch.
2. Gather your passport and proof of funds, and write a short note on the purpose of the account.
3. Book a branch visit, or arrange a notarised power of attorney for a representative.
4. Expect follow-up questions. Answer them in writing where you can.

If you are applying for a residence permit at the same time, plan the order. An account can help you show funds, and a permit gives you a link to Georgia that banks look for. Which should come first depends on the bank and your file. We can help you put the two together; see our services.