Retiring in Georgia: Residence, Healthcare, Taxation and Daily Life

France Diplomatie recalls that French nationals are exempt from a visa for a stay of one year or less, with an individual passport or a secure national identity card valid for the whole length of the stay. For a continuous stay of more than a year, a long-stay visa must be requested from a Georgian embassy or consulate, or from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tbilisi, then a residence permit locally. Border checks may cover the purpose of the stay, available funds and the planned length; it is useful to present the required insurance certificate.

The Public Service Development Agency describes no retiree permit. The most relevant permits are the short-term permit, open to owners of real estate (excluding agricultural land) worth more than the equivalent of 150,000 US dollars, with their spouse and children, on presentation of the title deed and a certified valuation; the investment permit, with 300,000 dollars of investment or real estate and annual activity thresholds; and family reunification or residence as the spouse of a Georgian citizen. The fees are 300, 450 or 600 lari depending on whether processing takes 30, 20 or 10 days for most of these permits, and 500 lari for spouse residence with 90-day processing. A permanent residence permit can follow after five years for the spouse of a citizen, or after ten years of temporary permits. The thresholds and fees should be confirmed with the Agency (+995 32 2 40 10 10). See also living in Georgia.

Form S1, valid in the European Union and the European Economic Area, does not apply in Georgia, and the list of social security agreements of CLEISS (the French centre for European and international social security liaison) does not mention this country. CLEISS specifies that, outside an agreement, French health insurance provides no cover on site and that the retiree must take out insurance suited to the real cost of care. The Georgian public universal coverage programme is aimed first at citizens: the eligibility of a foreign retiree should be confirmed with the National Health Agency, and most foreign residents use private insurance.

The CFE offers its retirees’ offer (with a contribution that depends on age and the plan chosen) (cfe.fr, 13 October 2026): it covers the health costs of expatriate retirees; the waiting period is nil if membership takes place within three months of departure, then three months before age 45 and six months after. International health insurance opens direct access to private hospitals, which dominate hospital provision (86% of beds, EUAA, the European Union Agency for Asylum), with evacuation and repatriation. Cover for the spouse is planned in the same way: see healthcare reimbursement in Georgia, retirees’ health insurance abroad and retirement insurance abroad.

The list of treaties on impots.gouv.fr shows a treaty with Georgia dated 7 March 2007, in force since 1 June 2010, accompanied by a consolidated version that incorporates the changes made by the multilateral convention. It is this text that designates the State competent to tax pensions of French source; the summary consulted does not reproduce the articles concerned, and the retiree reads them or has an adviser read them before choosing their tax residence. The French tax residence criteria (home, main place of stay, activity, centre of economic interests) can be checked on impots.gouv.fr: leaving for Georgia does not automatically end it.

A retiree who is no longer insured in France stops bearing the CSG, the CRDS and the CASA on their pensions, a health contribution remaining possible if they keep French rights (CLEISS). The local tax rules for a Georgian resident should be confirmed with the Revenue Service of Georgia (rs.ge): no rate is repeated here without reading the official text.

The currency is the lari; the National Bank of Georgia publishes an indicative official rate against the euro every day. France Diplomatie indicates that the influx of Russian residents and tourists, estimated at about 100,000 people, has supported the economy and contributed to noticeable inflation, particularly in real estate: rents and purchase prices vary by city and neighbourhood. Geostat publishes reports on average and median earnings, useful for placing the local standard of living; a pension received in euros is compared with housing, transport and health insurance costs, the latter being a major item given the insurance requirement on entry.

In real estate, the short-term permit requires property worth more than the equivalent of 150,000 dollars, valued by an accredited expert, excluding agricultural land. A purchase is prepared with a notary, a sworn translation and a check of the title deed with the public register.

Tbilisi, a capital of about 1.25 million inhabitants, is home to the French embassy, the Institut français and the French School of the Caucasus. Batumi, on the Black Sea, is linked to Tbilisi by the only railway line that France Diplomatie describes as efficient, and Kutaisi is among the other major cities. Taxis are licensed and booked through apps at a price fixed in advance; secondary and urban roads are of average quality, with potholes, and a 4x4 is preferable away from the main routes.

France Diplomatie places the whole country at heightened vigilance and formally advises against Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Seismic risks, spring floods and rockfalls in the mountains, and stray dogs are worth knowing about. When driving, the permitted blood alcohol level is 0 g/l; an international licence is strongly recommended. A retiree who wants to stay in touch with France will find an Institut français active since 2002 and a French community of more than 350 registered adults.

• Inform the pension fund, the CPAM and the supplementary funds of the change of residence.
• Take out the health and accident insurance required on entry (at least 30,000 lari), in English or Georgian.
• Study the CFE (retirees’ offer) or international insurance before the end of the first three months to avoid the waiting period.
• Choose the suitable residence permit (short term, investment, family) and check its thresholds with the Public Service Development Agency.
• Read the tax treaty of 7 March 2007 and determine your tax residence before departure.
• Prepare your medicines: ten boxes at most, with a detailed prescription using the international non-proprietary name and a certified English translation.
• Register with Fil d’Ariane and with the French embassy in Tbilisi.

To compare contracts, see expat health insurance and Georgian healthcare system.