Foreign citizens have 9 days to register their lands in Georgia
The moratorium regarding the sale of agricultural lands to foreign citizens is declared unconstitutional in Georgia. Photo: N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Tweet 
Share
Foreign citizens living in Georgia have nine days to register their land plots until the new State Constitution, banning Georgia’s agricultural lands to be sold to foreign nationals, comes into force on December 16.
Today the Constitutional Court of Georgia declared unconstitutional the moratorium imposed by the Government of Georgia regarding the sale of agricultural lands to foreign citizens.
The lawsuit was filed by citizens of Greece, who failed to register their inherited land plots in Georgia.
The moratorium on alienation of agricultural lands to foreigners has been declared void, although the restrictions were withdrawn only until December 16 when the new constitution comes into effect. The new Constitution will again impose restrictions envisaged by the moratorium. But the foreign citizens have a nine-day deadline to register their lands.
In June 2017 the Parliament of Georgia adopted a legislative amendment that placed a moratorium on the sale of agricultural land to foreign citizens and stateless persons. Under the amendments foreigners, legal entities registered abroad and legal entities registered by foreigners in Georgia were not able to purchase agricultural land in Georgia.
Legislators say that given that Georgia is a country with a small amount of land with an average of 0.24 hectares of agricultural land being cultivated per capita, its agricultural lands are of vital importance to the country, and that it is closely linked with the protection of the country's political and economic independence and cultural and historical heritage.
The Ministry of Justice of Georgia said the moratorium will remain in place until the constitutional change banning Georgia’s agricultural lands to be sold to foreign nationals comes into force.
Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili announced today that the Georgian Dream ruling team stands against of selling of the country’s agricultural lands to the foreign nationals.
The temporary suspension of selling agriculture land to foreigners has been removed following a verdict of the Constitution Court of Georgia, a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law.
The Government believed the new rules were balanced where on one hand protected Georgia’s national interests and at the same time defended the rights of foreign investors.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs is investigating a rally and its consequences which is underway at the Tbilisi Justice House triggered by the 7 December verdict of the Georgian Constitutional Court which temporarily removed the ban on the sale of agricultural lands to foreign nationals.
More than 600,000 private owners have officially registered their lands in Georgia since 1 August 2016, as the government offered them simplified and cheap procedures, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated today during the presentation of the Land Registration Interim Report.
Simplified procedures for land registration, planned to remain in force until January 1, 2020, will become the general rule of land registration, announced Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani at a government meeting earlier today.
Georgia is moving into the next phase of systematic land registration which will cover the Tetritskharo, Gardabani, Kareli, Gori and Sagarejo municipalities of the country, announces the Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.