Buying an off-plan apartment in Batumi: what to check

As of 11 October 2026, this is a reference on buying an apartment in a building under construction. It rests on the Law on Public Registry and the site of the National Agency of Public Registry. It is not legal advice. The article does not promise terms, prices or returns.

What a preliminary contract is

Usually it is a contract in which the parties promise to sign the main contract later. What you get, on what terms and by which dates is written in the document itself. Read all of it before you sign.

When you become the owner

In Georgia, rights to real estate are recorded in the registry. The Law on Public Registry lists property among the rights that are registered. The official pages we checked do not show the exact moment when ownership arises. Ask the National Agency of Public Registry before you pay.

Pre-registration

Article 12 of the law lets the parties pre-register a right to real estate by agreement. The aim, as the law puts it, is to secure the future registration of the right.

What it gives: the registry holds a record of that agreement.

What the text of the law does not let us claim:

• that pre-registration equals registration of ownership;
• what effect it has on third parties and what the terms are;
• what fees are paid for it. The agency's fee page does not list this service.

Ask the National Agency of Public Registry about the procedure and the effects.

The right to an apartment under construction

Article 156 of the law also covers buildings under construction. The right to a building or its part, even one under construction, is registered on two kinds of documents. One proves the right. The other covers the construction. When construction is finished, the right is registered on a document that recognises the building as fit for use.

What to check before the first payment

These are general tips, not legal requirements.

• An extract from the registry for the land plot. Who the owner is and whether there are encumbrances, such as a mortgage or an arrest.
• The construction permit.
• The payment schedule. What exactly you pay for at each stage.
• The handover date and the developer's liability for delay, as written in the contract.
• What exactly you will receive: the area, the layout, the condition of the apartment.
• How the right will be registered after handover and who pays the fees.

The flat's price, the registry fee, the money transfer, the notary and the yearly costs can be added up in the full purchase cost calculator.

What the official pages do not say

• Whether the developer's consent is needed if you want to pass your rights to someone else before handover. The norms we checked and the agency's pages do not say. Read your contract and ask a lawyer.
• How the agency's site describes the registration of a contract with a developer. We did not find such a page.

Read also

• Residence permit through property in Georgia: limits, fees
• Reselling a finished apartment in Georgia: tax and procedure
• Batumi or Antalya for an investor: what to compare