The legal system of Georgia
A civil-law system rebuilt on German lines after independence. The Civil Code of 1997, drafted with German assistance, is unusually faithful to the pandectist structure, and German doctrine is routinely cited in commentary and judgments. Property registration was radically simplified in the 2000s reforms and the public registry is now among the fastest in the region. Georgia has an Association Agreement with the EU including a deep and comprehensive free trade area, so large parts of commercial, competition and consumer regulation are being approximated to EU law. Soviet legal structures were replaced after 1991 by civil, criminal and procedural codes drafted on continental European models, but the prokuratura survives as a powerful supervisory prosecution service with functions that go well beyond charging decisions, and notarial formality remains heavy for property and corporate acts.
Legal tradition
Georgia belongs to the civil law tradition. A civil-law system rebuilt on German lines after independence. The Civil Code of 1997, drafted with German assistance, is unusually faithful to the pandectist structure, and German doctrine is routinely cited in commentary and judgments. Property registration was radically simplified in the 2000s reforms and the public registry is now among the fastest in the region. Georgia has an Association Agreement with the EU including a deep and comprehensive free trade area, so large parts of commercial, competition and consumer regulation are being approximated to EU law. Soviet legal structures were replaced after 1991 by civil, criminal and procedural codes drafted on continental European models, but the prokuratura survives as a powerful supervisory prosecution service with functions that go well beyond charging decisions, and notarial formality remains heavy for property and corporate acts.
How power is divided
Unitary, with the Autonomous Republic of Adjara holding its own constitution and supreme council, and Abkhazia recognised in Georgian law as an autonomous republic. Abkhazia and South Ossetia are outside the effective control of the central government, and the atlas records Georgian law as it stands while noting that it is not applied there in practice.
Where law comes from
- The Constitution
- Supreme; Chapter Two rights are directly enforceable in the Constitutional Court.
- International treaties
- Rank above domestic statutes but below the Constitution.
- Organic and ordinary laws of Parliament
- Organic laws govern courts, elections and citizenship.
- The Civil Code 1997
- German-model codification; the backbone of private law.
- Decrees and ministerial orders
- Subordinate instruments; reviewable for legality.
The legal profession
Advocates are admitted by the Georgian Bar Association after a qualifying examination and hold a monopoly on representation in criminal cases and, since 2017, in cassation. The Bar is a self-governing body with its own ethics commission. Notaries are licensed and their role in property and corporate acts was deliberately narrowed during the reform decade in favour of direct electronic registration, which is why Georgian conveyancing is faster and cheaper than in most civil-law systems.
Law by topic in Georgia
- Criminal LawThe 1999 Criminal Code with jury trial for the gravest offencesThe Criminal Code of 1999 and the Criminal Procedure Code of 2009 govern criminal justice. The 2009 procedure code introduced an adversarial model unusual for a civil law country, including jury trials for the most serious offences and a formal plea bargaining regime.
- Employment & LabourA liberal Labour Code substantially re-regulated in 2020The Labour Code of 2010 was among the most employer-friendly in the region until major amendments in 2020 introduced working time limits, overtime rules, anti-discrimination provisions and a labour inspectorate with full enforcement powers.
- Constitutional LawA parliamentary republic completed by the 2017-2018 amendmentsThe 1995 Constitution was comprehensively amended in 2017, with changes phasing in through 2024. Georgia is now a parliamentary republic in which the President is elected indirectly and executive power rests with a Prime Minister accountable to Parliament. The Constitutional Court sits in Batumi.
- Business & CorporateThe Law on Entrepreneurs recast in 2021 to align with EU company lawA new Law on Entrepreneurs entered into force on 1 January 2022, replacing the 1994 statute and modernising company law in line with EU directives. The limited liability company remains the standard form and registration is completed through the Public Service Hall within a day.
- Tax LawThe Estonian model of corporate tax on distributed profit onlyThe Tax Code of 2010 imposes corporate income tax at 15 percent, but since 2017 Georgia has applied the Estonian model: profit is taxed only when distributed, so retained and reinvested earnings are untaxed. Personal income tax is a flat 20 percent and VAT is 18 percent.
- Family LawCivil Code family law with registration through the Public Service HallBook Five of the Civil Code governs family relations. Marriage is registered through the Public Service Development Agency, and since 2017 the minimum age is 18 without exception, closing a route that had permitted marriage at 16.
- Civil ProcedureCity courts, courts of appeal and a Supreme Court of cassationCivil claims begin in city or district courts, are appealed to the Tbilisi or Kutaisi Court of Appeal, and may go to the Supreme Court on cassation. The Civil Procedure Code of 1997 governs the process and provides for mandatory mediation in defined categories.
- Property & LandA fast, reliable public registry with restrictions on agricultural landOwnership is governed by the Civil Code and registered with the National Agency of Public Registry. Registration is constitutive and can be completed within a day. Ownership of agricultural land by foreign nationals is constitutionally restricted.
- Immigration & NationalityOne year visa-free for many nationals, with residence under the 2014 lawThe Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons of 2014 governs entry and residence. Georgia grants citizens of roughly 95 countries visa-free entry for up to one year, which is exceptionally generous, and offers temporary and permanent residence permits.
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