If you’ve already opened a company in Georgia or plan to soon, choosing a bank might seem like a formality. But it’s not. Picking the right bank can determine whether your transactions go through on time, your account gets flagged every week, or your foreign transfers bounce back with unexplained fees. Georgia’s banking system is advanced, fast, and foreigner-friendly, but only if you choose the right partner.

This guide will help you do exactly that. Whether you’re a digital nomad needing a basic personal account, a startup founder trying to pay your team, or a real estate investor wiring in large sums, this article gives you the context you need to choose confidently.

And no, this isn’t a fluffy top 10 list. This is written by people who open dozens of business and personal accounts each month for clients around the world.

Why Your Bank Choice Matters in Georgia

Most foreigners starting a business here are surprised by how fast company registration works. You can become a business owner in 24 hours. Taxes are low, bureaucracy is light, and there’s no minimum capital requirement. But banking is where things get more serious.

Banks in Georgia are regulated tightly by the National Bank of Georgia. That means customer due diligence, AML checks, and KYC rules are enforced across the board. The best banks in Georgia for foreigners are the ones that combine strict compliance with real support.

What matters isn’t just the name of the bank, it’s how well they understand foreign clients. Some banks, even well-known ones, will require documents that are impossible to get abroad. Others make remote onboarding easy. Some are business-focused. Others are better for personal use. The trick is knowing who to trust for what.

We’ll help you make sense of that in just a moment. But before we break down the banks, here’s what you need to think about as a foreigner or foreign-owned business.

What Foreigners and Businesses Should Look For

You’re not looking for free coffee or leather chairs in the lobby. You’re looking for a bank that doesn’t waste your time. Here’s what actually matters when you’re choosing a bank in Georgia as a foreigner:

English-speaking support. Not all bank branches in Tbilisi or Batumi speak English fluently. Even the big names vary by location. It matters when you're trying to explain your business activity or fix a frozen account.
Remote setup options. Not all banks allow remote opening. Some require the director to show up in person. Others accept notarized POAs.
International wire transfer speed. If you’re receiving payments from the US or EU, you want a bank that doesn’t delay for days on end. Or worse, bounce transfers back due to “missing SWIFT notes.”
Mobile banking and online access. Some banks still require you to print and sign documents in person. Others have sleek apps that let you manage your accounts and tax payments from anywhere.
Multi-currency support. USD and EUR accounts are possible but only if your bank supports them properly and doesn't restrict usage without explanation.
Business account flexibility. Can you open multiple accounts? Can you send from your legal entity without needing an appointment each time? These details matter.

If you're curious about how the actual setup works, read our detailed corporate account opening guide. It breaks down the full process.

Bank of Georgia: Big, Reliable, Fast (But Not Always Flexible)

This is Georgia’s most recognized financial brand. If you’re Googling “Bank of Georgia,” you’ve probably already landed on their slick website. They offer full online and mobile banking, multi-currency accounts, and wide branch coverage across the country.

For most foreigners, Bank of Georgia is the first stop. It’s also one of the easiest to use if you plan to manage everything online. Their mobile app supports English, and their onboarding process is relatively fast if your documents are prepared correctly.

That said, it’s not perfect. Bank of Georgia has very strict compliance checks, especially for business accounts. If your activity involves consulting, marketing, IT services, or anything that could be considered high-risk, they’ll ask for detailed business plans, contracts, and foreign invoices.

Also, they don’t always allow remote opening unless you have a local POA agent and everything translated and apostilled precisely. That’s where we come in. At Gegidze, we handle this process for clients all the time.

Where Bank of Georgia wins is speed and convenience. If you’re looking for a personal account or a business account that you’ll operate regularly from Georgia, this bank is a strong candidate.

But if you want to open remotely or have a non-traditional business model, you may want to consider TBC.

TBC Bank Georgia: Modern, Entrepreneur-Friendly, and Sharp

TBC is the country’s most innovative bank by reputation. If you ask any Georgian tech startup where they bank, chances are it’s with TBC. Their mobile app is widely considered the best in the country. It’s clean, fast, and works in English. They offer digital onboarding features, and their customer service is improving year over year.

For foreigners, TBC is often the easiest to work with, especially for personal accounts. You walk into a branch, show your passport, answer a few questions, and walk out with a working account and card the same day. Sometimes within an hour.

For business accounts, TBC is solid too. They’re particularly good if your company is involved in tech, creative services, or remote work. They tend to understand digital-first businesses better than other institutions. They also handle international transfers efficiently.

Still, opening a business account isn’t automatic. You need to present your full company documents (registration certificate, TIN, charter, etc.) and sometimes a brief summary of your activity. If you’re not physically present, the POA process works here too but only if prepared accurately.

TBC is one of our top recommendations for clients who need a reliable business online bank of Georgia. It combines ease of use with strong security.

Liberty Bank: Simple, Local-Focused, Less Ideal for Business

Liberty Bank isn’t the first name that comes to mind for international entrepreneurs. That’s because it’s more focused on local Georgian users, retirees, and government payment systems. It has a massive presence across the country but isn’t optimized for foreign clients with complex needs.

Still, Liberty has its place. If you’re a digital nomad or freelancer who needs a basic personal account for local purchases, this bank is fast and low-maintenance. Walk into a branch with your passport and phone number, and you’re set. Just don’t expect premium English service or a polished mobile app.

For businesses, Liberty Bank is usually not the best fit. The online banking experience is outdated, and they tend to avoid more complicated foreign company setups. They don’t handle foreign currency accounts as smoothly as the big two. That said, if you want a simple GEL account for occasional use, it could work.

In general, we don’t recommend Liberty for foreign-owned companies, high-volume freelancers, or remote teams. But it’s worth knowing about, especially if you live outside major cities and need access to a local branch.

Pasha Bank Georgia: Corporate-Only, High-Ticket, Serious Players

Pasha Bank isn’t for freelancers. Or digital nomads. Or even most small business owners.

It’s a corporate-only bank that works with large companies, real estate investors, high-volume traders, and enterprises doing serious numbers. If you’re managing hundreds of thousands of GEL or USD every quarter, and you want hands-on service, then it’s a strong contender.

What makes it different?

There’s no walk-in branch for individual use
You can’t open a personal account here
They assign a dedicated relationship manager
Their compliance is tough, but fair
English service is available, sometimes excellent

Pasha is best for holding company accounts, cross-border business structures, or Georgian LLCs that are managing large international contracts. They’re strong with SWIFT transfers and known to process international payments faster than others, if your paperwork is solid.

We’ve helped several real estate investors and international trading businesses set up accounts with Pasha. If your business fits that profile, we can help streamline your setup too.

Personal vs. Business: Different Banks, Different Expectations

One of the biggest mistakes we see foreigners make is assuming their personal and business accounts can follow the same rules. They don’t.

When choosing between the best banks in Georgia for foreigners, start by defining your needs clearly:

Are you just trying to receive some freelance payments from Upwork?
Or are you operating a registered LLC in Georgia with invoices going out monthly?
Are you a remote founder managing a distributed team?
Or an individual planning to buy property or live here part-time?

The answers determine everything, from document requirements to the banks that will even consider you.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Best for Personal Use (Foreigners):

TBC Bank (simple, English-friendly, fast onboarding)
Bank of Georgia (more formal, better international tools)

Best for Business Use (Foreign-Owned Entities):

Bank of Georgia (strong compliance, professional image)
TBC Bank (tech-savvy, great app, scalable)
Pasha Bank (high-volume or holding structures only)

Avoid for Business Use:

Liberty Bank (unless you’re running local GEL-only operations with little volume)

Can You Open a Bank Account Without Being in Georgia?

Yes, but not on your own. Not anymore.

While some banks used to allow remote applications with scanned documents, things have changed post-COVID and under tighter anti-money laundering enforcement from the National Bank of Georgia.

Now, to open an account remotely, you’ll need:

A notarized, apostilled Power of Attorney (POA)
Certified Georgian translation of all documents
A trusted local representative or agency (like Gegidze)
Pre-approval from the bank’s compliance team

And even then, some banks will still require a video call to verify your identity or ask for additional proof of your activity.

We’ve outlined the whole process step-by-step in this corporate account opening guide. If you're planning to set up remotely, don’t skip it.

If you're still at the document preparation stage, read our document checklist blog so you don’t waste weeks mailing back rejected files.

And if you want the full overview, business and personal, see our 2025 banking guide.

What to Watch Out for When Choosing Your Bank

Banks in Georgia are reliable and well-regulated, but that doesn’t mean every experience will be smooth. Even the most popular banks like TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia, and Pasha Bank have branches or staff who aren’t used to working with foreigners. And that can create friction, confusion, and costly delays.

If you're setting up a business in Georgia or just trying to open a personal account as a foreigner, you’ll want to avoid the common traps many expats and entrepreneurs fall into. Here are the most important red flags to watch for when choosing a bank in Georgia:

Bank employees who give vague approvals without confirming with compliance. They’ll tell you everything is fine until your application gets blocked.
Branches that avoid email and insist on walk-ins only. This is especially frustrating for remote founders and freelancers trying to manage things from abroad.
Staff who don’t ask for your passport, company registration, or tax number. If they don’t check your documents, they’re not setting up your account properly.
Account refusals that come with zero explanation. You might walk away thinking it was a mistake, when in reality your business activity was flagged.
Sudden freezes or transaction limits triggered by internal compliance reviews. These often happen when foreign clients receive irregular international transfers or use services like Wise and Payoneer.

These issues are avoidable, but only if you understand how Georgian banks operate and what they expect from foreign clients.

To reduce your risk and avoid account issues, follow these steps:

Choose your bank based on your business model or personal use, not just proximity to your Airbnb or coworking space. For example, TBC Bank is often better for tech startups or digital freelancers, while Pasha Bank suits high-volume operations.
Make sure you have all the required bank account documents for Georgia before you walk into a branch. This includes notarized and apostilled powers of attorney, Georgian translations of your documents, and in many cases, a clear explanation of your company’s activities.
Work with a local agency that knows which banks are currently easiest to work with. Rules and procedures change often, and some banks are stricter than others about foreign company structures and remote clients.
Confirm if your bank allows full account access through their mobile app. This is critical if you're planning to operate your Georgian bank account remotely. Some banks delay mobile access until extra in-person steps are completed.
Always test the online banking interface in advance if possible. For many foreign entrepreneurs, a fast and functional app is more important than any in-branch experience. TBC’s platform usually performs best for remote management.

At Gegidze, we constantly monitor which banks are accepting foreign-owned companies, which ones are freezing accounts due to compliance reviews, and which bank managers are actually helpful. If you need a personal account, a business account, or a fully remote setup, we’ll guide you to the right bank and prepare your file properly.

The best bank in Georgia for foreigners is not just the one with the most branches or the fanciest logo. It’s the one that understands your needs, processes your application without hassle, and gives you full control of your money from wherever you are.

How Gegidze Helps You Choose the Right Bank

We’ve helped hundreds of entrepreneurs, freelancers, and business owners open accounts in Georgia: without stress, language barriers, or delays.

Here’s what we do:

Assess your business model or personal use case
Recommend the best bank based on your needs
Prepare all POAs, translations, and notary docs
Set up remote or in-person account opening
Liaise with banks like Bank of Georgia, TBC, or Pasha Bank Georgia on your behalf
Track your application from submission to card pickup

Most clients come to us after a failed DIY attempt. You don’t have to go through the same.

Let us know what you’re trying to do, and we’ll help you choose the right bank, prepare your file, and get your account opened without surprises.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What’s the best bank in Georgia for foreigners with online businesses?

TBC Bank is a top choice for digital businesses. Their mobile app is strong, English support is good, and they handle remote clients more smoothly than others.