Israelis in Batumi

The phenomenon of Israelis in Batumi began to gain significant momentum between 2012 and 2014. The political tensions with Turkey in those years caused Israeli travelers to look for a nearby and cheap alternative. Batumi offered a perfect combination: a short two-hour flight, extremely low living costs, luxurious casinos and a high sense of security. In addition, the Georgian policy that allows Israelis to stay in the country for an entire year without a visa, made the destination attractive not only for vacation, but also for residence.

Today, Batumi is one of the most sought-after destinations for Israelis. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists from Israel visit the city, and during the peak season, dozens of weekly flights operate on the Tel Aviv-Batumi route. Alongside tourism, a community of hundreds to thousands of Israelis has developed in the city who have chosen to move the center of their lives to the city, whether as permanent residents or as digital nomads.

Besides vacationing and entertainment, Israelis have become major players in the local economy. The most prominent area is real estate – many Israelis purchase apartments for investment or engage in entrepreneurship and construction. In addition, Israelis can be found running restaurants, property management companies, brokerage offices and tourism services. In recent years, digital nomads have also joined in, working remotely and taking advantage of the convenient taxation and low cost of living to save and live a high standard of living.

To live in Batumi, most Israelis rely on a one-year visa exemption. Those interested in obtaining permanent residency usually do so by purchasing real estate worth over $100,000 or by starting a business. From a business perspective, Georgia is considered a paradise for entrepreneurs, with a tax rate of only one percent for small businesses. In terms of services, Batumi has modern hospitals, but it is always recommended to have private health insurance.

It is important to understand that Georgian law is relatively strict on citizenship. The main ways to obtain a passport are through marriage to a local citizen, proof of Georgian origin, or in rare cases of exceptional contribution to the country's economy. There is also the option of naturalization after ten consecutive years of residence and passing language and history tests. However, most Israelis living in the city prefer to remain in residency status, which gives them almost all the rights without the complicated bureaucracy of changing citizenship.

Read "About" the Jewish community in Batumi here