Public Service Hall in Tbilisi: What You Can Do at the One-Stop Shop

The Public Service Hall is a one-stop shop where dozens of government services live under one roof: marriage, company papers, property, residence permits, certificates, apostille, notary acts. The Tbilisi flagship is the striking 'mushroom' building on the river. Here's what foreigners do there and how to get through without Georgian.

What you can file

Marriage and civil acts; company registration (IE/LLC); property rights and deals; residence-permit and ID applications; birth and name-change acts; apostille on Georgian documents; extracts and certificates; some notary and banking services right in the hall. Most of a newcomer's official questions are solved here.

How the one-stop shop works

You take a ticket for the service, wait for your number on the board, go to the operator, submit documents and pay the fee on the spot. Many services are same-day. Operators serve in Georgian (some in English), and forms and receipts are in Georgian — that's where translation matters, to fill the application right and not take the wrong ticket.

Hours, booking and queues

The Tbilisi flagship works on weekends too (check the current schedule at psh.gov.ge). Some services allow booking, which saves time; for high-volume services the walk-in queue is noticeable before noon. From experience: come early with a complete file so you don't visit twice — the top cause of a repeat trip.

What foreigners do most

• Get married — Georgia is fast, often same day; see how to get married in Georgia;
• open an IE/LLC — see company registration;
• apply for residency — see the residence permit;
• notarise translations and apostille on Georgian documents.

Getting married

Marriage is one of the most common reasons foreigners come to the Hall, and Georgia is genuinely convenient: minimal requirements, and you can often marry the same day or the next. Both partners need valid passports with a notarised translation; in some cases a certificate of no impediment prepared at home with an apostille. The key nuance: the ceremony and paperwork run in Georgian, so an interpreter isn't a formality but a requirement — without understanding what you sign, they simply won't register it. There's also a "ceremonial" format in dedicated halls if you want an event, not just a stamp. How we support at the registration is described in the interpreter and support service.

Your visit, step by step

1. Confirm the service and documents in advance.
2. Book online if possible.
3. Take a ticket or arrive for your slot.
4. Submit documents and translations, pay the fee.
5. Get the result or a set date.

What to bring

Passport and notarised translations; apostille if your procedure needs it; proof of grounds (contract, certificate); money for the fee — card or cash. An incomplete file is the main reason for a lost day.

Fees and payment

Almost every service is paid, and most have an expedited tariff: the faster you need it, the more it costs. Roughly there's "standard" (a few working days), "expedited" (a day) and "same hour" for some services — the price difference is multiple. You pay on site by card or cash, sometimes at a terminal in the hall. Exact amounts change and depend on the service, so we don't quote "permanent" figures — check psh.gov.ge or ask the information desk. Know not only the fee but which tariff you actually need: often "standard" is fine and paying for speed is unnecessary.

Online without a visit

Some services don't require a trip. On the government services portal you order a range of certificates and extracts electronically, with the finished document delivered digitally or collected later. This saves the queue for simple requests like a registry extract. But complex procedures — marriage, company registration, a residence application, property deals — are still done in person, because originals, signatures and presence are needed. A useful strategy: close what you can online in advance, and go to the hall only with what needs your presence. Once you hold a Georgian ID, more of the portal opens up, including digital access to many records — handy for repeat requests without queueing.

The Hall in the regions

The Tbilisi flagship is the best known, but the network is wider: branches work in Batumi, Kutaisi, Rustavi and other cities, and in smaller towns basic services are provided by Community Centers. If you don't live in the capital, you needn't travel to Tbilisi for a certificate — first check the nearest branch at psh.gov.ge. The range of services in the regions may be narrower than at the flagship, so confirm rare procedures in advance.

Property and powers of attorney

A major block of Hall services is real estate: registering ownership on purchase, registry extracts, mortgages and contracts. For a foreigner this is one of the most sensitive procedures — the deal and contract are in Georgian, and an error in wording or an unnoticed encumbrance is expensive. Before buying, order a fresh registry extract to confirm the property is clean. Powers of attorney are also done here — for example if you want a representative to act while you're abroad; the POA is made by a notary and, for use abroad, gets an apostille. In all these cases an interpreter's presence is not a luxury but a way to understand what you're signing.

Common mistakes

• Coming without a notarised translation or apostille;
• mixing up service and ticket;
• arriving at peak with no booking;
• not knowing the exact fee.