Georgia entry requirements: visa-free stays, passport and insurance

Is Georgia visa-free? Who can enter without a visa

For most travellers, yes. Citizens of almost every country listed in the Ordinance of the Government of Georgia No. 255 can enter and stay for one full year without a visa; Chinese citizens get 30 days, for tourism only. Foreigners holding a valid visa or residence permit of a country listed in the Ordinance of the Government of Georgia No. 256 can stay for 90 days in any 180.

Your stay counts from the day you first cross the border, under Article 2 of the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (the Law on Aliens).

Georgia entry requirements for US citizens

US citizens do not need a visa. The United States is on Georgia's one-year list in Ordinance No. 255, so Americans can stay for one full year with a valid passport.

Georgia entry requirements for UK citizens

British citizens can visit Georgia for up to one year without a visa: the UK, six British Overseas Territories and the Crown dependencies are on the Ordinance No. 255 list.

Georgia visa requirements for UAE residents

UAE citizens are on the one-year list. Foreign residents of the UAE can stay 90 days in any 180 without a Georgian visa if their UAE residence permit or visa is valid on the day they enter.

Residents of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain enter the same way. Since 16 May 2025, citizens of 17 countries, such as Pakistan and Nigeria, qualify only with a multiple-entry Gulf visa or permit valid for at least one year (Ordinance No. 122).

Sources differ on one point: Georgia's embassy in the UAE says the permit must also be valid on the day you leave, while Ordinance No. 256 names only the day of entry. Keep it valid for the whole trip.

Which countries need a visa for Georgia?

Everyone who is not on the one-year list and cannot enter on a visa or residence permit of a listed country needs a Georgian visa, usually an e-visa for short trips.

Apply on Georgia's official e-visa portal; the fee is 20 USD plus 2% and is not refunded. Step-by-step help is in our guide Georgia visa requirements for Indian citizens.

Georgia entry requirements: passport validity

Georgian law asks only for a valid travel document and sets no minimum validity for visa-free visitors. The “3 months” rule covers visa holders only.

Our reading: keep your passport valid until the day you leave, since Article 4 requires a valid document to leave too. EU, Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens can use a national ID card instead.

If you are also a Georgian citizen, Article 5 of the Law on Procedures for Departure from Georgia and Entry into Georgia by Citizens of Georgia says you leave and enter with a Georgian passport or a document replacing it.

Health insurance: required since 1 January 2026

Every tourist entering Georgia must be insured for the whole stay: health and accident cover of at least 30,000 GEL, as Georgian law requires. The policy may be Georgian or foreign, in Georgian or English, paper or electronic.

A patrol police officer may check it at the border under Resolution No. 602. Who is exempt and whether your own policy counts: see is travel insurance mandatory for Georgia.

If your policy is not from a Georgian insurer, after an insured event a traveller often has to pay the clinic out of pocket first and only then get reimbursed. With an IRAO policy, the assistance service directs you to a partner clinic, and on the Standard and Premium plans the insurer pays the clinic directly for emergency hospitalisation.

At the border: what officers can ask and why entry can be refused

An officer of Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs decides on entry at the border crossing point. For visa-free visitors, the law lists no hotel booking, return ticket or minimum sum of money, but it allows refusal on specific grounds.

Under Article 11 of the Law on Aliens, entry can be refused, among other grounds, if:

• you lack the documents required for entry;
• you have no health and accident insurance, or too little money for your stay and return;
• there is reasonable doubt that you will leave Georgia on time;
• you give no or false information about your identity or the purpose of your trip.

Foreigners may enter Abkhazia only from Zugdidi municipality and South Ossetia only from Gori municipality; any other route is a criminal offence under Georgia's Law on Occupied Territories.

Changing planes in Georgia: do you need a visa?

No, if you stay in the airport transit area, hold a document that lets you enter your destination country and spend no more than 10 days in Georgia (Article 10 of the Law on Aliens).

Entering Georgia by car

If you drive in on foreign plates, Georgian law requires third-party liability insurance for the car for your whole stay. Within 90 calendar days of entry, the car must leave Georgia or be declared to customs, under Georgia's customs rules.

The insurance rule comes from the Law of Georgia on Compulsory Civil Liability Insurance for an Owner of a Motor Vehicle Registered in a Foreign Country Driven in the Territory of Georgia, in force since 1 March 2018. Policies run for 15, 30 or 90 days or a year, can be bought online and are valid only in Georgia.

Carry your driving licence, the car's registration document and, if the car is not yours, proof that you may use it.

What to have with you at the border: a checklist

Here are the requirements to enter Georgia in one list, to keep on paper or on your phone.

• a valid passport, or an EU, Swiss or Liechtenstein ID card;
• your e-visa, or the foreign visa or residence permit that lets you enter without one;
• health insurance of at least 30,000 GEL for the whole stay;
• money for the trip: the law sets no fixed sum;
• your travel plans, if the officer asks;
• for drivers: driving licence, registration and car liability insurance.