Is travel insurance mandatory for Georgia? What the law requires in 2026

Travel insurance requirements for Georgia: what the law says

The policy must be health and accident insurance, have an insured sum of at least 30,000 GEL, last for your whole stay and be in Georgian or English. The details are in Government Resolution No. 602 (often called Decree 602); article numbers below refer to the Procedure it approved.

Resolution No. 602 has no official English translation. The official English wording comes from the Law on Tourism and a notice from Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The notice adds that the policy must cover both your arrival and departure dates.

Does the policy need separate limits for hospital care or evacuation?

No. The Resolution sets one overall limit — the insured sum of at least 30,000 GEL. It names no separate limits for outpatient care, hospital stays, evacuation or repatriation.

The minimum insurance coverage is set in lari, and the act does not say which exchange rate to use. If your policy is in dollars or euros, make sure the sum is well above the minimum; a sum in GEL leaves no doubt.

Our Light and Standard plans are written in lari and match the minimum exactly. Premium is written in euros — €15,000, well above the legal minimum at the National Bank of Georgia rate. Light has a deductible; Standard and Premium do not.

How claims work with our policy is explained on the claims page.

Why some websites still say travel insurance is optional

Because the rule was postponed. Article 12 of the Law on Tourism was due to take effect on 1 June 2024, but its application was suspended until 1 January 2026 (Article 51). Pages written before then describe the old situation.

Search “is travel insurance mandatory for Georgia” today and some results still say no. Check whether the page mentions 1 January 2026 or Resolution No. 602.

The official English text of Article 12 is clear: “Tourists visiting Georgia shall have mandatory health and accident insurance” (Law on Tourism).

Georgia's national tourism administration still describes insurance on its visitor page as optional, only “highly recommended”. The binding texts are the Law on Tourism and Resolution No. 602.

Who needs travel insurance for Georgia, and who is exempt

Every tourist entering Georgia needs it; citizenship is not mentioned, so US, UK, EU, Indian and Gulf passport holders are all included. Resolution No. 602 exempts only five groups (Article 1, paragraph 3):

• holders of diplomatic or special visas;
• holders of diplomatic, official, service or special passports;
• staff of embassies, consulates and international organisations accredited in Georgia, and their accredited family members;
• people whose entry is covered by Georgia's international treaties;
• drivers working in international road freight and passenger transport.

The full text is two pages, in Georgian. Children and visitors over 65 are not on this list, so they need a policy like any other tourist. For transit passengers and residence permit holders there is no official guidance yet; see below.

For passports, visas and how long you can stay, see Georgia entry requirements. Visa applicants also need a policy when they apply, as explained in Georgia visa requirements for Indian citizens.

Who counts as a tourist under the Law on Tourism?

The Procedure uses the Law on Tourism's definition: a visitor who travels for business, leisure or other personal purposes and stays at least one night and no longer than a year. Coming to work for a local employer does not count.

There is no official guidance yet on how this applies to people who come to Georgia to work, to residence permit holders or to same-day visitors.

Is your travel insurance from home valid in Georgia?

Yes, if it meets the same conditions as any other policy. The Procedure accepts a policy from a Georgian or a foreign insurer, as long as that insurer is licensed in its own country to provide health and accident insurance.

Whatever it is called — travel medical insurance, a health plan or card cover — check four things:

• the insured sum is at least 30,000 GEL — if it is in another currency, well above it;
• it covers your whole stay in Georgia, from entry to departure;
• the policy is in Georgian or English;
• Georgia is within the covered territory.

Does credit card or US health insurance count?

It can. A policy you already have counts if it ticks all four boxes above. Georgian law has no separate rule for credit card cover, domestic health plans or annual worldwide policies.

What differs is how a claim is paid.

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.

We arrange IRAO policies as its insurance agent; IRAO is a Georgian insurer that is part of Vienna Insurance Group.

Do you need proof of insurance in Georgia, and who checks it?

Yes — you must hold the policy when you enter, on paper or on your phone. Under Article 3 of the Procedure, a patrol police officer at the border crossing point may check it. The Procedure does not mention checks inside the country.

Under Article 13 of the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (the Law on Aliens), carriers must check visas and travel documents. Insurance is not on that list. The UK government warns that your airline may still ask for proof at check-in, so keep the policy to hand.

Already in Georgia without a policy? You can buy one online with today's start date; it should cover the rest of your stay.

What happens if you don't have travel insurance in Georgia?

You may be refused entry. Article 11 of the Law on Aliens lists the lack of health and accident insurance as a ground for refusing a foreigner entry. A person who is refused must return to their point of origin.

An authorised officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs makes the decision at the border checkpoint (Article 12). Article 11 also allows a visa to be refused on this ground.

So buy the policy before you travel: you must hold it from the moment you enter.

Do you need travel insurance for a layover in Georgia?

Resolution No. 602 does not mention transit, and there is no official guidance on passengers who stay in the airport transit area.

If you pass border control and stay overnight, you are a tourist, and the rule applies. A few hours in town without a night's stay makes you a same-day visitor under the Law on Tourism; that case has no official guidance either.