What you need to enter Georgia in 2026

Who can visit without a visa

Citizens of more than 90 countries and territories can enter Georgia without a visa. Most of them can stay a full year. Check your passport in the Foreign Ministry's Do I need a visa? tool.

The year counts from the day you enter. If you leave and come back, a new period usually starts, but the border officer decides at every entry. Overstaying is expensive. Since 1 October 2025 the fine starts at 1,000 GEL, together with a ban on entering Georgia for six months or more.

A visa-free stay is for tourism and visits. Since 1 March 2026 foreigners who work or run a business in Georgia, including remotely, need a separate right to work. The rules do not spell out every remote-work case, so check with the State Employment Support Agency or a lawyer.

• A full year. All EU countries, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Turkey, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and the six Gulf states (the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman), among others.
• Shorter stays. Iran 45 days. Chile and North Macedonia 90 days in any 180. Uruguay 90 days.
• With another country's visa or residence permit. If your passport is not visa-free, a valid visa or residence permit of an EU country, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Switzerland, Norway or a Gulf state lets you stay 90 days in any 180. It must be valid on the day you cross the border. The full list of countries is on the Foreign Ministry site. If your visa is electronic rather than in your passport, ask the Georgian embassy whether it counts.
• Citizens of 17 countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Morocco and Afghanistan, can use a Gulf visa or residence permit only if it is multiple-entry and valid for at least one more year on the day of entry.

Transfer

Tbilisi Airport → Tbilisi

≈ 25 min20 kmfrom $50from €45from ₾135

The e-visa for other passports

If none of the above applies, apply for an e-visa on the official portal evisa.gov.ge. This is the usual route for Indian citizens without a US, UK, EU or Gulf visa or residence permit. You apply from abroad, fill in the form in English and pay by card. If your country is not offered on the portal, apply at a Georgian embassy.

A decision takes at least 5 working days, so apply early. The portal lists a fee of 20 USD plus a 2% service charge, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused. Each traveller needs their own e-visa, children included.

How long you may stay depends on your passport. For India it is usually 30 days within a 120-day period. The portal shows your terms before you pay.

Use only the official portal. The Foreign Ministry says it has no link with private agencies that offer to apply for you. Print the e-visa and carry it. At the border you may be asked for these documents.

• A passport valid at least 3 months beyond the visa, issued within the last 10 years, with 2 blank pages.
• Proof of accommodation, such as a hotel booking or a rental agreement.
• Health and accident insurance, described below.
• Proof of funds, such as recent bank statements.
• A document showing the purpose of the trip, such as an invitation, if you have one.

Passport, ID cards and children

Your passport must be valid for your whole stay. Some airlines want 3 to 6 months left. If your passport expires soon, ask your airline or the Georgian embassy before you book.

Citizens of EU countries can also enter with a national ID card. Other ID cards are accepted only under specific agreements, so ask the embassy. Russian citizens need a passport for foreign travel, and the internal passport is not accepted.

Every child needs their own passport and their own insurance policy. Check that the photo in a child's passport still looks like the child. The UK government reports families refused entry when it did not.

Georgian official sites do not list a consent form for a child who travels with one parent. Officers can still ask questions, and your home country may have its own exit rules. A signed consent letter from the other parent, ideally notarised and in English, makes the crossing easier. Bring the child's birth certificate if your surnames differ.

Health insurance since 1 January 2026

Since 1 January 2026 every foreign tourist needs health and accident insurance for the whole stay. It applies with or without a visa, at airports and at land borders. The rule comes from Government Resolution No. 602 of 26 December 2025.

The cover must be at least 30,000 GEL, roughly 11,000 USD. That is lari, not dollars. The policy can come from a Georgian or a foreign insurer. It can be on paper or on your phone, in English or Georgian. It must cover the day you arrive and the day you leave.

The Patrol Police can check the policy at the border, and airlines may ask for it at check-in. Without a valid policy you can be refused entry. Diplomats, holders of official passports, accredited staff of international organisations and drivers on international freight and bus routes are exempt.

The Foreign Ministry lists what the policy must show.

• The insurer and the insured person.
• The territory covered, which must include Georgia.
• What is insured and the risks covered.
• The start and end dates.
• The sum insured, at least 30,000 GEL.
• The premium and where and when it is paid.
• A booking email is not enough. Save the full policy on your phone, since mobile data may not work at the border, and carry a printout. With an annual policy, check how many days a single trip may last.

Arriving by air and passport control

Georgia has three international airports. Tbilisi (TBS) is the main one and is open around the clock. Kutaisi (KUT) handles most low-cost flights, including Wizz Air. Batumi (BUS) on the Black Sea is busiest in summer.

At passport control the officer checks your passport and may ask why you are coming, where you will stay and when you leave. Have your return ticket, your first address and the insurance policy ready. You do not fill in an arrival card, and visa-free entry costs nothing. The officer stamps your passport.

After baggage claim, take the green channel if you carry nothing over the limits below. Use the red channel to declare cash or goods.

Getting into town is covered in our guides to Tbilisi Airport, Kutaisi Airport and Batumi Airport. If you land late or with family, a driver can meet you in the arrivals hall with a name sign. See the Tbilisi Airport transfer and the Kutaisi Airport transfer.

Arriving by land

By land you need the same passport, visa and insurance as by air. If you drive your own car, you also need Georgian third-party liability insurance (TPL). It is sold at the border and on tpl.ge.

• Russia. The only legal land crossing is Upper Lars, and it cannot be crossed on foot. Queues, car papers and winter closures are in our Upper Lars guide.
• Turkey. The Sarp and Sarpi crossing on the coast road is under 20 km south of Batumi. It is open 24 hours and can be crossed on foot.
• Armenia. Bagratashen and Sadakhlo is the main crossing on the road between Yerevan and Tbilisi and is open 24 hours. In August 2026 people waited overnight at passport control, so allow extra time in summer.
• Azerbaijan. Since 2020 Azerbaijan has kept its land borders, including Red Bridge, closed to most travellers. Its quarantine regime is now extended to 2 January 2027. A daily night train between Baku and Tbilisi has run again since 26 May 2026. Check the current rules before you plan a land trip.

What you can bring in

Cash, cheques and securities worth more than 30,000 GEL in total, or the same in other currencies, must be declared when you enter and when you leave.

The allowances below are set by the Revenue Service. Alcohol and tobacco allowances apply from age 18. Goods for sale must always be declared, whatever their value.

• Alcohol. 1 litre of spirits of 22% and stronger, or 2 litres of weaker drinks, or 4 litres of wine. On top of that, 16 litres of beer.
• Tobacco. 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 50 cigarillos, or 250 g of tobacco. Up to 50 ml of e-cigarette liquid.
• Other personal goods. Up to 3,000 GEL and 30 kg by air. By land, up to 500 GEL and 30 kg, and land allowances count once every 30 days.
• Medicines. Up to 10 standard packs of ordinary medicines need no documents. Codeine, pseudoephedrine, tramadol, pregabalin, alprazolam, methylphenidate and other controlled substances are limited to a 31-day supply. You need a copy of the prescription and a doctor's certificate, translated into English and certified in the country you travel from. Without them it is a criminal offence. Some cold and pain tablets contain codeine or pseudoephedrine, so read the label, and ask the embassy if you take such a medicine.
• Drones. Drones of 250 g and more must be registered with the Civil Aviation Agency on uas.gov.ge, and the pilot passes a free online test. Official pages do not say clearly how this applies to tourists, so check with gcaa.ge before you fly.
• Pets. A dog or cat needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination and a veterinary certificate from your home country. Sources give 21 to 30 days as the minimum gap between the vaccination and travel. The National Food Agency checks the animal and the papers on arrival. Confirm the details with the agency at nfa.gov.ge and with your airline.
• Weapons, plants, animal products, antiques and works of art need permits.

SIM cards and money on arrival

The currency is the Georgian lari (GEL). Cards work in most shops, cafes and app taxis in the cities. Keep some cash for minibuses, markets and villages.

All three airports have ATMs in the arrivals hall. In Tbilisi, TBC and Bank of Georgia machines are the most reliable. If an ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, choose lari. Airport exchange desks give a worse rate than banks and exchange offices in town, so change only what you need for the first day.

Cards issued by Russian banks, including Visa, Mastercard and Mir, do not work in Georgia. If that is all you have, bring cash.

Magti, Silknet and Cellfie sell SIM cards at the airports, and you need your passport. Airport packages cost more than in town, so a small one is enough for the first days. Magti usually has the best coverage in the mountains. The operators also sell eSIMs online.

Abkhazia, South Ossetia and travel advisories

Georgia and most other countries regard Abkhazia and South Ossetia (the Tskhinvali region) as Georgian territory occupied by Russia.

Under Georgian law you may enter them only from the Georgian side, through Zugdidi municipality for Abkhazia and Gori municipality for South Ossetia. Entering from Russia is illegal under Georgian law and is punishable.

Many governments advise against going. The UK advises against all travel to both regions and against all but essential travel to areas right next to the boundary lines. The US State Department rates both regions Level 4, Do Not Travel. Travel insurance may not cover a trip made against your government's advice.

Tbilisi, Kazbegi, Kakheti, Mestia, Kutaisi and Batumi are all outside these regions. Read your own government's current advice before you go.

Checklist before you travel

Rules change. Check the Foreign Ministry's Entering Georgia page a few days before you leave, and contact the embassy if something is unclear.

• A passport valid for the whole stay, or an EU ID card. Each child has their own.
• Your visa-free status checked, or a printed e-visa.
• Health and accident insurance for every traveller and every day of the trip, with at least 30,000 GEL of cover, saved offline and printed.
• A return or onward ticket and the address of your first night.
• A consent letter from the other parent if a child travels with one of you.
• Prescriptions and certified papers for any controlled medicine.
• Cash over 30,000 GEL declared, alcohol and tobacco within the limits.
• A bank card that works abroad and a little cash for the first day.