GeorgiaVisa-free regime

Visa-free entry to Georgia in Georgia

Georgia admits nationals of almost a hundred countries without a visa and without any application in advance: the decision is taken by the border officer when you show your passport. While the visa-free term runs you live in the country lawfully, rent housing and apply for a residence permit from inside the country without leaving. No separate permit for the stay itself has to be arranged, and neither does registration at a place of residence. Employment or your own business is possible only after a separate right to work — visa-free stay does not give that right.

Processing time

There is no application: the decision is taken by the border officer on entry.

Residence

No separate registration at a place of residence is required for the stay itself

Source: matsne.gov.ge — Government of Georgia Decree No. 255 of 05.06.2015 approving the list of countries whose nationals may enter Georgia without a visa

Who enters without a visa

The right of entry is given not by a status or a permit but by nationality or by another country's document. What you hold also determines how long you may stay.

Nationals of the listed countries: a year

Nationals of 94 countries and territories from the annex to the government decree: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the EU countries, the USA, the United Kingdom with its overseas territories, Israel, Turkey.
The decree sets no monetary threshold. At the border you may be asked whether you have funds for your stay and for the journey back.
A valid travel document. For EU citizens an identity card with a name, surname, date of birth and photograph is enough.

Another country's visa or residence permit: 90 days in any 180

Nationals of countries outside the main list who hold a valid visa or residence permit of one of the 50 countries in the annex to Decree No. 256: the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, the EU countries, Japan, the UAE, Australia.
The decree introduces no separate monetary requirements.
The visa or residence permit must be valid on the day the border is crossed, and this is confirmed by a travel or other document.

UN Laissez-Passer: a year

Officials of the UN and its specialised agencies holding a Laissez-Passer travel document.
The decree sets no monetary conditions.
The Laissez-Passer itself, issued by the organisation.

When visa-free entry does not solve the problem

Visa-free stay covers the first period in the country and nothing beyond it.

You want to work for a Georgian company or start your own business

First the right to work at the Employment Promotion Agency, and for long-term work a work residence permit.

You are counting the years to permanent residence or a passport

Visa-free months do not count: the law counts the years lived on a temporary residence permit. Move on to a work, study, family or investment residence permit.

Your nationality is on neither of the lists

An e-visa on the evisa.gov.ge portal or a visa at a Georgian consulate.

Who it suits

Documents

At the border you show a valid travel document. For EU citizens an identity card with a name, surname, date of birth and photograph is enough. No application is filed in advance.

What it costs

The state does not charge for entry itself. What has to be paid for is what you do inside the country: the right to work and the move to a residence permit.

VisaDecree No. 255 of the Government of Georgia of 5 June 2015 opens visa-free entry to nationals of the listed countries and sets no charge for it.	0 GEL
Permission to stay granted at the borderUnder article 4 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens a person enters through a border crossing point with a valid travel document and receives permission to stay. The law introduces no fee.	0 GEL
Right to workThe maximum amount that the Law on Labour Migration allows the Employment Promotion Agency to charge. Without this document a foreign national who has no permanent residence may neither work for a Georgian employer nor run their own business.	+500 GEL
State fee for a residence permit, the slowest processingPaid by those who move on to a residence permit before the visa-free term ends. The fee is paid to the Public Service Development Agency.	+300 GEL
State fee for a residence permit, the fastest processingThe expedited rate for the same service.	600 GEL
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Right to work” adds 500 GEL; “State fee for a residence permit, the slowest processing” adds 300 GEL. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	0–800 GEL

Paid separately

Travel document — The passport is issued by the country of nationality; Georgian instruments do not set its price.
Medical insurance — The law names the absence of insurance as a ground for refusing entry, but Georgian instruments publish neither a minimum cover nor a price.

The law describes the fee for the right to work as a maximum: the specific rates are set by a separate government decree.

How the process runs

There is nowhere to file an application: visa-free entry is not arranged in advance. A procedure appears only when you decide to work or to stay beyond the term.

1
Checking your nationality
Look at the annex to the decree on visa-free entry: it lists the countries and territories whose nationals enter without a visa. If your country is not there, check the second list — the one based on another country's visa or residence permit.
2
Entry through a border crossing point
At the border you show a valid travel document. The decision is taken by the border officer: the law allows entry to be refused to those who lack the required documents, funds for their stay or insurance, to those who are banned from entry, to those who have given false information, and to those about whom there is a reasonable doubt that they will remain in the country unlawfully.
3
Living in the country without registration
No separate permit for the stay itself is arranged and there is no registration at a place of residence. The term runs from the day of entry.
4
Right to work
up to 30 calendar days
A foreign national without permanent residence first obtains the right to work at the Employment Promotion Agency and only then works for a Georgian employer or runs their own business. The application is filed by the employer, or by the person themselves if they work for themselves.
5
Moving to a residence permit, or leaving
The residence permit application is filed with the Public Service Development Agency while the stay is still lawful: in person, through a representative or online. Anyone who does not move on to a residence permit must leave the country.

Timelines and rights

Work

From 1 March 2026 it is not possible to work without a permit. A foreign national without permanent residence first obtains the right to work at the Employment Promotion Agency, and only then works for a Georgian employer, including remotely, or runs their own business. The application is examined within up to 30 calendar days; the fee is up to GEL 500.

Who you can bring with you

A person on a visa-free stay sponsors no one: the right of entry comes from the individual's own document, not from a family tie to someone already living in the country.

A spouse

Enters independently — on their own nationality or on a visa or residence permit of a country from the second list. Marriage to a person living in Georgia visa-free gives no advantage at the border.

Children

Every child needs their own travel document. The visa-free term is counted for the child separately, by their own nationality.

Parents and other relatives

The visa-free regime creates no separate ground for reunification. Family reunification is arranged through a residence permit, and the inviting party is a foreign national holding a Georgian residence permit, not a person on a visa-free stay.

Renewal and the grace period

The visa-free term is not extended: the decree provides for neither an extension nor a grace period. To stay longer you move on to a residence permit before your lawful stay ends — it is issued only to a foreign national who is in Georgia lawfully. The application is filed no later than 40 calendar days before the lawful stay comes to an end. Anyone who does not move on to a residence permit must leave; a new entry is again decided by the border officer, who may refuse if there is doubt about the person's intentions.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Visa-free entry to Georgia	Refugee status	Humanitarian status
Visa term	Nationals of the listed countries may enter and stay in Georgia without a visa for one full year	Refugee status is open-ended and does not require annual renewal	Granted for 1 year, renewed annually
Grounds	Nationality of one of the countries on the Georgian government's list	Race/religion/nationality/social group	War / violations of rights
Money	You pay no visa fee: entry is visa-free	No financial requirements; allowances are possible	No financial requirements; allowances are possible
Work	From 1 March 2026 it is not possible to work without a permit	The right to work on the same footing as other foreign nationals	The right to work is the same as for refugees
Residence	No separate registration at a place of residence is required for the stay itself	You must be present in Georgia; returning home leads to a review of the status	Live in Georgia and renew annually

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

Visa-free months do not count towards permanent residence. Permanent residence under article 15 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens is granted after 10 years of living in Georgia on a temporary residence permit.

Route to citizenship

There is no direct route from visa-free stay to a passport. Naturalisation requires 10 years of residence, work, property or business in Georgia and an examination in the language, history and law.

Frequently asked questions about Visa-free entry to Georgia

Is registration required after entry?

No. The law requires neither a separate permit for the stay nor registration at a place of residence: a person enters through a border crossing point with a valid travel document and receives permission to stay right at the border. Registration appears later, together with a residence permit.

Is remote work allowed while living visa-free?

Only after you obtain the right to work. The Law on Labour Migration covers both work for a Georgian employer, including remote work, and your own business in Georgia. Working without this document costs GEL 2,000 in fines for both the foreign national and the employer for each member of staff; for a repeat breach the amount is doubled, and for a third it is tripled.

Can a residence permit application be filed without leaving Georgia?

Yes. A residence permit is issued to a foreign national who is in Georgia lawfully, and a visa-free stay is lawful. The application is accepted at a House of Justice, at a territorial office of the Public Service Development Agency or online. A residence permit is not granted on the basis of an ordinary visa — the law prohibits that expressly.

What happens if the visa-free term is overstayed?

A foreign national must leave before the end of their lawful stay. An overstay is an administrative offence, and the fine is imposed under the Code of Administrative Offences. The law separately names an unpaid fine as a ground for refusing entry the next time.

What can be done if my country is not on the list?

Look at the second list. If you hold a valid visa or residence permit of one of the countries named there, a Georgian visa is not needed: the document must be valid on the day the border is crossed, and this is confirmed by a travel or other document. If that list is empty for you too, an e-visa or a consular visa remains.

Is it true that leaving and coming back is enough for the term to start afresh?

The decree gives the visa-free term on entry, but every new entry is a fresh decision by the border officer, not an automatic extension. The law allows a refusal if the person has no funds for their stay or no insurance, or if there is a reasonable doubt that they will remain in the country unlawfully.

Other ways to move to Georgia

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Georgia.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.