Do I need a visa for Georgia? The 2026 entry rules by passport

Citizens of around 98 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan, the UAE and most of South America, can enter Georgia without a visa and stay up to one year, a rule that has stood largely unchanged since it was last expanded in 2015. If your passport is not on that list, you apply online through evisa.gov.ge before you travel, and most applications are decided within a few days.

The nuance for 2026 is that “visa-free” and “no paperwork at all” are not quite the same thing. A handful of visa-free nationalities still face extra checks at land borders, passport validity rules are stricter than many travellers assume, and the e-visa itself comes in more than one type depending on purpose and length of stay. Always check your specific case on geoconsul.gov.ge, the consular services portal run by Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since nationality lists are reviewed periodically and can change with little notice.

Who travels visa-free for up to a year

Georgia’s long-standing policy grants visa-free entry and stay of up to 365 days to passport holders from the EU and EEA states, the UK, the US, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, most Gulf states including the UAE, and the majority of countries in the Americas. This is unusually generous by regional standards, where most neighbours cap visa-free stays at 30 or 90 days.

• EU, EEA and UK passports: visa-free, up to 1 year
• US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland: visa-free, up to 1 year
• Gulf states (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and others on the list): visa-free, up to 1 year
• Most of Latin America: visa-free, up to 1 year

Because the published list has around a hundred entries and is reviewed from time to time, do not rely on a travel forum or a year-old blog post. Check your passport directly against the current list on geoconsul.gov.ge or the official entry page on mfa.gov.ge, and see our own nationality guides at gtour.ge for a country-by-country summary we keep updated.

Who needs an e-visa

If your country is not on the visa-free list, Georgia requires an e-visa obtained in advance through evisa.gov.ge. There is no visa-on-arrival for these nationalities and no paper visa issued at embassies for ordinary tourism in most cases. The portal issues several categories, broadly tourism, business and transit, each with its own permitted stay, so select the category that matches your trip rather than assuming the shortest or cheapest option is correct. Processing is normally a matter of days, but officials advise applying at least ten working days before travel, and payment is made online in the currency shown on the portal.

Passport validity and documents

Georgia does not publish a blanket “six months beyond your stay” rule the way some countries do, but your passport must remain valid for the entire length of your intended stay, and airlines and border officers can refuse boarding or entry if validity is marginal. Practical advice:

• Carry a passport valid for at least the full period you plan to stay in Georgia, plus a safety margin of a few weeks.
• Carry the physical passport used for your e-visa application, since the visa is linked to that document number.
• Minors travelling without both parents may be asked for consent documents at land borders; carry notarised paperwork if in doubt.

None of this is a substitute for checking your own case with the consulate or embassy handling your nationality, listed on geoconsul.gov.ge.

Crossing by land, not just by air

Georgia’s visa-free and e-visa rules apply equally whether you fly into Tbilisi, Kutaisi or Batumi, or cross overland. The main land crossings are Sarpi on the Turkish border, Sadakhlo and Guguti with Armenia, the Red Bridge crossing with Azerbaijan, and Verkhny Lars (Dariali) on the Russian border near Kazbegi. Verkhny Lars is a single, often queue-prone crossing and is the one route most likely to see delays or temporary closures, particularly in winter weather; check current conditions before planning a tight itinerary.

If your tour includes a cross-border leg, for example an onward trip toward Yerevan or Baku, our car-with-driver service can quote a fixed fare to the border or beyond, shown on gtour.ge/data.

Where this comes from

This page draws on the current visa-free country list and e-visa categories published by Georgia’s consular authorities at geoconsul.gov.ge, the online application system at evisa.gov.ge, and general entry guidance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at mfa.gov.ge. Because visa-free lists and e-visa fees can change, these sources were checked on 27 October 2026 and should be re-checked close to your travel date rather than relied on indefinitely; for anything unusual in your own case, contact the Georgian embassy or consulate responsible for your country.

Sources

• Consular services and visa-free list
• Electronic visa portal
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa information
• Geoconsul – Nationality Visa Guide Hub
• Matsne – Law on Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons
• Georgian Railway – International Rail Border Crossings