Entering Georgia in 2026: visa-free for a year, e-Visa, borders and customs

By Nino Gelashvili, Travel News Editor · 16/10/2026

Short answer: citizens of around 95 countries — including the EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Türkiye, the Gulf states and most of Latin America — can enter Georgia without a visa and stay for up to one year. Since 1 January 2026 everyone also needs travel health insurance. This page is the desk’s standing guide to entry; it is checked against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular pages and updated whenever something changes (see the log at the end).

Checked against official sources on 16 October 2026 by the GTour desk. For your specific passport, confirm on the consular service’s own checker at geoconsul.gov.ge before you fly.

Who needs no visa

Georgia has one of the most open entry regimes in the region. Citizens of the European Union and the Schengen area, the United Kingdom and Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Israel, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, most of Latin America, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Central Asian republics and a number of others may enter with a valid passport and stay for up to 365 days within any one-year period — not 90 days, as in most of Europe. Some nationalities in this group may also enter on a national ID card; most need a passport.

Holders of a valid visa or residence permit from the EU, Schengen states, the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Switzerland or the Gulf states can usually enter visa-free for up to 90 days even if their own nationality is not on the list, provided the document is still valid and they can show it at the border.

Who needs an e-Visa

Citizens of most other countries apply online at evisa.gov.ge. The e-Visa is for tourism, business or transit, is normally issued within five working days, and must be obtained before travel — it cannot be issued at the border. A small number of nationalities must apply at a Georgian embassy instead of online. The consular service’s checker tells you which case applies to you.

What the border officer looks at

• A passport valid for your whole stay. Georgia does not formally require six months’ remaining validity, but airlines sometimes do; six months is the safe rule.
• Travel health insurance — mandatory since 1 January 2026, minimum 30,000 GEL, covering the full stay. See our insurance explainer.
• Occasionally: proof of onward travel, accommodation or funds. Rarely asked, but have a booking confirmation on your phone.
• Children travelling with one parent or with others: carry a copy of the birth certificate and a consent letter from the absent parent; Georgian border police do ask.

Where you can enter

• Airports: Tbilisi (TBS), Kutaisi (KUT, the low-cost hub) and Batumi (BUS).
• From Türkiye: Sarpi, on the coast south of Batumi, open 24 hours — the busiest land crossing; Vale (near Akhaltsikhe) and Kartsakhi (Ninotsminda) for the inland routes.
• From Armenia: Sadakhlo (Bagratashen), on the Tbilisi–Yerevan road; also Guguti and Ninotsminda (Bavra).
• From Azerbaijan: Lagodekhi (Balakan) and Red Bridge (Tsiteli Khidi). Azerbaijan’s land borders have been closed to passenger traffic for long periods since 2020 — check the current status before planning an overland route.
• From Russia: Kazbegi/Larsi (Verkhny Lars) on the Georgian Military Highway. Queues of several hours are normal; the road closes in heavy snow — see the live road status.

Entry through Abkhazia or South Ossetia from the Russian side is illegal under Georgian law and will result in refusal, a fine or prosecution if you later try to enter Georgia proper.

Customs: what you can bring

Duty-free allowances for an adult traveller are 4 litres of alcohol, 400 cigarettes (or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco), and personal goods up to 500 GEL in value and 30 kg in weight. Cash of more than 30,000 GEL (or its equivalent) must be declared. Prescription medicines are fine in personal quantities with the original packaging; bring the prescription for anything containing controlled substances. Drones are allowed but need registration with the Civil Aviation Agency for anything beyond casual use.

Staying longer, working, driving

• Visa-free visitors may stay up to a year but may not take up local employment without a work-related residence permit; remote work for a foreign employer is tolerated and is the basis of Georgia’s “remotely from Georgia” reputation.
• Residence permits (work, study, family, investment) are handled by the Public Service Development Agency; applications are made from inside Georgia.
• Foreign driving licences are accepted for the length of a visit; an international permit is not required, but carry your home licence.

Sources

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, consular service — geoconsul.gov.ge (visa regime, entry rules, nationality checker)
• e-Visa portal of Georgia — evisa.gov.ge
• Revenue Service of Georgia — customs allowances for travellers
• Public Service Development Agency — residence permits

Change log

• 16 October 2026 — page published. Insurance requirement cross-referenced; Azerbaijan land-border status flagged as variable.