Travel insurance for Georgia: the 30,000 GEL rule explained, what is accepted, how to buy at the border

Yes. Since 2026, most foreign visitors entering Georgia must hold travel health insurance with a minimum emergency-medical and repatriation cover of 30,000 GEL, roughly €10,365, $11,556 or £8,680 at the National Bank of Georgia’s reference rate for 28 October 2026. Border officers can ask for proof of a valid policy at passport control, whether you arrive by air at Tbilisi, Kutaisi or Batumi, or overland from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey or Russia. A handful of categories are exempt, insurers must meet specific content requirements rather than appear on a single public brand list, and you can buy cover either before you fly or, at reduced choice and usually higher cost, at the border itself.

This guide sets out what the 30,000 GEL figure actually buys you, who does not need to comply, what counts as an acceptable policy, where to buy one in 2026, and how a claim works if you do fall ill or have an accident in Georgia. Because the exact threshold, the exemption list and the accepted-insurer criteria are set by government decree and reviewed periodically, treat every figure below as correct for today and confirm it again close to your travel date on the official portals linked throughout, principally evisa.gov.ge and gov.ge.

The 30,000 GEL rule in plain terms

The requirement sets a minimum sum insured for emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation and medical repatriation while you are in Georgia. It is expressed in Georgian lari because that is the currency the border system checks against, but any policy quoted in euros, US dollars or another major currency is accepted as long as the converted sum meets or exceeds 30,000 GEL on the day of entry. Because exchange rates move daily, build in a margin rather than buying a policy that converts to exactly the minimum.

These conversions use the National Bank of Georgia’s rate for 28 October 2026 and will drift from day to day; a policy bought with a comfortable buffer above 30,000 GEL avoids any dispute at the border over a currency wobble. The rule covers the whole trip, not a single incident, so if your policy has a per-incident cap below the minimum it will not satisfy the requirement even if the annual or trip total is higher.

Who is exempt

Exemptions exist but the published list is narrower than many travellers expect, and it is reviewed from time to time, so confirm your own category before you rely on it. In 2026 the groups most commonly understood to be exempt are:

• Georgian citizens and holders of a Georgian residence permit
• Diplomatic and official passport holders travelling on duty
• Crew members of international transport arriving on duty
• Passengers in genuine airside transit who do not clear Georgian border control
• Infants below the age set in the current decree, when travelling with an insured parent whose policy extends to dependants

Citizens of countries with which Georgia has a specific bilateral healthcare arrangement may also be exempt, but this list is short and changes; it is not safe to assume your passport qualifies without checking. The authoritative, current wording of who must comply is published through the e-Visa portal and the government’s main site, and it is worth a five-minute check before departure rather than a discussion at the border: evisa.gov.ge and mfa.gov.ge.

What counts as an accepted insurer and policy

Georgia does not run a single public whitelist of approved insurance brands in 2026. Instead, border and immigration staff check the content of the policy document, not the logo on it. An accepted policy generally needs to show, in English, Georgian or Russian:

• The insured person’s full name matching the passport presented
• Dates of cover that bracket the entire planned stay in Georgia, with no gap
• A stated sum insured for emergency medical treatment of at least 30,000 GEL or the equivalent
• Explicit cover for medical repatriation or evacuation, not only local treatment
• A policy or certificate number and a 24-hour assistance phone line
• Geographic validity that includes Georgia by name, or “worldwide” cover without an exclusion for Georgia or the Caucasus

Most mainstream travel insurers sold in the EU, UK, US, Gulf states and elsewhere already issue policies that meet these conditions, since 30,000 GEL is a modest figure by international travel-insurance standards. The practical risk is not the sum insured but missing paperwork: a confirmation email without a clear certificate, or a policy that covers only your home country’s reciprocal healthcare area and excludes trips abroad. Read your certificate of insurance, not just the marketing page, before you fly.

Buying online before you fly

The simplest route is to buy from your usual insurer, your bank’s travel cover, or a specialist online provider in your home country, then download and print the certificate. Do this a few days before departure so you have time to query anything that looks incomplete. Keep both a printed copy and a PDF on your phone, since airline check-in staff, airport officials and Georgian border control may each ask to see it separately. If you are combining several trips in one year, check whether an annual multi-trip policy still meets the per-trip minimum sum insured for Georgia specifically, since some annual policies set a lower blanket figure that would not satisfy the 30,000 GEL threshold on its own.

If your own country’s standard travel policy is unclear on repatriation or on the Georgian sum insured, a dedicated adventure or medical-evacuation rider is worth adding, particularly if your itinerary includes high-altitude trekking such as the Mount Kazbek Summit Expedition, the Chaukhi Pass day hike, or multi-day routes in Tusheti and Svaneti, where helicopter evacuation costs considerably more than routine hospital care.

Buying at the border or airport

On-the-spot purchase is possible at Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi international airports and at several land border crossings, usually through a kiosk, a QR code linking to an online insurer, or a mobile top-up style purchase on your phone while queuing. This exists for travellers who arrive without cover, but it has three practical drawbacks: fewer insurers to choose from, prices that are typically higher than buying at home, and a queue that can add to your arrival time, particularly at peak flight banks. Treat border purchase as a fallback, not a plan, and confirm which specific counters or apps are currently operating by checking the airport’s own passenger information page before you travel, for example tbilisiairport.com, kutaisiairport.com or batumiairport.com.

What the policy actually needs to cover

Beyond the headline sum insured, a genuinely useful policy for Georgia should cover emergency outpatient and inpatient treatment, ambulance transport within the country, and medical repatriation to your home country if a Georgian hospital cannot provide the necessary level of care. Georgia’s private hospital network in Tbilisi and Batumi is generally good for routine emergencies, but specialist trauma care, major surgery after a mountain accident, or intensive-care transfer can still require evacuation, which is the single most expensive scenario the minimum cover is designed to protect against. If your trip includes glacier routes, via ferrata, skiing at Gudauri or Bakuriani, or remote 4×4 travel in Tusheti or Khevsureti, check that your policy does not exclude mountaineering, off-piste skiing or travel above a stated altitude, since standard leisure policies sometimes carve these out even when the headline sum insured looks sufficient.

If your visit to Georgia is specifically for planned treatment, such as our Dental Travel to Tbilisi or Medical Travel to Tbilisi accompanied packages, standard emergency travel insurance is not a substitute for the clinic’s own patient agreement; speak to the clinic and your insurer separately about what each one covers, and always confirm clinical decisions with a qualified doctor rather than with any travel guide, including this one.

How to claim

If you need treatment in Georgia, call your insurer’s 24-hour assistance line before or as soon as possible after you reach a clinic or hospital, since many insurers require pre-authorisation for anything beyond minor outpatient care and will not reimburse unauthorised major treatment after the fact. Keep every document: the clinic’s admission and discharge notes, itemised invoices, prescription receipts, and your passport’s Georgian entry stamp or e-Visa record showing your dates in the country. For repatriation, the insurer’s assistance team coordinates directly with the treating hospital and, where needed, with your embassy; you do not need to arrange flights or medical escorts yourself. After returning home, submit your claim within the window stated in your policy, commonly between 30 and 90 days, attaching translated medical records if the insurer requires them. Georgian hospitals routinely issue invoices and discharge summaries in English for international patients, which simplifies this step considerably.

Practical summary

• Minimum cover for 2026: 30,000 GEL, about €10,365 / $11,556 / £8,680 at the 28 October 2026 rate; buy with a margin above this.
• Confirm current rules, the exact exemption list and the effective date before you fly, via evisa.gov.ge and gov.ge.
• Buy online from a mainstream insurer a few days before departure; print the certificate and also keep a PDF on your phone.
• Check the policy explicitly states emergency treatment, repatriation, dates covering your whole stay, and a 24-hour assistance number.
• Add a mountaineering or high-altitude rider for trekking, skiing or 4×4 routes in Svaneti, Tusheti, Khevsureti or Kazbegi.
• Border purchase is available at Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi airports as a fallback, but expect fewer choices and higher prices.
• Call your insurer’s assistance line before major treatment where possible, and keep every invoice and medical record for your claim.
• For planned medical or dental treatment, arrange separate agreements with the clinic; travel insurance is not a substitute, and a doctor should always confirm personal medical decisions.

Sources

• Georgia e-Visa Portal, entry requirements
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, consular information
• Legislative Herald of Georgia
• Georgian National Tourism Administration
• Georgia Travel, official tourism portal