Visa-free stay in Georgia: 1 year, 90 days or 30 days

The two default rules

Article 10 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (the Aliens Law) sets two rules for people who do not need a short-term visa.

• Article 10(2): the default stay is 90 days in any 180-day period.
• Article 10(3): citizens of countries on a government list may enter and stay for one full year.

The list sits in Government Ordinance No 255 of 5 June 2015. Holders of a Georgian residence permit are a separate case: under Article 10(4) they enter visa-free for the whole term of their permit.

Which countries get one year

The original 2015 list had 94 entries. It includes the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel, all EU member states, Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, the six Gulf states, the other former Soviet states, and some Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Panama. Several Latin American countries, Paraguay among them, are not on it. The full original list is on matsne, the official Legislative Herald of Georgia.

Later ordinances changed the list:

• Jordan was added in 2017 as entry 95.
• Swiss citizens (from 2019) and Liechtenstein citizens (from 2022) may enter on a national ID card.
• China was added in September 2023 as entry 96, but only for 30 days and for tourism.
• Ukraine had 2 and then 3 years in 2023 and 2024. Ordinance 98 of 2 April 2025 set it back to 1 year. Ukrainians who entered before 24 February 2025 may stay until 24 February 2027 (Ordinance 80 of 24 February 2026).

A separate ordinance lets holders of visas or residence permits of certain other countries enter visa-free under its own conditions. We have not checked its current list or periods. The text is on matsne.

Mandatory tourist insurance from 1 January 2026

Government Ordinance No 602 of 26 December 2025 requires every tourist entering Georgia to hold health and accident insurance. The rules are:

• cover of at least GEL 30,000;
• valid for the whole stay, up to a maximum of 1 year;
• from a Georgian or a foreign insurer;
• on paper or electronic, in Georgian or English.

The Patrol Police may check the policy at the border. Under Aliens Law Article 11(1)(d), a lack of health and accident insurance is already a ground to refuse entry. The ordinance exempts diplomatic and special visa holders, holders of diplomatic, official, service or special passports, accredited mission staff and their families, people entering under international treaties, and international truck and bus drivers.

What a visa-free stay does not allow

Working in Georgia

Since 1 March 2026 a foreigner may work or run a business in Georgia only with a right to work (a work permit decision from the State Employment Support Agency) and a matching visa or residence permit. This comes from Articles 13² and 13³ of the Law on Labour Migration. Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that visa-free status or a visa does not by itself give the right to work. The rules are on our work permit page.

The Labour Migration Law lists exemptions. One covers people who work for, or provide services to, a non-resident person where the work relates to that person's activity outside Georgia. Whether a given remote worker falls under it depends on the facts, and there is no official guidance yet. Working without a right to work costs GEL 2,000 for the foreigner, doubled on a repeat and tripled after that.

Turning the stay into a residence permit on any basis

You can apply for a residence permit while you are in Georgia visa-free, because you are staying lawfully. File at least 40 calendar days before your lawful stay ends (Ordinance 389 of 27 August 2025, Article 3(4)). That deadline does not apply to the investment, short-term, IT, special or unlimited permits. People who arrived on an ordinary C-category visa face a limit: Aliens Law Article 14(1³) bars most permit types on that basis. See the application process.

The C5 visa for remote workers of foreign businesses

Law No 1511 of 15 April 2026 created the C5 visa. It is a short-term visa for tourism that also allows activity for a non-resident person, where the activity relates to that non-resident's business outside Georgia. For C5 only, a multiple-entry visa can be issued for 5 years with the right to stay 1 year. A refusal "due to the immigration policy of Georgia" cannot be appealed.

Overstaying

Enforcement has become stricter since 2025. Article 53¹ of the Aliens Law, in force since 1 July 2025, lets police check public places such as cafes, restaurants and public transport for foreigners staying without legal grounds. Foreigners awaiting expulsion can be held for up to 60 days (Article 64¹). Unpaid fines are a ground to refuse a later visa or entry (Article 11(1)(b1)).

Leaving and coming back (border runs)

The 90-in-180 rule is a rolling window. On each day of entry, the days you spent in Georgia during the previous 180 days count against the 90. A short trip out does not reset that count.

Visa-free stay and tax residency are separate

Your immigration status and your tax status follow different laws. Spending 183 days or more in Georgia in any continuous 12-month period can make you a Georgian tax resident under Article 34(2) of the Tax Code, whether or not you hold a permit. Days spent in Georgia only "for treatment or leisure" do not count under Article 34(4)(d). See the 183-day rule.