Georgia: despite the country’s exit from the CIS, Russians will not need a visa

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Georgia annually welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists, many of whom come from Russia. Guests are attracted by cultural and natural attractions, delicious food, the amazing hospitality of the locals, and the fact that crossing the border remains simple and does not require complex preparation of documents.

To travel, you don’t need to fill out any paperwork, just take your passport with you and come! The stamp is placed on one of the pages free of charge; a visa is not issued either in advance or at the entrance. At border control they usually ask questions about the purpose of the trip and the expected length of stay.

It is very important that your passport does not contain any notes about your visit to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Do Russians need a visa to Georgia?

Russia is among the countries whose citizens have been allowed to visit Georgia without a visa for tourist trips since June 2015. At border control, a stamp is placed in the international passport, with which you can legally travel around the Caucasian republic for up to a year.

Those wishing to stay longer will have to renew their residence permit (at the government agency at their place of residence). The reason must be justified. You can extend it for up to 3 months. Georgian officials make a decision within 3 days.

For violating the terms of stay in Georgia, a Russian citizen upon departure is issued a fine of 180 lari.

For a long-term stay in Georgia, a foreigner must obtain a residence permit. To do this, you need to register on the website geoconsul.gov.ge.

Do Russians need a foreign passport to travel to the country?

A resident of Russia can enter Georgia only with a valid foreign passport. The child travels with his/her document or must be included in the parents’ passport. A visa is not required to enter this country.

1. If the trip does not take more than 90 days, then a permit is simply issued immediately at the border. There is no need to do it in advance. There is also no need to obtain permission for a child to leave the country.
2. If there is a need to stay in the country for more than 3 months, then by contacting the Civil Registry Agency at the place of immediate residence, you can extend the permit you have in hand for another 360 days.
3. When moving around the country in transit, when leaving for another country through Georgia, you are allowed to stay in the country for up to 72 hours. But it’s worth calculating the time correctly in order to meet the allotted deadline and not violate transit rules.

What document can you use to fly?

If you do not have a foreign passport, crossing the country's border will be denied. Using an internal Russian document, you can only travel to Abkhazia. But at the same time, you cannot get to Georgia through Abkhazia.

What do you need to travel to Georgia in 2021?

Visa-free entry into Georgia for Russians is valid for all types of transport.

By car

You can legally enter Georgia from the Russian Federation only through the Verkhniy Lars/Daryali checkpoint. It is located in the mountains at an altitude of more than 1100 m above sea level. Border guards periodically close it due to difficult weather conditions, so before traveling it is recommended to check the weather forecast and webcams for queues.

When crossing the Russian-Georgian border by car, in addition to your international passport, you need to have:

• an international driver's license or a Russian one, if the data in it is duplicated in Latin;
• vehicle registration certificate;
• power of attorney for a car with the right to travel abroad if the car is someone else’s.

Until March 2021, there were no requirements to insure cars entering Georgia. Now, for using a vehicle with foreign registration without insurance, Georgians are fined 100-200 lari.

You can get car insurance right at the Verkhniy Lars border crossing. MTPL and Green Card are not valid in Georgia.

In winter, when crossing a checkpoint, they can check for the presence of wheel chains. You may not be allowed to pass without them, since the route passes through the Cross Pass.

By plane

Foreigners are accepted at Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi airports. Flights from Moscow arrive all year round, from other cities - in the “high” season.

By train

There are no direct railway connections between Georgia and the Russian Federation in 2021. You can only arrive by train in transit through Azerbaijan.

By sea

Foreign ships are accepted at the Black Sea ports of Batumi, Kulevi, Poti, and Supsa. A ferry (comet) runs from Sochi to Batumi.

Before traveling to Georgia, it is recommended to check the absence (or presence) of debts in the Russian Federation. The Nevylet.rf service does an excellent job of checking such data.

As of the end of May, travel restrictions applied to 2.3 million Russian citizens, writes Meduza.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Embassy of Georgia in the Russian Federation

Entry into Georgia for Russians may be accompanied by many issues that require resolution at the embassy. There are no Georgian embassies as such on the territory of the Russian Federation. Consulates in St. Petersburg and Moscow were closed. Instead, they opened the so-called

Sections of Georgian interests that work at Swiss diplomatic missions. The same thing happens with Russian Embassies on Georgian territory. Instead, Sections of Russian Interests were created. The Georgian Section is located in Moscow at the same address where its Embassy was once located (Maly Rzhevsky Lane, 6).

Pre-registration for the Section is not available.

You can create your own appeal:

• When visiting the branch in person on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• By phone on weekdays.
• By email.

Documents are accepted from 10:00 to 13:00, and returned from 14:00 to 18:00. When making an appointment on a particular issue, it is better to immediately clarify all the requirements and the list of documents.

Ban on air travel between Russia and Georgia in June 2019

On June 21, 2021, Vladimir Putin signed a decree banning Russian flights to Georgia. Passenger air travel will be completely suspended from July 8. Most tours sold by Russian tour operators must end before this date.

Why were flights stopped?

The reason for the ban on air travel was anti-Russian protests in Georgia. They began after the speech of State Duma deputy Sergei Gavrilov at the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy. It took place in Georgia and a deputy from the seat of the speaker of the Georgian parliament addressed the audience in Russian. This caused a protest at the beginning of opposition deputies, and then a rally outside the walls of parliament. The police tried to disperse the protesters. The media reported 240 casualties and 305 detained.

The police actions further heated the situation. There were more protesters, anti-Russian slogans were louder. The situation did not return to normal even after the resignation of Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze.

How long will the ban last?

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the decree will be in force until the situation in Georgia stabilizes. Flights of Russian companies will resume when any threats to the safety of Russians disappear.

As for Georgian airlines, the Russian Ministry of Transport requires them, in addition to ensuring flight safety, to also pay overdue debt for maintenance. Without penalties, the debt of Georgian air carriers amounts to 792 thousand dollars and more than half a million rubles.

Which countries are now more convenient to fly to Georgia?

Russian airlines Aeroflot, S7, Pobeda, Ural Airlines, Smartavia, Red Wings have stopped selling tickets to Tbilisi since July 8. Those who have already purchased tickets after this date can return them or change the departure date to an earlier one.

Not all Russians are ready to give up visiting Georgia. Most hope for a loyal attitude towards tourists and that the situation will return to normal in the near future.

The aviasales service will help you find convenient flights to Tbilisi and back.

Residents of the Central and Northwestern Federal District will find it convenient to travel to Georgia with a transfer in Minsk. There are both direct Belavia flights to Georgia and with a transfer to Baku. For residents of the rest of Russia, it is more convenient to immediately choose flights with a transfer in Azerbaijan.

An alternative to air travel is traveling to Georgia by car or bus. To do this, you can fly to Baku, Pyatigorsk or Vladikavkaz, and then continue your journey by ground transport.

Crossing the border with Georgia

The rules for entry into Georgia for Russians are quite simple. The main thing is to have a valid passport and not to bring with you weapons, drugs or literature that undermines the local government system.

Arriving by any means of transport, you can go through Georgian border and customs control without any questions or be subject to a full luggage inspection. It all depends on how suspicious your behavior seems. Typically, Georgians are loyal to tourists.

Documents for crossing the border

Georgian border guards only check the validity period of a foreign passport and the presence of Abkhaz and South Ossetian stamps in it. No other documents (hotel reservations, etc.) will be needed to cross the Russian-Georgian border.

Medical insurance is not required. It is still recommended to arrange it for the duration of your trip to Georgia, since even the ambulance service here is paid.

It is convenient to apply for insurance using the Cherehapa.ru service - you choose a suitable company, pay and receive a health insurance policy.

To extend the period of stay in Georgia, you must provide the registry service with:

• two photos 3x4 cm;
• application form (filled out on site);
• payment of the registration fee.

Documents for children

To travel to Georgia, a child under 14 years old is not required to have his own passport. It can be included in the parents' travel document. After 14, a teenager will be allowed into Georgia only with his own passport.

Georgians are loyal to travelers with children. They do not require notarized permission from the absent parent. True, if one of the parents managed to put the child on the stop list (travel ban), then the Russian border guards will not let the minor through.

When sending a child with grandparents or third parties, it is important to take into account that you need to obtain a notarized permission to travel abroad for the trip.

Mtskheta, Georgia

Customs regulations

There are no restrictions on the import of currency into Georgian territory. Amounts from 30 thousand lari (in equivalent) must be declared. But you can export no more than $500.

It is allowed to import into Georgia without declaration:

• up to 100 kg of personal belongings;
• 400 cigarettes;
• 4 liters of any alcohol.

For imported non-food products, the weight of one item of which exceeds 20 kg (including indivisible goods), you need to pay 1 lari tax for each kilogram.

Many people are interested in how much Georgian wine they can take with them. It turns out that you can export an unlimited amount from Georgia, but import no more than 3 liters into the Russian Federation.

Jewelry and valuables do not need to be declared. However, some travelers recommend doing this voluntarily in order to avoid questions about their origin when leaving.

Entry denied

The presence in a foreign passport of a stamp from the republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia unrecognized by Georgia may lead to denial of entry into Georgia. In the worst case, they will issue a fine or open a case for illegally crossing the Georgian border. To avoid this, it is recommended to travel to unrecognized republics using an all-Russian passport.

The reason for refusal may also be failure to pay a fine for exceeding the time spent in Georgia during a previous visit. For this you can get a ban on entry into the Caucasian republic from 2 to 5 years.

Batumi, Georgia

Visa-free entry

Someone once said that history should not be a teacher, but an overseer. No matter what turmoil there may have been in the past, the peoples of the two countries will never experience hatred towards each other, since this is contrary to human nature.

Therefore, at a time when a battle of titans is taking place in the political arena, ordinary citizens of Georgia are always happy to see their Russian friends and relatives visiting them.

This is what the stamp you receive when visiting Georgia looks like

Today, the Georgian Republic offers visa-free entry for Russian citizens. Moreover: a trip to Georgia does not require the preparation of any special documents. You can stay in the country for 90 days only by presenting your passport at the border.

customs control

Like any other country, Georgia has its own entry rules. First of all, entry rules concern the inadmissibility of narcotic drugs, weapons and extremist literature in luggage. Also, a person entering the territory of Georgia should not have with him anything that would contribute to the overthrow of the currently existing political system.

There are rules regarding the import of money. It is important to understand that the Georgian authorities do not restrict the import of foreign currency. The maximum amount of national currency in 2021 should not exceed 25,000 lari. If a foreigner expects to transport a larger amount, then he needs to have current documents on hand. You can export up to 3000 lari.

This is what new Georgian laris look like

If there is a need to export a larger amount, then you need to take care of the permit in a timely manner. When entering the territory of Georgia you are allowed to have with you:

1. Cigarettes – up to 200 pieces.
2. Personal items whose weight does not exceed one hundred kilograms.
3. Precious items, the list of which is indicated in the declaration.

The Georgian authorities also prohibit the transportation of pornographic videos and literature. Items of cultural or historical value cannot be exported or imported. There are no taxes or fees for visa-free visits to the country for up to 90 days for Russian citizens.

Do you need a passport to visit Georgia?

Today, almost every country is closed to free access. This is not surprising, especially considering the current situation with refugees who have simply flooded the countries of Western and Eastern Europe.

Sample of a new international passport

Customs and border control is necessary to maintain state security, since if all borders were open, there would be a real threat of terrorist groups entering the country. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether a foreign passport is needed for Georgia is one: absolutely. Entry into Georgia without this document is impossible for citizens of Russia and Ukrainians.

For those Russian citizens who plan to visit Georgia and do not yet have a foreign passport, it is important to obtain one as soon as possible. In order to obtain this document, you need to contact the migration department at your place of residence. The document is valid for 5 or 10 years.

A passport with a validity period of ten years has the status of a new generation document. In order to have such a passport in hand, you need to present current documents. The list of required certificates must be clarified with the migration service employees.

If you have a foreign passport, it is important to check its validity period in a timely manner. It is important to consider that the validity of this document must be more than 30 days from the date of departure from Georgia.

However, not only the validity of the passport is of great importance when entering the territory of Georgia. Also, the document should not contain stamps indicating a visit to Abkhazia or South Ossetia, the independence of which has not yet been recognized by Georgia. Otherwise, even the correct validity period of the passport will not make any difference - the foreigner will simply not be allowed into the country.

In order to avoid problems at the border, you need to change your route and not enter Georgian territory from the border of these “problem” republics.