How long you can stay in Georgia visa-free and how the period is counted: what to do under Georgian law

What to do

1. Citizenship first: citizens of the countries on the Government’s list may enter and stay visa-free for a full year (List of Countries Whose Citizens May Enter Georgia Visa-Free, Art. 3). The list includes the Russian Federation (Art. 3), Belarus (Art. 3), Armenia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine (Art. 3), and Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan (Art. 3). The full list is in the decree. For citizens on this list the 90/180 rule does NOT apply. For everyone else the general rule applies: up to 90 calendar days in any 180-day period. The window is sliding, and leaving does not reset it (Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, Art. 10). Visa-free entry on the basis of a third-country visa or residence permit: foreigners holding a valid visa or residence permit of a country on the second list (EU, USA, UK, etc.) may enter visa-free for 90 calendar days in any 180-day period (List of Countries (Visas and Residence Permits), Art. 2). Such a visa or residence permit must be valid on the day of border crossing (Art. 2). Those who entered on a third-country visa or residence permit are generally not issued most types of Georgian residence permit, except investment, special, IT and residence permits for victims of violence (Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, Art. 14).
2. Visa runs: under the 90/180 rule, leaving does not reset the count. For the annual list, the law does not expressly say whether a new year starts after leaving and re-entering. There is no guarantee: each entry is a decision of border control, and entry may be refused, in particular in case of silence or false information about identity or the purpose of the trip (Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, Art. 11).
3. Before the period ends: one must leave before the lawful stay expires (Art. 47). To stay longer, a residence permit application must be filed 40 calendar days before the end of lawful stay (Rules on Issuing Residence Permits in Georgia, Art. 3). Consequences of overstaying: up to 3 months carries a fine of GEL 1,000 and an entry ban of 6 months; longer overstays carry stricter penalties (Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia, Art. 191).
4. Work: visa-free stay is a basis for presence, not a right to work. A residence permit or a D1 visa, plus the right to work, is needed (Law of Georgia on Labour Migration, Art. 13¹).
5. Where to apply: Border Control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (entry); Public Service Development Agency (residence permit).
6. Evidence: passport with entry and exit stamps (count days from them); a valid visa or third-country residence permit on the day of entry.
7. Traps: applying the 90/180 rule to citizens of the annual list, and vice versa; thinking that leaving for a day resets the 90 days in 180; relying on a “visa run” as a guaranteed extension of the annual period; filing a residence permit application in the last days of the visa-free stay.

Be sure to check

• stay period by citizenship: a full year for listed countries (including the Russian Federation) or 90 days in any 180
• how the period is counted and whether leaving resets it (“visa run”)
• visa-free entry on a third-country visa or residence permit and its limits
• what to do before the period ends (leave or apply for a residence permit) and the consequences of overstaying