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Georgia Tourist Visa Rules 2026

ByMark Davis for Stafford Affiliates Travel

Last checked: 21 March 2026

Planning a holiday to Georgia with a full British citizen passport?

This guide explains the current tourist entry rules for UK travellers, including whether you need a visa, how long you can stay, passport validity rules, the new mandatory insurance rule, what border officers may ask to see, electronic systems now in use, costs, and the official government links to check before travel.

This article is restricted to tourist entry for UK citizens. It does not cover work, study, residence permits, or longer-term immigration routes except where needed to explain what does not apply to a normal holiday.

Georgia uses the Georgian lari (GEL) and is not part of the Schengen area.

Index

1. Quick answer

No tourist visa is required for a UK citizen visiting Georgia for a short or medium-length holiday stay.

For most British tourists, the key points are:

  • You can visit Georgia without a visa for up to one year.
  • Your passport must be valid for the duration of your stay.
  • You must have health and accident insurance for the full period of your visit.
  • The insurance coverage must be at least 30,000 GEL.
  • You may be asked to show evidence of that insurance by your airline or at immigration.
  • There is no Georgia-only tourist ETA identified in the official sources reviewed for a normal visa-free UK tourist trip.
  • Georgia does have an official e-Visa portal for travellers who need a visa, but a normal British tourist would not usually need to use it.

In simple terms, most UK holidaymakers can travel to Georgia without applying for a tourist visa, provided the passport is valid for the full stay and the required insurance is in place.

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2. Passport and stay rules

If you are travelling to Georgia as a tourist on a full British citizen passport, your passport should meet these conditions:

  • It must be valid for the whole duration of your stay.
  • You can be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or if you try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

UK citizens can stay in Georgia for tourism for up to 365 days without a visa.

Georgia is outside Schengen, so time spent in Georgia does not count towards your Schengen 90 days in 180 days allowance.

For longer stays, or for work or study, you need to move beyond the normal tourist-entry rules and check the relevant Georgian visa, residence or permit route before travel.

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3. Mandatory insurance upon entry

This is the most important Georgia-specific change for tourists.

From 1 January 2026, all tourists entering Georgia must have a valid health and accident insurance policy.

  • The policy may be in physical or electronic form.
  • It must be available in Georgian or English.
  • It may be issued by a Georgian or a foreign insurance company.
  • The coverage amount must be at least 30,000 GEL.
  • The policy must cover the full stay, including arrival and departure dates.

If you do not have evidence of this insurance, you may face difficulties at check-in or when arriving in Georgia.

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4. What Georgian border control may ask for

Even though UK tourists do not need a visa for a short or medium-length holiday, immigration or airline staff may still ask for supporting documents.

  • Evidence of valid health and accident insurance
  • Accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation
  • Purpose-of-travel documents, accommodation details or other supporting paperwork in some cases

A small number of British citizens have also had trouble entering or leaving Georgia, with some cases appearing to be linked to alleged participation in political demonstrations or unpaid fines.

Some families have also reported problems where a child’s passport photo no longer matched the child’s current appearance closely enough.

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5. Electronic systems in use, or not applicable

Georgia does not currently require a separate tourist ETA for a visa-free UK holiday visit.

However, there are two practical system points worth knowing about:

Georgia’s e-Visa portal

Georgia has an official e-Visa portal for travellers who need a short-term visa. The portal allows eligible visitors to apply online, pay online, and print the ready e-Visa without visiting a Georgian embassy or consular office.

This is relevant only for travellers who actually need a visa. A normal visa-free UK tourist would not usually need to use it.

No Schengen EES or ETIAS for entry to Georgia

Georgia is not part of the Schengen area, so the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS do not govern normal tourist entry into Georgia.

So the current position for UK tourists is:

  • No Georgian tourist visa requirement for a standard UK holiday stay
  • No Georgia-only tourist ETA requirement identified
  • Georgia does have an official e-Visa portal for travellers who need a visa
  • EES and ETIAS are not the systems used for normal tourist entry into Georgia

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6. Costs for UK tourist entry

Georgia uses the Georgian lari (GEL). For a normal UK tourist visit, the official entry costs are simple because no tourist visa is required.

Approximate pound conversions below use official National Bank of Georgia rates visible when checked, including 1 USD = 2.6922 GEL and 1 GBP = 3.6065 GEL.

ItemDoes it apply to a normal UK tourist?Amount
Georgia tourist visaNoGEL 0 (£0)
Georgia-only tourist ETA / pre-travel authorisationNo official system identifiedGEL 0 (£0)
Mandatory insurance policyYes, but this is an insurance requirement rather than a government visa feeCoverage of at least 30,000 GEL required
Visa issue review fee, only if someone outside the visa-free route needs oneNot applicable to a normal British touristAbout GEL 53.84 (£14.93), based on the official USD 20 consular fee

Important: the 30,000 GEL figure above is not the price of insurance. It is the minimum required level of insurance coverage for tourists entering Georgia.

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Use these official pages before booking, before travel, and again shortly before departure:

If your circumstances are unusual, for example a planned stay longer than one year, travel close to the occupied regions, or an intention to work or study, rely on the official pages above rather than third-party websites.

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8. Frequently asked questions

Do UK citizens need a visa for Georgia?

No. A British citizen does not need a tourist visa to enter Georgia for stays of up to one year.

How long can a British tourist stay in Georgia without a visa?

Up to 365 days.

How long must my passport be valid for Georgia?

Your passport should be valid for the duration of your stay.

Do I need insurance to enter Georgia?

Yes. From 1 January 2026, tourists entering Georgia must have valid health and accident insurance with at least 30,000 GEL coverage for the full stay.

Can the insurance be digital?

Yes. The policy can be in printed or electronic form, but it must be available in Georgian or English.

Does Georgia have a tourist ETA right now?

I did not identify a Georgia-only tourist ETA or other pre-travel online authorisation for ordinary UK tourists in the official sources reviewed.

Does Georgia have an e-Visa system?

Yes. Georgia has an official e-Visa portal for travellers who need a short-term visa, but a visa-free British tourist would not usually need to use it.

Do EES or ETIAS apply to Georgia entry?

No. Georgia is outside Schengen, so those systems do not govern normal tourist entry into Georgia.

Is there any important travel warning for Georgia?

Yes. The UK Government advises against all travel to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and against all but essential travel to areas immediately next to their administrative boundary lines.

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Final check before travel

For most UK holidaymakers, Georgia is straightforward on the visa side: no tourist visa is required for a stay of up to one year. The main things to get right are your passport validity, your mandatory insurance, and avoiding any travel to the Russian-occupied regions or nearby boundary-line areas covered by UK government travel warnings.

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