What documents do I need to travel to Georgia?
Georgia lets citizens of 90+ countries stay visa-free for up to 365 days on a passport, and since January 2026 you also need health insurance covering your whole stay.
Updated
Entering Georgia - what you need
This article is about the country of Georgia in the Caucasus, not the US state. Entry is straightforward for most travellers, and if you book a hotel in Tbilisi or Batumi on trip1 you will have the address and confirmation the border officer may ask for.
- A passport valid for your whole stay (if you need a Georgian visa or e-visa, at least three months beyond the date the visa ends), with at least one blank page for stamps
- Health and accident insurance covering the full period of your visit
- A Georgian e-visa, if your nationality is not on the visa-free list
- Proof of accommodation, such as your trip1 booking confirmation
- A return or onward ticket, which officers sometimes ask about on arrival
The 365-day visa-free stay explained
Georgia allows citizens of more than 90 countries to enter without a visa and stay for up to a full year on each entry. That covers EU and EEA nationals, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel, the Gulf states and much of Latin America.
You are admitted for tourism, business or study during that year, but not for local employment, which needs the right permit. A handful of nationalities get shorter allowances, so check the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs list for your passport before you book.
If your nationality is not visa-exempt, Georgia runs an e-visa applied for online in advance. Never pay a third party a premium for it, and use the official Georgian e-visa portal.
The insurance rule that changed in 2026
This is the newest thing to get right. From 1 January 2026, foreign visitors entering Georgia must hold valid health and accident insurance, with a minimum sum insured of 30,000 GEL, covering the full duration of the stay including arrival and departure days.
The policy can be paper or digital, must be in Georgian or English, and must name Georgia as covered territory. Border officers at air, land and sea crossings can ask for it, so save a copy offline rather than relying on airport wifi.
A few groups are exempt, including diplomatic passport holders and international transport crew. Everyone arriving as a tourist should assume the rule applies to them.
Georgia is outside Schengen, and that is useful
Georgia is not in the Schengen Area or the EU. Days you spend in Georgia do not count towards the Schengen 90 days in 180 allowance, so a long stint in Tbilisi is a genuine way for a slow traveller to let their Schengen clock reset.
It also means the EU systems do not touch you here. There is no ETIAS to apply for, and the EU Entry/Exit System does not operate at Georgian borders, so you still get an ordinary passport stamp.
Hotel check-in in Georgia
Georgian hotels ask every adult guest for a passport at check-in so they can register the stay. Bring the physical passport, since a photo of it is often refused.
Show your trip1 booking confirmation alongside it and the front desk can find your reservation straight away. The same confirmation is what proves your accommodation address if the border asks.
Some properties ask for a card at the desk to cover incidentals such as the minibar. That is a hotel policy set by the property, separate from how the booking itself was paid.
Entering Georgia - FAQ
British citizens can visit Georgia without a visa for up to one year. You need a passport valid for the whole stay and health and accident insurance covering every day of your visit, with at least 30,000 Georgian lari of cover. Border officers can ask to see the policy, and proof of accommodation such as your trip1 booking confirmation helps too.
Citizens of many countries, including the UK, EU, US, Canada and Australia, can stay in Georgia visa-free for up to a year on each entry. That covers tourism, business or study but not local employment, which needs a permit. A few nationalities get shorter allowances, so check the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs list for your passport.
Yes. Since 1 January 2026 every tourist entering Georgia must hold health and accident insurance with cover of at least 30,000 GEL for the whole stay, including arrival and departure days. The policy can be printed or digital, must be in Georgian or English, and can come from a Georgian or foreign insurer. Diplomatic passport holders and transport crews are exempt.
UK government advice says your passport should be valid for the whole of your stay in Georgia. If you need a Georgian visa or e-visa, check the validity rule for your visa on the official e-visa portal. A few months of spare validity is a sensible margin, because airlines can apply their own checks at departure.
No. Georgia, the country in the Caucasus, is outside the Schengen Area and the EU, so days you spend there do not count towards your Schengen 90 days in 180. ETIAS and the EU Entry/Exit System do not apply at Georgian borders, so you still get an ordinary passport stamp on arrival.