How long can you stay in Georgia without a visa?
For citizens of about ninety countries, a full year. A Government ordinance lists the countries whose citizens may enter Georgia and stay for one year without a visa, and the list covers most of the countries our readers come from: the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, the Gulf states, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the countries of Central Asia among them. A second ordinance lets people from other countries who hold a valid visa or residence permit of one of about fifty listed countries stay for 90 days in any 180. Everyone else applies for a visa, usually online.
For a property buyer, the visa-free year is more than a travel convenience. It is the period in which most first applications for a residence permit are prepared, and its end date is the date from which the 40-day filing deadline is counted. This page sets out the rules by country group, the conditions that changed in 2025 and 2026, and how the visa-free year fits with a residence permit application.
The rules by group of countries
| Group | Stay without a visa | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens of the listed countries (89 in the English text) | 1 year | Valid passport; EU citizens may also use a national ID card |
| Holders of a valid visa or residence permit of a listed country | 90 days in any 180 | The visa or permit must be valid on entry |
| Citizens of 17 countries entering on a Gulf visa or permit | 90 days in any 180 | Since 17 April 2025: multiple-entry, valid for at least 1 year on entry |
| Citizens of China | Up to 30 days per visit | Bilateral agreement since 28 May 2024; no more than 90 days in 180 |
| All other citizens | With a visa | Usually an electronic visa applied for online |
| Every visitor, from 1 January 2026 | - | Health and accident insurance for the whole stay |
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm the current wording of Ordinance No 256 and its list of countries, and the minimum insurance cover required since 1 January 2026.
Countries with a one-year visa-free stay
The ordinance's English text lists the countries below; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps the current list on its consular website, which is the version to check before you travel.
| Region | Countries |
|---|---|
| European Union | Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden |
| Rest of Europe | Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Holy See, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom |
| Middle East and Gulf | Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates |
| Neighbours and Central Asia | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan |
| Asia and Pacific | Australia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand |
| Americas | Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, United States |
| Africa | Botswana, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa |
How is the year counted?
The year runs from the day you enter. The ordinance sets the length of the stay; it does not say, in the text we have read, whether leaving Georgia and coming back starts a new year. Admission is decided by the border officer at each entry, so a "border run" to reset the clock is not something the rules promise. For anyone planning to live in Georgia, the visa-free year should be treated as the time to arrange a residence permit, not as a renewable status.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm how the one-year period is counted across several entries and whether time already spent in Georgia is taken into account at a new entry.
How the visa-free year fits with a residence permit
Most buyers from visa-free countries apply for their first residence permit while they are in Georgia on the visa-free year, and the timing follows from it. Under the procedure order, an application to issue a permit must be filed at least 40 calendar days before the applicant's lawful stay ends. If your visa-free year began on 1 June, it ends on 31 May of the next year, and your last safe day to file is 21 April. Count back from your actual entry stamp, not from the date you bought the property.
- Buy and register early. The property must be registered to you before you can apply, and registration and valuation take time.
- Keep the entry date. Photograph the entry stamp or keep the boarding pass; it fixes the end of your lawful stay.
- Plan the family together. Each family member's visa-free year started on their own entry date, and each needs their own application in time.
The application itself is described in applying step by step, and the fees and deadlines in residence permit fees and deadlines.
Visa-free stay and tax residence
A long visa-free stay has a tax consequence that many visitors overlook. Georgia treats a person present in the country for 183 days or more in any continuous twelve-month period as a tax resident for that year, whatever their visa or permit status. Someone who spends most of the visa-free year in Georgia can therefore become a Georgian tax resident without ever applying for anything. That is not necessarily a problem, and Georgian rates are moderate, but it can change where your income is taxed and what you must report at home. Our guide to money and taxes covers the rule.
Families and children
Each person's stay is counted separately, from that person's own entry. A family that arrives on different dates has different end dates, and a child born or brought later starts their own year. Each family member also travels on their own passport and needs their own insurance cover. When the family plans to move from the visa-free year to residence permits, the owner's application usually comes first, and the others follow with a copy of the owner's permit, so the earliest end date in the family is the one to plan around.
What changed recently
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 28 May 2024 | Mutual visa exemption with China in force: up to 30 days per visit, 90 days in 180 |
| 17 April 2025 | Citizens of 17 countries may enter on a Gulf visa or permit only if it is multiple-entry and valid for at least a year |
| 1 January 2026 | Every visitor needs health and accident insurance for the stay |
| 24 February 2026 | Latest consolidation of the one-year visa-free ordinance |
| 1 March 2026 | Paid work requires a separate right to work for most foreigners |
The right to work is a separate permission. A visa-free stay lets you live in Georgia; it does not by itself let you take a job or run a business there, which since March 2026 most foreigners need a permit for.
Notes for the countries our readers come from
- Israel: one year visa-free on an Israeli passport.
- United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman: one year visa-free for citizens. Foreign residents of these countries who are not citizens may qualify for 90 days in 180 on their Gulf residence permit, subject to the 2025 condition for 17 nationalities.
- Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and neighbouring countries: one year visa-free for citizens.
- European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Canada: one year visa-free; EU citizens may enter with an ID card.
- India, China and countries not on the list: a visa, the bilateral 30-day rule for China, or the 90-day rule if you hold a valid visa or residence permit of a listed country.
Risks and exceptions
- Relying on a border run. Leaving and returning is not a guaranteed reset; admission is decided at each entry.
- Travelling without insurance. Since 2026, every visitor needs health and accident cover for the stay.
- Working on a visa-free stay. Work needs a separate right since March 2026.
- Missing the 40-day line. Filing late in the visa-free year can leave no lawful stay while the application is decided.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa to buy property in Georgia?
No. Buying property does not depend on your visa status, and you can buy through a representative without coming to Georgia at all.
Can I stay longer than a year if I own property?
Owning property does not extend the visa-free year. A residence permit does, and property worth more than $150,000 is one of its grounds.
Can I enter with an ID card?
Citizens of European Union states may use a national ID card; others need a passport.
Where do I check my own country?
On the consular website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, which keeps the current lists and the e-visa application.
Does a residence permit replace the visa-free year?
Yes. Once the permit is granted, your stay rests on the permit, which is renewed each year while you keep the property.
Sources
- Government Ordinance No 255 on the list of countries whose citizens may enter and stay in Georgia without a visa, consolidated 24 February 2026, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Entering Georgia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, consular portal (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Visa information, Embassy of Georgia to the United Arab Emirates (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Georgia updates visa-free entry rules for certain nationals, Envoy Global, 20 April 2025 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Visa-free travel agreement between Georgia and China from 28 May, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Government Resolution No 520 on the procedures for residence permits (Article 3(4)), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 13 October 2026)
Change log
- - Data page published from Ordinance No 255, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the 2025 and 2026 changes; being reviewed by the partner lawyer.