Do You Need Health Insurance to Enter Georgia?

Since January 1, 2026, foreign visitors need valid health and accident insurance to enter Georgia. Citizens of Georgia and holders of a Georgian residence permit are exempt. Here's who the rule actually applies to, what a policy needs to cover, and what happens if you show up without one.

What Changed

The requirement comes from Article 12 of Georgia's Law on Tourism and Government Resolution No. 602, adopted on December 26, 2025. Before this, insurance was something agencies recommended but border officers never checked. The rule was originally supposed to start back in June 2024, then got pushed back twice before landing on its final date.

Border staff now check for a valid policy at passport control in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Batumi airports, at land crossings, and increasingly at airline check-in counters before you even board.

Who Actually Needs It

The rule targets "tourists" as defined by law: anyone entering Georgia for tourism, personal reasons, or short-term business, for stays of up to one year. That covers most travelers regardless of nationality or how they're arriving, whether by plane, train, or car.

Who Doesn't Need It

The exemption depends on entry status, not passport.

Georgian citizens. The law regulates entry for foreigners, so this one doesn't apply at all.

Residence permit holders. A temporary or permanent residence permit (work, investment, property-based, or otherwise) takes you out of the "tourist" category since you're entering to exercise a residency right, not to visit. Carry your ID card or residence approval printout to confirm your status at the border.

Employees of Georgian companies. Foreigners with an official employment contract also fall outside the tourist definition. Bring the contract and your registration code from Georgia's labor or health ministry system.

A closed list of other categories named directly in the resolution:

• holders of diplomatic or special visas;
• holders of diplomatic, service, or official passports;
• staff of diplomatic missions, consulates, and international organizations, plus their family members;
• people covered by separate international agreements with Georgia;
• drivers working in international freight or passenger transport.

Self-employed individuals without a residence permit sit in a gray zone. They're not tourists in the classic sense, but they don't have an employment contract either. In practice, border officers can still treat them as regular visitors, so it's safer to arrange a policy anyway rather than risk being turned away.

One more detail worth knowing: if you entered Georgia before January 1, 2026 and haven't left since, you don't need to retroactively buy insurance. The check happens at the moment you cross the border, so it applies from your next entry onward.

What a Valid Policy Needs to Cover

Not every travel insurance product passes the border check. Resolution No. 602 sets specific criteria:

1. Coverage type. Medical care and accidents, including emergency outpatient and inpatient treatment.
2. Minimum amount. 30,000 GEL (roughly $11,000). You'll see agencies advertise separate limits in dollars, split between outpatient and inpatient care. Those breakdowns aren't actually written into the resolution itself, they're the insurer's own interpretation. The number that matters is the Georgian one: if your policy covers 30,000 GEL or more, you meet the requirement.
3. Language. English or Georgian. A policy only in Russian, German, or another language won't be accepted without a translation.
4. Format. Paper or digital, both are treated the same.
5. Duration. Coverage needs to span your entire stay in Georgia, up to a full year if that's how long you're staying.

In practice, a standard travel medical policy from a major insurer, with coverage above 30,000 GEL and Georgia listed among covered countries, usually clears the requirement. What's worth double-checking is the currency, the language of the document, and the dates, not the insurer's brand name.

Health Insurance Isn't the Same as Car Insurance

If you're renting a car, don't confuse this requirement with vehicle insurance. The health and accident policy covers you as a person entering the country; it has nothing to do with the car you drive once you're here. Rental cars booked through MY.DRIVE already come with the local vehicle insurance required to drive legally in Georgia, so that part is handled. The only thing you need to arrange separately is your own personal travel health policy before you land.

What Happens Without Insurance

There are two separate scenarios here. At the border, not having a valid policy (or proof of your exempt status) is grounds for denied entry. That's the one consequence spelled out directly in the resolution.

Fines for being in the country without insurance, if you did somehow get through, are less clear-cut. Some insurance agencies and news outlets mention amounts starting around 300 GEL, but that figure doesn't appear directly in the text of the resolution itself. As it stands, enforcement is concentrated at entry points rather than checks inside the country.

Where to Buy One

The law doesn't limit which provider you use. Options include:

• a Georgian insurer, many of which now sell packages built specifically around the new requirement;
• a foreign insurer, as long as the document is in English and the coverage meets the 30,000 GEL minimum;
• an online purchase before you fly, which avoids lines at the border during busy travel months.

You can also buy a policy at some land crossings on arrival, but don't count on it. Not every checkpoint offers this, and during peak season the process can take longer than planned.

Before You Go

Most foreign visitors need health insurance to enter Georgia — see also our pre-trip checklist and visa guide; Georgian citizens and residence permit holders don't. The check happens right at the border, so buy a policy ahead of time that covers your full trip, meets the 30,000 GEL minimum, and comes in English or Georgian. If your status exempts you, keep the paperwork on hand anyway, your ID card, residence approval, or employment contract, so there's nothing to explain twice at passport control.