The Real Mechanism of „Dual Citizenship“ — Retention
Georgian law does not know the „granting of dual citizenship“ as such — the operative mechanism is retention. Under Article 21-1 of the Organic Law on Georgian Citizenship, a citizen of Georgia retains Georgian citizenship if, before acquiring the citizenship of another state, he receives from the Georgian state consent to the retention of Georgian citizenship. Consent is granted where the citizen's connection with Georgia will be considered reliable. The conclusion always rests on documents rather than on the wording of the application, and completeness is verified before submission.
The distinction is practical: if a citizen acquires another citizenship without consent, Georgian citizenship ceases. Planning must therefore begin before, not after, the acquisition of the new citizenship. This sequence — permission first, acquisition afterwards — is the practical core of the whole institute.