Georgian Visa Categories and the Place of D4 Among Them
Article 7 of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens divides Georgian visas into five categories: diplomatic, special, ordinary, immigration and transit. Family reunification belongs to the immigration category, which is subdivided by purpose: work, scientific, sporting, cultural or educational missions, study, ownership of immovable property, and — the subject of this page — family reunification, the D4 category. The law also distinguishes short-term and long-term visas, and immigration visas fall under the long-term regime, a decisive detail when planning an extended stay with one's family. The choice of the immigration category also shapes the subsequent administrative perspective: the route to a residence permit builds on this visa, so an error of category means lost time and expense.
The D4 Visa for Family Reunification
Under Article 7, the D4 immigration visa is intended for persons coming to Georgia for the purpose of family reunification. This formulation is legally precise: the purpose named in the law is precisely family reunification, so the key point in preparing the application is that the documents confirm exactly this purpose and no other, since a mismatch between the declared purpose and the activity actually planned will be treated as a ground for refusal. The article itself does not contain a list of who counts as a family member and which documents confirm kinship — these matters are regulated by a resolution of the Government of Georgia and other normative acts, and they must be clarified before the documents are assembled.
How the Application Is Submitted
Article 8 defines the procedure: to obtain a Georgian visa, an alien fills in the visa application form established by a normative act of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For the issuance of an electronic visa, the application is completed on the Ministry's special website — except where an immigration electronic visa is issued to an alien lawfully staying in Georgia; for such a person the decision is taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself. For the same category of persons, the acceptance of documentation and the affixation of the visa in the travel document, or its electronic issuance, are ensured by the Justice House and the Public Service Development Agency, and the Agency's competence may be transferred to a municipality under a delegation agreement. The details of the organs' competences are fixed by a joint order of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Justice.