The General Rules for a Visa Application
The visa-application procedure is regulated by the Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons and applies uniformly to all visa categories. Under Article 6, a Georgian visa is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, abroad, by Georgian diplomatic missions and consular posts; in special cases defined by a government resolution, a visa may also be issued at the state border. This page explains the general rules for completing, examining and refusing an application — the specifics of particular categories are treated on separate pages.
It also matters for the applicant to know where to apply: a citizen of a country where Georgia has no mission may apply to the nearest Georgian diplomatic mission or consular post. The law further contemplates that the issuance of a visa, or the performance of individual actions necessary for it, may be entrusted to a third state under the conditions of an international treaty. A foreigner present in a third state who holds a valid multiple-entry visa or a residence permit of that country may apply to the Georgian mission there, if the validity of that visa or permit exceeds the validity of the Georgian visa by 3 months.
The Form of the Application and the E-Visa
Article 8 sets out how the application is completed: to obtain a visa, the foreigner fills in a visa application of the form established by a normative act of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For a foreigner abroad, the ministry issues an electronic visa where the application has been submitted through the ministry's special website; the exception is the issue of an immigration e-visa to a foreigner lawfully present in Georgia.
For a foreigner lawfully present in Georgia, the decision on issuing an immigration visa is taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the receipt of documentation and the affixation of the visa — or its electronic issuance — are ensured by the Justice House and the Public Service Development Agency, or by the ministry itself. Such an application must be lodged with the organ no later than 45 days before the expiry of the period of lawful stay.
The circumstances that must be confirmed to obtain a visa, and the documents to be attached to the application, are determined by a government resolution. Where necessary, the issuing organ may invite the applicant or a representative to an interview, and in the cases provided by legislation the submission of an invitation is required.