Medical insurance required for trips to Georgia starting from June 1st

Medical insurance for Georgia

Starting from June 1st, anyone planning to travel to Georgia for vacation or business must have medical insurance. The insurance policy should be in Georgian, English, or Russian. Failure to have insurance could result in a fine of 300 lari [approximately $111]. Armenian media outlets are reporting this news, as many Armenians spend their summer holidays on the Georgian coast of the Black Sea.

It is also reported that during the first three months of 2024, more than 191,000 people traveled from Armenia to Georgia. This is significant considering that Georgian destinations are not typically very popular during this period. During the latest meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between Armenia and Georgia, it was mentioned that around one million Armenian tourists visited the neighboring country in 2023.

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The decision on insurance was made by the Georgian parliament in 2023

The requirement for mandatory medical insurance is stipulated in the updated ‘Tourism and Resorts’ law, which the Georgian Parliament passed at the end of 2023.

The insurance must cover at least $5,000 or €5,000 for outpatient care and $30,000 or €30,000 for inpatient care.

Tourists without insurance will be fined. If they fail to pay the fine within a month, the amount will increase to 900 lari [approximately $333].

Armenian insurance companies report that the cost of a 10-day tourist insurance policy will range from 3,700 to 4,500 drams [$9.6-11.7].

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Visitor statistics

According to the National Tourism Administration of Georgia, in the first quarter of 2024, Georgia was visited by 938,644 tourists.

The leading countries in terms of tourist numbers were:

• Turkey – 254,577,
• Russia – 215,468,
• Armenia – 191,830,
• Azerbaijan – 51,466,
• Israel – 46,789 people.

The tourist flow significantly increases during the summer months. For example, in the summer of 2023, Georgia was visited by over 700,000 people from Armenia alone. The top five leaders looked as follows:

• Russia – 1,149,053,
• Turkey – 1,081,419,
• Armenia – 736,086,
• Israel – 182,651,
• Azerbaijan – 147,195 people.

The bilateral visa-free regime for citizens of Armenia and Georgia has gone into effect

Tourists from Georgia and Armenia can now travel to each other’s countries using their domestic passports and identity cards.