Russian President Vladimir Putin canceled the visa regime with Georgia that was in effect since 2000. The order in question was announced today and will enter into force on May 15. By another decree, Putin lifted a flight ban and a bar on selling tours in Georgia imposed on Russian airlines in 2019.
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Georgian citizens will be able to enter Russia with an identity card (Georgian passport, diplomatic passport, service passport, seaman's book, and a travel document for returning to Georgia). The exceptions are those who enter Russia with the intent of employment or for more than 90 days, including for the purposes of education.
“Starting from May 15, Georgian citizens will be able to enter Russian Federation through border checkpoints without a visa for up to 90 days for every 180 days for diplomatic, work-related, private, on-business, touristic, and humanitarian reasons, as well as for short-term studies. Those who intend to study in Russian educational institutions or work for more than 90 days, or temporarily or permanently reside within Russia, are obliged to enter and exit the Russian Federation with a visa,” detailed the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova.
It is worth noting that starting today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia pulled back the recommendation to its citizens, effective from June 21, 2019, to refrain from traveling to Georgia.
“However“, added Zakharova, “we do have to consider security concerns when visiting this country and exercise caution. The decision by the President of the Russian Federation on renewing the flights and enacting a visa-free regime is in line with our resolute stance of facilitating communication and exchange between Russian and Georgian citizens step by step, despite the cut diplomatic relations”.
The subject of resuming air travel between Georgia and Russia, which was suspended three years prior, became particularly topical in January 2023. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov publicly praised the Georgian government for ‘’bravery’’ in not succumbing to Western “pressure” to impose sanctions against Russia, and said he is “glad that contacts with Georgia are actively developing.” At the time, Lavrov expressed hope that the resumption of air travel would become possible soon.
The Russian Federation unilaterally introduced a visa regime with Georgia back in 2000. In 2008, following the Russo-Georgian war dubbed “the August War” and the recognition of the so-called independence of Russia-occupied states, Georgia severed all diplomatic ties with Russia, and Russian citizens were no longer allowed visa-free entry. Since October 2010, the government of Georgia has established a visa-free regime for residents of the North Caucasus republics, and since March 2012, this regime has been extended to cover all citizens of Russia.
In July 2019, direct air travel between Georgia and Russia was no more. Direct flights ceased on the orders of Putin, in response to mass protests in Tbilisi following the controversial warm-welcoming of Russian MP, Sergey Gavrilov, by the Georgian parliament.
