Georgia: Travel Health Insurance Now Mandatory for All Tourists (2026)

Since 1 January 2026, Georgia requires all foreign visitors - including visa-exempt nationals - to hold health and accident insurance valid for their entire stay. The country joins the growing list of destinations where travel insurance is no longer optional but a condition of entry.

What Georgia requires

• Minimum cover: GEL 30,000 (about US$11,000 / roughly €10,000) for medical and accident expenses.
• Duration: the whole stay, including arrival and departure days.
• Territory: the policy must explicitly cover Georgia.
• Language and format: the certificate must be in Georgian or English, on paper or electronic, stating the parties, validity dates, insured risks and amount.

Who is affected

The rule applies to all tourists, whatever their nationality and even without a visa. Exemptions include holders of diplomatic, service or special passports, accredited consular staff and their families, persons covered by Georgia's international treaties, and international freight and passenger drivers.

Checks and penalties

Proof of insurance can be requested at two stages: airlines have been instructed to verify cover before boarding, and border authorities may check it on arrival (by air, land or sea). Travellers without compliant insurance face a GEL 300 fine (about €100), and possibly denied entry or boarding.

How to comply

Simply take out travel insurance covering at least GEL 30,000 in medical and accident costs, valid in Georgia for the full trip, and keep the certificate (in English) available at boarding and at the border. A standard travel policy with medical expenses and repatriation meets these conditions - just check the cover amount and that Georgia is included.

A fast-growing trend

Georgia is not an isolated case: the Schengen area already requires cover of at least €30,000 to issue a visa, and destinations such as Thailand are considering a similar rule for all tourists. The stated goal is to protect local health systems from the cost of uninsured visitors. For travellers, insurance is becoming essential - so it pays to compare policies before you go.