Non-Resident Vaccination Now Open In Georgia

It’s official, vaccination for non-residents is now legally available in the Republic of Georgia, but some conditions apply.

Below we outline the conditions for and the information about how to book your vaccination. 

NOTE: We are still actively monitoring the situation and the information below is subject to change. Though we do our best to be as accurate as possible, we cannot always guarantee how any new legislation will be applied in practice. Additionally, any action you take will be at your own risk.

What Are The Conditions For Foreigners Getting Vaccinated in Georgia?

The original Georgian version of the new legislation has been passed, so you can, in some cases, apply for vaccination immediately, but we are waiting for it to be published on Matsne (The government’s legislative herald). The official document is shown below, followed by our summary in English.

PDF Version.

The Conditions In English

(Paraphrased, with our additional notes.)

1. A citizen of a foreign country and an individual who has the status of stateless person who is in Georgia legally (based on a visa, residence permit, or visa free regime), provided that three months have passed since their last entry. Note: Those who are here on an expired stamp, most likely, will not get vaccinated under this category. It’s reported that showing a rental agreement can sometimes be sufficient to demonstrate that you are here long term, even if you have less than 3 months since your last entry. You may have to argue a little, but as they are keen to vaccinate people, a little persuasion seems to have helped in some cases. See below for other options if you do not fit category 1.

2. Citizens of foreign countries that are in Georgia based on the governmental program “Remotely work from Georgia“, and their family members (regardless of duration in Georgia). What constitutes family members is not defined, though we expect it refers to all travel partners named on the remotely application. Note: Technically this category may also mean that persons struggling to get vaccinated in other countries can apply from the remotely program and come here to get vaccinated. That said, citizens of countries that can travel here without needing the remotely permit, likely would not get approved for the permit in the first place.

3. A citizen of a foreign country (student) that is in Georgia for the purpose of studying and was not able to leave Georgia. Eligibility will be determined based on the list provided by their authorized educational institution. Note: There is a small possibility that eligible students on an expired visa/legal stay may still be able to get vaccinated if properly enrolled at an educational institution. 

4. Personnel of a diplomatic mission accredited in Georgia, a consular office, an international organization, or their equivalents, as well as their family members.

5. Any person present on occupied territories regardless of citizenship; personnel working on occupied territories as a part of projects financed by diplomatic missions and international organizations, and their family members.

6. A person serving a prison sentence, regardless of not holding an official identification document.

7. A citizen of a foreign country determined by Decree N164 that has a Georgian family member (child, parent, spouse). This item is not yet 100% clear, and further legal analysis will be necessary. Our preliminary expectation is that this means that foreign family members of Georgian citizens can get vaccinated, and most likely without having to wait the 3 months (as listed in item 1 above). But we will have to await confirmation. It’s hard to say if those on an expired stamp under this category will qualify or not. It is possible that those on an expired legal stay may still be able to get vaccinated, though we have not yet received confirmation on this. 

What documentation do I need to make an appointment?

In all cases, bring your passport.

For category 1 above, bring proof that you are currently on a legal stay in Georgia, and have been for the required time for your category (as described above). You passport stamp and/or visa document will be sufficient.

For any category other than category 1 above, you will also need evidence that you qualify under that category. Bring the relevant documentation proving this.

At this time, the ramshackle system that the authorities have rolled out does not involve getting an appointment in advance at all… but instead, waiting in line with your documentation at one of the 3 approved hospitals that are currently vaccinating non-residents. These are:

• Republican Hospital, Tbilisi – Some recent reports (Aug 18th) suggest that vaccination for foreigners has been moved from the main location at 29 Vazha Pshavela Ave. to a location at Technical University 77 Kostava St. The reception at the Republican hospital denies (we called a few times) this is the case, but many foreigners report having to go to the second location.
• Republican Hospital, Batumi
• Chkhobadze Rehabilitation Centre, Kutaisi

How Do I Get Vaccinated?

The general process, based on feedback from those who have been through it in Tbilisi, is:

1. Arrive at the Republican Hospital (opening hours 9am to 9pm). The busiest time appears to be between 9am and 1pm, so either arrive early to be near the front of the line, or test your luck by coming later in the day when the main line might have already cleared. 
2. When arriving to the main lobby, you may see a line of foreigners on the right side, lined up the stairs. That is the line. If there is no one there, proceed upstairs on that right stair case.
3. At the top of the stairs someone should direct you to register.
4. During registration, you must provide the required evidence that you qualify for vaccination, as detailed above. (Those who recently did a visa run and have been in Georgia for less than 3 months are currently not eligible. This is also the case for those whose legal stay has expired). 
5. Once registered, eventually someone will call your name and you can go and get vaccinated. Currently Pfizer seems to be the only vaccine available. 
6. Once you get the first shot, make sure to ask about getting a vaccine card to track your vaccinations. They were not handing these out initially, but seem to be now. You are eligible to return for your second shot 21 to 28 days after the first. After the second shot you get a QR code linking to your vaccine record.

How Do I Book A Vaccination Appointment Online?

(Currently, as a non-resident, you can’t book a vaccination online. But we hope that option may become available in future, to improve the overall process. The info below is conjecture based on the resident booking process and changes we have seen made on the booking site.)

—- IF the government decides to integrate appointment booking with the online system, we anticipate it will work something like this:

You can register online here once doses become available for the vaccine you plan to book. However, the doses listed on the website counter do not accurately represent the amount available for a first dose, so that’s a little confusing.

NOTE: Registration technically opened on July 23rd. But at the time of writing, you still cannot register online. Keep checking back in with the system, we hope to know more soon. If you do manage to register as a foreigner, let us know tom@expathub.ge so we can start building a list of what works and what does not. Thanks!

1. Select the vaccine you want on page 1.
2. Choose English, top right.
3. Click the foreigner button at the start of the form, then fill out all the form details.
4. Choose the medical institution and appointment time.
5. If you do not receive a booking confirmation with the time and location (via sms / email, etc), your appointment is NOT BOOKED. Try again or contact the government helpline for advice.

We also expect the website to crash at various points, as it has over the past few months.

Your second vaccination appointment will be bookable at some point after the first appointment has been completed successfully.

Video instructions on the process can be seen here. NOTE: Page 1 has now changed since this video was released, you now just select the vaccine you want. We also cannot promise that other elements of the process will not change, but this should at least give you a general idea.

If you have any problems with the process, please report them to tom@expathub.ge so we can collect information on common issues and create an FAQs below this post. 

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