How You Can Acquire Citizenship of Georgia

Georgia is a small country in the Caucasus with friendly people and a wonderful cuisine. The COVID-19 pandemic has had no effect on the demand for Georgian citizenship. According to the national Security Service report, around 8,000 applications for Georgian citizenship were approved in 2020. Besides, 18,000 more foreigners acquired legal residence permits in the country.  

Who can qualify for citizenship of Georgia?

A foreign national can qualify for citizenship whether by descent or by naturalization. The first option will suit the following categories of people:

• Those whose parents (or one of the parents) are Georgian nationals;
• Those who were born in Georgia to foreigners but their parents’ home country refuses to grant citizenship to them;
• Children of stateless persons born in Georgia;

Citizenship of Georgia by naturalization can be acquired in several different ways:

• Standard procedure;
• Simplified procedure;
• Citizenship for extraordinary services to the country;
• Citizenship reclamation.

Let us see what requirements apply in each case and what application documents are required.

Standard procedure of Georgian citizenship acquisition

To become a citizen of Georgia by naturalization by following the standard  procedure you have to conform to the following requirements:

• Permanently live in Georgia for ten years before applying for citizenship;
• Speak the Georgian language;
• Have knowledge of the country’s history and legislation.

The last two requirements do not apply to refugees and people with disabilities that make it difficult to confirm the knowledge of the Georgian language, history, and legislation. 

Documents that the standard procedure of Georgian citizenship acquisition involves

To apply for citizenship of Georgia by naturalization you have to submit the following documents:

• A document that confirms your permanent residence in Georgia for ten years (visas, legal residence permits, stamps in your passport, testimonials from your neighbors, etc.);
• A document confirming ownership rights for a piece of real property in Georgia or alternatively, a job contract with a Georgian employer or alternatively, a company registration certificate (to be obtained for the national company register) if you are engaged in business activities in the country or alternatively, share certificates confirming ownership of Georgian companies’ shares or state bonds;
• A photograph 3×4;
• A receipt confirming payment of the state duty.

An underage applicant for Georgian citizenship by naturalization shall supply the following documents:

• Passport/ ID card;
• Birth certificate;
• A letter of consent from parents / guardians (applicable to people between 14 and 18 years of age);  
• A document confirming the applicant parents’ Georgian citizenship;
• A document confirming permanent residence in Georgia over 10 years;
• A photograph 3×4;
• A receipt confirming payment of the state duty.

Simplified procedure of Georgian citizenship acquisition

Foreign nationals who are married to Georgian citizens can qualify for citizenship of the country after living there permanently for five years. The simplified procedure of Georgian citizenship acquisition is applicable to such individuals. They also have to

• Speak Georgian; 
• Know Georgian history;
• Know Georgian legislation.

Please note that these requirements do not apply to those who are residing in Georgia as refugees.

Documents that the simplified procedure of Georgian citizenship acquisition involves

A foreign national married to a Georgian citizen has to supply the following document when applying for citizenship of the country by naturalization:

• Application for citizenship of Georgia;
• A marriage certificate or any other document that confirms marriage to a Georgian citizen;
• Confirmation of the spouse’s Georgian citizenship (spouse’s passport);
• Documents confirming permanent residence in Georgia over 5 years;
• A job contract with a Georgian employer, a property ownership certificate, a company registration certificate, or any other documents confirming economic ties with Georgia;

• A photograph 3×4;
• A receipt confirming payment of the state duty.

A refugee in Georgia can apply for citizenship of the country after holding the status for two years only. In addition to the application for citizenship, the refugee has to supply the following documents:

• A personal ID;
• A birth certificate;

• A photograph 3×4;
• A receipt confirming payment of the state duty.

Citizenship of Georgia for extraordinary services to the country

A foreign national can also apply for citizenship of Georgia on some extraordinary grounds. The Citizenship Committee will consider application in the following cases:

• If the foreign national considers Georgia his/ her fatherland but he/ she or his/ her ancestor has been evicted from an occupied territory of left Georgia for political or financial reasons;  
• If the foreign national has made a considerable investment in the Georgian economy;
• If the foreign national has an outstanding talent in sports, science, or arts.  

Only in the first case, the foreigner has to speak Georgian and know Georgian history and legislation. 

Documents required when applying for citizenship of Georgia on extraordinary grounds

The applicant has to submit the following documents:

• Application for citizenship of Georgia;
• Passport/ similar ID;
• Birth certificate;
• Letters of recommendation from at least two Georgian nationals or legal entities;

• A photograph 3×4;
• A receipt confirming payment of the state duty.

Underage applicants have to supply the following application documents:

• Application for citizenship of Georgia;
• Passport/ similar ID;
• Birth certificate;

• A letter of consent from parents / guardians (applicable to people between 14 and 18 years of age);  
• A photograph 3×4;
• A receipt confirming payment of the state duty.

Reclamation of Georgian citizenship

Foreign nationals can reclaim citizenship of Georgia if they have lost it for one of the following reasons:

• They have been unlawfully deprived of Georgian citizenship;
• They have renounced Georgian citizenship on their own will;
• They have lost Georgian citizenship on their parents’ will.

Applicants to this scheme of Georgian citizenship acquisition have to speak Georgian. In addition to that, they have to bring clean police records.

In 2021, some amendments to the Georgian Citizenship act were made. Previously, Georgia did not allow dual citizenship and some individuals had to renounce citizenship of the country when acquiring foreign citizenship. As dual citizenship is now allowed in Georgia, these individuals can reclaim their Georgian citizenship before the end of 2022.  

Documents required for reclaiming citizenship of Georgia

If you would like to reclaim citizenship of Georgia, you have to submit the following application documents:

• Application for citizenship of Georgia;
• Passport/ similar ID;
• Birth certificate;

• A copy of the document confirming that you had Georgian citizenship before;
• One of the following documents: a certificate confirming that you have been unlawfully deprived of Georgian citizenship/ a citizenship renouncement certificate/ a document confirming that you have lost Georgian citizenship on your parents’ choice;

• A photograph 3×4;
• A receipt confirming payment of the state duty.

Underage children of applicants for Georgian citizenship reclamation will automatically become citizens of Georgia.     

How can you file an application for Georgian citizenship?

The following agencies will accept applications for Georgian citizenship:

• Any House of Justice that can be found in all Georgian cities;
• State service agency;
• Georgian embassies and consulates in foreign countries.

You can file an application for citizenship by yourself or issue a Power of Attorney to a trusted agent who will do it on your behalf. Underage applicants for Georgian citizenship have to file applications via their parents/ guardians.

Please note that all the application documents have to be written in Georgian and paper copies are required. However, if your personal information is already in the database of the State Service agency, you can avoid supplying paper copies.

A special Citizenship Committee considers applications for Georgian citizenship. The Committee consists of six people: two from the State Service agency, two from the National Security Agency, and two from the President Administration. If the committee is equally divided, the State Service agency chairperson has the deciding vote. The ultimate decision about granting Georgian citizenship to a foreign national is made by the President of the country.

The local legislation requires that the processing of applications for Georgian citizenship shall not take more than three months.

Oath of allegiance that the candidate for Georgian citizenship has to make

To be handed a Georgian passport the applicant for citizenship of the country has to make an oath of allegiance to his/ her new home country. He/ she has to say the following text in Georgian: “I (applicant’s name), becoming a citizen of Georgia, pledge to honestly serve the country, abide by its Constitution and other laws, and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. I accept the Georgian language as the official language of the country and the Abkhaz language as the second official language in the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia. I pledge to respect the culture and the national traditions of Georgia.

In Latin transcription, the text goes as follows: “me, (applicant’s name), vkhdebi sakartvelos mokalake da vpitsav, ertgulad vemsakhuro sakartvelos, davitsva misi k’onst’it’utsia da q’vela skhva k’anoni, sakartvelos damouk’idebloba da t’erit’oriuli mtlianoba; sakartvelos sakhelmts’ipo enad vaghiareb”.

After pronouncing the text, the applicant for Georgian citizenship has to sign its written version.

The costs and the timeframes of Georgian citizenship acquisition

The standard and the simplified procedures of Georgian citizenship acquisition involve the following payments whose amounts will depend on how soon you would like to obtain the passport:

• On the 80^th day – 50 GEL (Georgian laris);
• On the 60^th day – 100 GEL;
• On the 40^th day – 200 GEL;
• On the 20^th day – 300 GEL.

The amount of the state duty payable when applying for citizenship of Georgia for extraordinary services will also depend on the speed of the application processing. The fee is higher though:

• On the 80^th day – 250 GEL;
• On the 60^th day – 350 GEL;
• On the 30^th day – 500 GEL.

The cost of reclaiming Georgian citizenship is the lowest one:

• On the 30^th day – 100 GEL;
• On the 20^th day – 150 GEL.

We have to note that if the President of Georgia offers citizenship of the country to a foreign national, no state duties are payable. Besides, ethnic Georgian living abroad will qualify for a 25% discount.

A vast majority of foreign applicants for Georgian citizenship (98%) apply for citizenship of the country on extraordinary grounds. This fact is easy to explain: the matter is that this path to Georgian citizenship allows keeping your present citizenship too.

Applicants for Georgian citizenship come mostly from the following countries: Russia, Turkey, the USA, Greece, Israel, Armenia, and Ukraine.

Reasons why an application for Georgian citizenship can be rejected

Your application for citizenship of Georgian can be declined on the following grounds:

• If the Interpol are after you;
• If you have a criminal past;
• If you pose a threat to Georgian national security;
• If you are connected with foreign military or intelligence services;
• If your presence in Georgia could cause tensions with other countries/ international organizations.

Who else is eligible for citizenship of Georgia?

Article 30 of the amended Citizenship Act recognizes the following individuals as citizens of Georgia:

1. Those who were born before 31.03.1975 and lived in Georgia for at least five years before 31.03.1993 on the condition that they do not have citizenship of any foreign country;
2. Those who were born before 31.03.1975 and lived in Georgia before 31.03.1995 on the condition that they do not have citizenship of any other country.
3. Those who were born in Georgia before 21.12.1991 but left the country on the condition that they do not have citizenship of any foreign country.

The amendments to the legislation had to be made because the number of foreigners wishing to reclaim their Georgian citizenship was growing rapidly. In 2020, over seven thousand individuals filed applications for Georgian citizenship reclamation or preservation.

If you fall in one of the categories of people described above, you can file an online application for citizenship reclamation or pay a visit to a House of Justice or a Georgian embassy in your home country. You have to supply the following documents when applying:

• That confirm your date of birth;
• That confirms your presence in Georgia over the specified periods (stamps in the passport, notarized testimonials from your former neighbors, etc.).

Advantages that Georgian citizenship brings

According to the Global Passport Index 2021, the Georgian passport ranks 24^th with 106 points. Passports of Dominica, Vanuatu, and Turkey are in the same group. Passports of Moldova and Turkey, for instance, are in the group below.

According to the Henley Passport Index 2021 that ranks national passports in accordance with the freedom of international travel that they provide, the Georgian passport ranks 55^th (between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania), which is higher than the Turkish passport that ranks 57^th.  

Georgia has visa-free travel agreements with the Schengen zone countries and a great number of other national states, which is one of the key advantages that the Georgian passport boasts. Foreign applicants for citizenship of Georgia will also obtain the following benefits:

• An opportunity to keep their present citizenship (dual citizenship is now permitted in Georgia);
• Access to Georgian banks including the opportunity to take out loans;
• An opportunity to register a business company in Georgia;
• Access to the educational system in the country;
• An opportunity to purchase agricultural lands;
• An opportunity to take part in the elections;
• Access to the national medical insurance system;
• Online access to most state services.

In addition to that, Georgia offers healthy food products, a fantastic nature (mountains and the sea), a nice climate, and a lower cost of living in comparison to the neighboring countries. Besides, it is easy to do business in Georgia and the taxes are comparatively low. We must also note that Georgia gives duty-free access to markets with over 2 billion consumers. In particular, Georgia is the only country in the region that has made free trade agreements with China and Hong Kong.

If you are engaged in IT business, you should give Georgia an especially close look. The country offers serious tax benefits to web designers, software developers, and other IT specialists. What is more, they can register companies in Georgia and do business from somewhere else, as Internet banking and online accounting support are readily available in Georgia.