More than 135,000 Russian citizens entered Georgia in June
In June, more than 135,000 Russian citizens entered Georgia, 340% more than in the same period last year.
According to aggregated data for March-June 2022, the number of Russian citizens entering Georgia increased by 355% year-on-year to 299,094 people. However, it is not known how many are still in the country.
It should also be noted that according to the Decree of the Government of Georgia of 2015, Russia is on the list of countries whose citizens are allowed to stay in Georgia for one year without a visa.
The authorities have updated the country’s migration policy several times, but there have been no changes to the visa-free policy with Russia. In addition to a one-year visa-free stay in Georgia, Russian citizens can obtain some form of residence permit.
After the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, about thirty member organizations of the Georgian Tourism Industry Alliance urged the authorities to stop visa-free entry of Russian citizens.
Ukrainians and others arrive and where
Fewer Ukrainians entered Georgia in June than in 2021: In June, 19,585 Ukrainian citizens crossed the Georgian border, so the number of Ukrainian citizens entering Georgia decreased by 11% compared to June last year.
A total of 1,371,471 people crossed the national border (entry/exit) in June of this year. Of these, 67 percent were foreigners and 33 percent were Georgian citizens.
According to the Interior Ministry, the highest rate of border crossings in June was recorded at the Sarpi customs post on the border with Turkey. This was followed by the Kazbegi checkpoint (Georgian-Russian border) and Tbilisi International Airport.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, a significant number of visitors to Georgia have remained stuck, particularly Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, according to a PMC study.
relationships are still positive
Positive relations between Georgia and Russia are mutual – on July 22 this year, the Russian Federation published a list of unfriendly countries, which did not include Georgia. Since 2018, Moscow has published a list of foreign states committing “unfriendly acts” against Russia.
On April 23, 2021, the President of Russia signed a decree prohibiting the embassies of “unfriendly countries” from hiring Russian citizens in their diplomatic missions in Moscow.
In early March this year, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Russian government published another list of “unfriendly” countries and territories, including 48 countries and all EU member states.
More than 135,000 Russian citizens entered Georgia in June
