Georgia Visa for Indians - Definitive Guide

Whenever a citizen of India is travelling to Georgia for some reason, an India to Georgia visa is to be issued. It must be issued prior to the journey. There are several benefits to this permit. With the different types, the permit will allow the holder to travel through the country, do business with the Georgian companies, and even visit your friends and family in the country. It is also called as a Georgia e-visa as it can be issued online as well. There are different types which are mainly issued for long term purposes or short term purposes. The stay permitted and the validity of the permit will vary depending on the type as well.

Before going ahead to apply for Georgia visa online, you need to make sure that you have all the necessary documents and other requirements. The Georgia visa process for short term visas is mainly online. It can applied for offline as well. The steps for both, online and offline are given as follows:

• Online procedure

1. You can start by creating an account on the Georgia e-visa portal.
2. You can then go to the application section. 
3. Start filling out your details on the Georgia visa application form.
4. Fill out your nationality and citizenship details on the first step.
5. Then select your travel period and the dates.
6. Go through the terms and conditions of the visa and agree for the next step.
7. Fill out your personal details and including the purpose of the visit.
8. Submit the required documents online.
9. Pay the visa Georgia visa fee online.
10. Wait until you get the documents and your information verified.

• Offline procedure

1. You can start by downloading the application form.
2. Fill out the form thoroughly and sign it.
3. Attach a recent photograph as per the specifications.
4. Collect the required supporting documents.
5. Submit the application form and the copies of the documents.
6. Pay the required visa fee.

When the form has been submitted, your application and the information that you have provided will be verified. If there are any changes to be made or if the visa is going to be delayed, you will be updated accordingly. This is also the period when you can cancel your visa if there is a change of plans. It must be noted that the visa fee will not be refunded. When the process is complete, you will receive the visa on your registered email. The offline stamp visa is to be collected from the embassy. You can then print your online permit at the time of travelling to Georgia.

Also, at the time of filling out the application, there are certain things that you need to keep in mind. The information provided must be correct and verifiable. If in case any kind of false information has been found, there are chances that your visa may get rejected. There are certain consequences to this situation. A Georgia visa rejection will affect your future application to any of the visas to the same country or even another.

There are different kinds of visa to Georgia that are categorized based on the purpose of the visit and the duration of the stay. They can be categorized based on the permitted number of entries and the period of stay. Although, they are divided into five major types which are Type A, Type B, Type C, Type D, and Type T. These are further divided into even more precise categories which can be understood as follows:

• Short Term
  The visas that belong to this category are the ones that are issued for short term purposes and can be applied easily through online process. These are further divided into single-entry and multiple-entry visas.
• Single-entry
  With this type, the holder will be allowed to enter the country only once. If the holder returns, they will not be allowed to re-enter the country. The stay permitted per stay is generally not more than 30 days. A Georgia tourist visa falls under this category.

• Multiple-entry
  This visa is issued for a validity of a maximum of five years. The total length of the stay permitted per visit is of 90 days. To be able to apply for this visa, the applicant must have visited the country once before. Generally,  a Georgia business visa will fall under this category.

• Long Term
  This type is issued with multiple entries with no restricted span of stay. This is issued only for the D5 visa category. The validity will vary but normally, the minimum validity is of 1 year is provided to the holder.

• Type A - Diplomatic

• A1 - It is the type that is issued to the exclusive officials of the legislative and executive authorities and the accompanying family members. The applicant must be visiting the country for business purposes, official and unofficial visits, and others. 

• A2 - This type is issued to the employees and their family members of the diplomatic mission accredited to Georgia, consular officials, and the employees that represent the international organizations of Georgia.

• A3 - It is issued for the ones who are visiting the country for on a specified diplomatic mission and to the diplomatic couriers as well.

• A4 - This is the type that is issued to the consuls and their family members and their family members, who are the citizens of a foreign country.

• A5 - It is the kind that is issued to individuals who are on a national mission in the interests of Georgia and to the ones conducting work visits on their diplomatic passports.

• Type B - Special

• B1 - It is issued to the holders of service passports who are visiting Georgia on a work visit and to the members of foreign delegations. It is also applicable to fellow travellers and family members.

• B2 - This visa is issued to the employees and service staff of the consular offices and their family members. It is also issued to the administrative, technical and service workers of the foreign diplomatic missions and of the international and humanitarian organizations in Georgia. It is also issued to the workers accompanying the holders of A2 visa.

• B3 - It is issued to the travellers who are visiting the country under international treaties of the country, be it bilateral or multilateral. It is also issued to the members of military and peacekeeping forces and their family members.

• B4 - This type is issued to the travellers visiting Georgia as members of different diplomatic missions in the national interests of the country.

• Type C - Ordinary

• C1 - This type is issued to the travellers who are visiting the country for tourism. It is commonly known as a Georgia tourist visa.

• C2 - It is issued for the ones who are travelling to the country to meet their friends and family. It is also issued to the freelancers.

• C3 - Also called Georgia business visa, this visa is issued to the businessmen who are visiting the country to attend business meetings and conferences. It is also applicable to the applicants participating in any kind of workshops and internships or do research or for journalism. Even the crew members of the ships and the co-drivers of civil transportation also need to issue the type C3.

• C4 - This type is issued for the ones who are looking for providing or receiving any kind of humanitarian assistance in the cases of hazardous and life-threatening situations. It is also applicable to the ones carrying out charity activities and to the caretakers and caregivers of Georgian citizens, and to the ones who are travelling to the country for medical treatment or visiting graves of relatives and friends and the people arriving for the purpose of pilgrimage.

• Type D - Immigration

• D1 - This type is issued to applicants who are employed in the country, employees coming to the country as representatives of their companies and for the foreigners on contract work. It is also issued to the entrepreneurs carrying out their enterprise activities as per the Law of Georgia.

• D2 - It is issued to applicants who are travelling to the country for an internship, carrying out educational, scientific, sports and cultural activities in the country. This type is also applicable to the press workers for carrying out their professional business.

• D3 - This type is issued to the candidates who are willing to study in the country or carry out any kind of supervised research at an educational institute in the country.

• D4 - It is the type that is issued to the travellers who are attending their family gatherings or reunifications.

• D5 - This type is issued to the ones looking forward to owning a property in the country (other than agricultural land) worth more than USD35000 or GEL equivalent.

• Type T - Transit
  It is issued to the travellers transiting in Georgia to another country. This visa permits a stay of 10 days at max.

There are different kinds of documents required as per the type of the visa. Some of the common Georgia visa requirements for Indians are listed as follows:

• An original passport valid for at least 6 months ahead of the date of travel.
• Coloured photographs as per the photo specifications
• A cover letter with all the required details
• Confirmed flight tickets
• Income Tax Returns proof
• Georgia Visa Travel Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Proof of accommodation - invitation letter, hotel reservation, etc. (scanned copies)
• Proof of purpose of visit - invitation letter, exhibition or conference pass, etc. (scanned copies)
• Proof of sufficient funds - bank statement or any other equivalent document. (scanned copies)
  
  
  

• Two copies must be provided
• Georgia visa photo size: 35mm x 45 mm.
• Coloured copy must be provided.
• The face must cover about 70-80% of the frame.
• Head should well-centred.
• A gap of 2mm to 6mm must be kept between the top of the head and the frame.
• The picture must not be older than 6 months.
• The background must be white
• Neutral expressions
• Glasses are not permitted.
• Headgears are not allowed except for religious reasons.
• Clothing shouldn’t match the background.

The Georgia visa cost will depend on several factors which include the type of visa, whether the visa is single or multiple-entry, or the purpose of the visit. The Georgia visa fee for Indian is to be paid at the time of submission of the form. It is to be paid using a credit or debit card.

To get the visa issued, you will have to apply online to the Georgia e-visa portal. You can also apply to a visa application centre (VAC) for offline permit. You will need to have all the requirements and the documents must be verifiable. At times, the process may seem complicated and the formalities involved can seem difficult to be carried out individually. In such cases, professional visa consultation can be considered from the visa agencies. This will allow you to have your documents handled professionally and the procedure may even be quicker than the normal process. This way, the chances of Georgia visa rejection also get nullified.