112Unified Emergency Number

126General Inspection

2 41 42 42Unified Service Center of Patrol Police

12 72
2 41 91 91Service Agency

Visa free regime with the EU/ Schengen Zone countries

The EU-Georgia Visa Dialogue was officially launched on June 4, 2012 in Brussels, while the Visa Liberalization Action Plan – VLAP was presented to Georgian authorities on February 25, 2013.

The VLAP aimed at gradually introducing visa-free regime between Georgia and the EU member states. VLAP was implemented in two phases: the first phase included legislative and institutional framework, while the second one envisaged efficient implementation of adopted legislative provisions.

Visa Liberalization Action Plan included 4 thematic areas so called blocks:

  • Document security (including biometrics);
  • Integrated border management, migration management, asylum;
  • Public order and security;
  • External relations and fundamental rights.

Under the Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP) main obligations falling within the competence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are:

  • Integrated border management;
  • Fighting against irregular migration;
  • Fighting against organized crime;
  • Fighting against drug related crime;
  • Fighting against human trafficking;
  • Ensuring personal data protection standards while conducting law enforcement activities;
  • Enhancing international law enforcement cooperation.

The European Commission (Commission) has positively assessed activities/reforms undertaken by the Government of Georgia within the first phase of VLAP in the report from October 29, 2014 and called Georgia to launch the implementation of the second phase.

During the implementation of the second phase, several expert assessment missions visited Georgia, between January-March and September-October of 2015. Based on experts’ evaluation the Commission published its third (May of 2015) and fourth (December of 2015) reports. The final report of the Commission states that Georgia has successfully fulfilled all VLAP benchmarks. Accordingly, based on the amendments to the #539/2001 regulation, since 28 March 2017 citizens of Georgia are benefiting from visa-free regime with the EU/Schengen states.

Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia continuous to implement and monitor additional recommendations issued by the Commission. Consequently, on the regular basis, the MIA provides the Commission on the updates in following areas: efficient implementation of readmission agreements, border management, fight against irregular migration, fight against organized crime, fight against drug related crime, fight against human trafficking, enhanced international law enforcement cooperation, ensuring personal data protection standards while conducting law enforcement activities.