As part of the strategy of gradual opening of the country, the government's Coordination Council decided to allow foreign citizens to enter Georgia under a special regime.

According to the Ministry of economy, this project was prepared by the Ministry of economy and sustainable development together with the National tourism administration on the initiative and instructions of the Prime Minister of Georgia.it is intended for those foreigners who are freelancers, work remotely or can conduct their business from anywhere in the world.

According to the statement of the Minister of economy and sustainable development Natia Turnava, according to the developed project, the government of Georgia will exceptionally allow citizens of all countries to cross the border, who will have the right to reside on the territory of Georgia for at least 6 months.

"We invite this target audience to Georgia and offer special conditions for living in our country. From an epidemiological point of view, Georgia has the image of a safe country in the world, and we want to use this opportunity – we are talking about opening the border in such a way that, on the one hand, we protect the health of our country's citizens as much as possible, but on the other hand, let in citizens of all countries without exception that belong to the above category," Natia Turnava said.

According to her, the project has developed a platform for accepting applications, which can be used by people who want to stay in Georgia for a long period of time.

According to the initiative, for visitors with long-term entry into the country, all three categories of travelers are required to fill out a mandatory application and get a preliminary confirmation required to cross the country's border. In the application, individuals provide personal information, a certificate of the employer or contact person, a preliminary confirmation of passing the mandatory 14-day quarantine, and more. According to the Minister, the so-called long-term visitors will undergo a 14-day quarantine at a commercial rate at their own expense, and the availability of 6-month insurance will also be discussed.

Representatives of the industry introduced the innovation to the Ministry's management together with the National tourism administration and received positive feedback. "We received a positive assessment from the tourism industry, which is very important," the Minister said.

According to Natia Turnava, the initiative will facilitate the entry of wealthier visitors to Georgia.
"These people will live in Georgia for a long time, which means that we will directly help the apartment rental business, which was seriously affected by the pandemic, as well as the hotel sector during the quarantine, the restaurant business, and so on. The project will also promote tourism companies, active use of transport and guide services, as long-term visitors to the country will be wealthy tourists, " Turnava said.

"In the next few days, we will submit the project for public discussion, so that representatives of the target groups will have the opportunity to start filling out the application, go to Georgia and start their business from here," the Minister of economy and sustainable development said.

apsny.ge