Procedures for obtaining Georgian citizenship will be simplified for compatriots living abroad, Georgian Justice Minister Rati Bregadze announced after today's government meeting.

According to the minister, the amendments to the Law on Citizenship have been prepared by the government on behalf of the prime minister.

The Justice Minister named four amendments:

1. a test will have to be taken before applying for citizenship;

2. there will be an opportunity to retake the text an unlimited number of times, successful passing is valid for one year - this is the period to apply;

3. in case the application for citizenship is rejected, it is possible to re-apply for citizenship after 6 months and not after one year.

4. 10. The 10-year term for obtaining Georgian citizenship will be reduced to 5 years.

Nothing has been said about the work of the commission for granting Georgian citizenship, which has been under most of the questions lately. 

Comments have already been posted on social networks - most of those concerned about this issue write that the amendments are of technical nature and do not change the approach to the issue on a fundamental level. Active discussion is going on in the telegraph channel ჩვენი სამშობლო - საქართველო/ Our homeland is Georgia.

The minister's statement in full:

"The Georgian government discussed a bill prepared in accordance with the Prime Minister's instruction. Specifically, we are talking about draft amendments to the Organic Law on Citizenship of Georgia.

As you know, according to the Constitution of Georgia, the state takes care of maintaining and developing relations with compatriots living abroad. That is why we decided that the State must do everything possible, but everything must be reasonable, in order to simplify the procedure as much as possible for our compatriots living abroad, who want to acquire Georgian citizenship.

For this purpose, a person wishing to obtain Georgian citizenship will have to pass an appropriate exam before applying for citizenship at the Agency for Development of Public Services, and in case of unsatisfactory results, the agency will no longer start formal citizenship procedures, thereby saving time and resources.

The second amendment concerns the fact that a person will have the right to retake the exam without restriction in case he fails. If he receives a positive result, this will be valid for one year.

In case of a final negative decision on the application for Georgian citizenship, the time limit for restarting the citizenship procedure will be reduced from one year to six months, which will be a significant advantage for those wishing to acquire Georgian citizenship.

Also, the fourth amendment is related to our international commitment, namely the commitment to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, according to which the 10-year residence permit for stateless persons to obtain citizenship in Georgia will be reduced to five years.