Georgian citizens are equal before the law regardless of race, colour of skin, language, sex, religion, political or other opinions, national, ethnic and social affiliation, origin, property or social status, place of residence or any other characteristics. Georgian citizens shall be guaranteed the rights and freedoms determined by the legislation of Georgia and recognised by international law. Georgian citizens shall abide by the Constitution and other normative acts of Georgia. Georgia shall protect the rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests of Georgian citizens, both within and outside the territory of Georgia.
Acquiring Georgian Citizenship
There are two ways for acquiring Georgian citizenship:
- Acquiring Georgian citizenship by birth
- a person, at whose birth one of his/her parents is a Georgian citizen;
- a person born on the territory of Georgia through extracorporeal fertilization (surrogacy), if the country of citizenship of neither of his/her parents recognises this person as its citizen;
- a child born in the territory of Georgia to persons having a status of stateless person in Georgia;
- a person born on the territory of Georgia, one of whose parents has a status of a stateless person in Georgia and the other parent is unknown.
- Naturalisation (by being granted Georgian citizenship by the President of Georgia)
Acquiring Georgian citizenship through naturalization is possible by: (1) granting citizenship under regular procedure; (2) granting citizenship under simplified procedure; (3) granting citizenship by way of exception; or (4) granting citizenship by way of its restoration.
- Granting Georgian citizenship under regular procedure - granting Georgian citizenship to a foreign citizen or to a person having a status of a stateless person
Adults shall be granted Georgian citizenship under regular procedure if they meet the following requirements:
- they have lawfully resided in Georgia for the last 10 consecutive years up to the day of applying for Georgian citizenship;
- they know the official language of Georgia within the established limits; (this shall not apply to a beneficiary of support and to a person who has a physical defect that makes it impossible to check whether s/he meets the requirements);
- they know the history of Georgia and basic principles of law within the established limits; (this shall not apply to a beneficiary of support and to a person who has a physical defect that makes it impossible to check whether s/he meets the requirements);
- they have a job and/or real estate in Georgia or carry on business in the territory of Georgia or hold an interest or shares in a Georgian enterprise (this shall not apply to a beneficiary of support and to persons having a refugee status).
A minor who has not acquired Georgian citizenship by birth shall be granted Georgian citizenship under regular procedure if one of his/her parents is a Georgian citizen.
A minor shall be granted Georgian citizenship under regular procedure if s/he is adopted by a Georgian citizen.
A minor born in the territory of Georgia who has a refugee status or a status of a stateless person in Georgia and has been living in Georgia for five years, shall be granted Georgian citizenship under regular procedure.
- Granting Georgian citizenship under simplified procedure - granting of Georgian citizenship to a person who is married to a Georgian citizen or to a person having the status of a repatriate.
A person who is married to a Georgian citizen and who has continuously lawfully resided in Georgia for the last 5 years up to the day of applying for Georgian citizenship, shall acquire Georgian citizenship under simplified procedure if s/he knows (1) the official language of Georgia, (2) the history of Georgia and basic principles of law within the established limits.
- Granting Georgian citizenship by way of its restoration- Granting Georgian citizenship to persons whose citizenship has been terminated by way of its restoration.
Georgian citizenship shall be granted by way of its restoration to persons whose citizenship has been terminated: 1) unlawfully; if a person loses Georgian citizenship without the existence of the grounds provided in the Law of Georgia on Georgian Citizenship. In that case, the requirements listed below shall not apply to the process of Granting Georgian citizenship by way of its restoration; (2) by renunciation of Georgian citizenship; (3) as a result of the choice of his/her parent(s)- A person may be granted Georgian citizenship by way of its restoration when s/he reaches the age of majority.
Georgian citizenship shall be granted by way of its restoration to person, if s/he (1) knows the official language of Georgia within the established limits; (this shall not apply to a person who has a physical defect that makes it impossible to check whether s/he meets the requirements of the above subparagraphs.) (2) There are no grounds for refusal to grant Georgian citizenship by naturalisation -
A person shall not acquire Georgian citizenship by naturalisation if:
a) s/he has committed an international crime against peace and humanity;
b) s/he has been involved in a grave crime against a human being, state or public security and order under the legislation of Georgia;
c) it is inadvisable to grant him/her Georgian citizenship due to the state and/or public security interests of Georgia;
d) s/he is wanted by the law enforcement bodies of Georgia or another country, or by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), and/or if the extradition or expulsion procedure is in progress against him/her.
Granting Georgian citizenship by way of exception is only available to a citizen of another country who has made a contribution of exceptional merit to Georgia, or to an alien based on state interest.
A minor who is living in Georgia and whose both parents are unknown shall be deemed to be a Georgian citizen unless proved otherwise.
Procedure for acquiring citizenship
Interested persons shall submit, directly or through an authorised representative, applications on issues regarding Georgian citizenship to the (LEPL) – Public Service Development Agency or to Georgian diplomatic missions or consular offices abroad. Minors shall submit applications on issues regarding Georgian citizenship through their legal representatives. Beneficiaries of support may submit applications on issues regarding Georgian citizenship only through their supporters, unless otherwise determined under court decision.
When considering the application on acquiring Georgian citizenship by naturalization and maintaining the citizenship of Georgia, the level of knowledge of the state language of Georgia, the history of Georgia, and the basics of Law by persons wishing to be granted Georgian citizenship is checked.
Regarding issues on Georgian citizenship an applicant must submit the following documents:
- An application filled out according to the prescribed form;
- Photo measured ¾;
- Proof of service fee payment document (Stateless person status holder in Georgia exempts from the service fee for considering the application on granting Georgian citizenship following through an ordinary procedure and drafting appropriate conclusion on the 80th day after applying);
- Other necessary documents are listed below.
- Birth certificate (if the person wishing to obtain citizenship following the ordinary procedure was born abroad and possesses the mentioned document);
Granting Georgian citizenship to a minor or beneficiaries in support is considered based on the application represented by their legal representative. The written consent of a minor and of the second parent (if any) should be attached to the application submitted by the legal representative on the issue of the citizenship of a minor from 14 to 18 years of age. A minor is not required to provide written consent if s/he is a beneficiary in support.
The applicant is obliged to submit all the necessary documents along with the application for considering the issue of citizenship if the necessary documentation is not found in the unified register of the agency. In case of incomplete submission of documentation, the Agency, within 3 days after the registration of the application, will determine a reasonable time for the applicant to remedy the defect. If the applicant does not submit the relevant document or information within the determined period, the agency is entitled to decide to leave the application untried.
If a person (a) has committed an international crime against peace and humanity or (b) participated in a particularly serious crime against human beings, the state, public security and public order provided determined by the Georgian legislation, the agency prepares a negative conclusion and informs the applicant within 3 days. And if based on the interests of the state security and/or public security of Georgia, it is expedient to grant Georgian citizenship to the applicant, the agency prepares a negative conclusion and sends it to the President of Georgia for a final decision.
The motivated conclusion of the agency on the existence of grounds established by the law for granting Georgian citizenship to a person is sent to the President of Georgia. The final decision on whether to grant Georgian citizenship shall be made by the President of Georgia. A decision of the President of Georgia regarding Georgian citizenship, except for the decision on terminating Georgian citizenship, may not be subject to appeal in court. Rendering the final decision on the issue of Georgian citizenship should not exceed 3 months from the date of registration of the application/referance. In case of a negative decision on an application for granting Georgian citizenship by naturalization, the applicant may apply to the Agency or Georgian diplomatic missions or consular offices abroad on the same grounds one year after the negative decision is made.
A person of full legal age wishing to obtain Georgian citizenship following an ordinary procedure, as well as wishing to obtain Georgian citizenship following a simplified procedure, will undergo testing within the limits prescribed by law to be checked the level of knowledge of the Georgian or Abkhazian language, as well as, the knowledge of the basics of Georgian history and law. Whereas, the person wishing to obtain Georgian citizenship through restoration - to assess the knowledge of the Georgian or Abkhazian language.
A person, who wishes to be granted Georgian citizenship following an ordinary procedure, must present the following documents to the authorized body:
- A confirmation document for legitimate and continuous residence on the territory of Georgia for the past 10 years (visa, Residence Permit or Card, date-hallmark confirming of entry into Georgia);
- A confirmation document for employment in Georgia or/and ownership of the real estate, or entrepreneurial activity on the territory of Georgia and/or the confirmation document for holding shares in a Georgian enterprise.
A refugee or a stateless person status holder in Georgia who wishes to be granted citizenship of Georgia following an ordinary procedure must present the following documents to the authorized body:
- Birth certificate (if the person wishing to obtain citizenship following the ordinary procedure was born abroad and possesses the mentioned document);
- A confirmation document for legitimate and continuous residence on the territory of Georgia for the past 10 years – Residence Permit.
A person who wishes to be granted Georgian citizenship following a simplified procedure must present the following documents to the authorized body:
- Birth certificate (if the person wishing to obtain citizenship was born abroad and possesses the mentioned document);
- A confirmation document of the citizenship of another country (Identity Card; Passport or certificate of citizenship issued by the competent body of another country);
- A copy of the confirmation document regarding marriage to a citizen of Georgia (marriage certificate or court decision establishing the relevant legal fact);
- A confirmation document regarding the Georgian citizenship of a spouse;
- A confirmation document for legal and continuous residence on the territory of Georgia for the past 5 years (visa, residence permit or Card, date-hallmark confirming of entry into Georgia).
To consider the issue of granting Georgian citizenship through restoration, the applicant must submit to the authorized body a copy of the document proving that the interested person was considered a citizen of Georgia under the law, as well as relevant evidence confirming one or more of the grounds specified in the first paragraph of the same article.
The service fee paid while presenting an application on granting citizenship through restoration will be refunded to a person if it is established that his/her citizenship has been deprived illegally.
Establishment of Georgian citizenship
The following persons shall be deemed Georgian citizens, except for persons who have acquired or will acquire Georgian citizenship under this Law:
a) a person born before 31 March 1975, who has resided in Georgia for a combined period of at least five years, stayed in the territory of Georgia by 31 March 1993, and has not acquired foreign citizenship;
b) a person born after 31 March 1975, who resided in Georgia by 31 March 1993 and has not acquired foreign citizenship;
c) a person born in the territory of Georgia, who left the territory of Georgia after 21 December 1991, thus failing to meet the requirements of subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this article, and who has not acquired foreign citizenship.
Establishment of Georgian citizenship for persons residing in the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and in the territory of Tskhinvali Region (former Autonomous Region of South Ossetia)
The following persons shall be deemed Georgian citizens, except for persons who have acquired or will acquire Georgian citizenship under this Law:
a) a person born in Georgia before 21 December 1991, who resided in the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia or in the territory of Tskhinvali Region (former Autonomous Region of South Ossetia) before 21 December 1991, has not acquired foreign citizenship and neither of the circumstances under Article 16 of this Law applies to him/her;
b) a child of a person who was born in Georgia before 21 December 1991 and resided in the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia or in the territory of Tskhinvali Region (former Autonomous Region of South Ossetia) before 21 December 1991, who has not acquired foreign citizenship and no circumstance under Article 16 of this Law applies to him/her.
A former Georgian citizen, who has lost Georgian citizenship due to acquiring foreign citizenship, may, before 31 December 2022, apply to the Agency for granting him/her Georgian citizenship by way of its restoration. In such case, Georgian citizenship shall be granted also to her/his minor child.
For further information see:
Organic Law of Georgia on Georgian Citizenship
Link: matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/2342552?publication=7
Ordinance №2 of the Citizenship Issues Commission on the Approval of the Regulation on the Consideration and Resolution of Georgian Citizenship Issues
