Entry and residence permitsFor foreigners who have lived in Georgia for years, spouses of Georgian citizens and people with Georgian roots

Georgian citizenship 2026: who qualifies, the test, dual citizenship and a Georgian passport

An adult foreigner can get Georgian citizenship after 10 years of continuous lawful residence, and the spouse of a Georgian citizen after 5; before applying you pass a test in Georgian language, history and basic law (Organic Law on Georgian Citizenship, arts. 12, 14, 24, version of 25 June 2026). Dual citizenship is the exception: as a rule the President’s decree takes effect only once Georgia receives proof that you have given up your previous citizenship (art. 15). A decision takes up to 3 months, and the fee runs from 65 GEL for a report by day 80 to 390 GEL within 20 days (Government decree No. 508 and sda.gov.ge, checked 9 November 2026).

Checked by the editors on 9 November 202612 sources13 minutes

In short

10 years as a rule: An adult needs continuous lawful residence in Georgia for the last 10 years before the application date, a passed test and a tie to the country: a job, property, a business or a stake in a Georgian company (art. 12). A stateless person needs 5 years lived in Georgia with that status.
What “continuous” means: In each year you were out of Georgia for no more than 90 days in total; study abroad of up to 2 years and medical treatment don’t count (art. 2). The agency checks this against the Interior Ministry’s border-crossing database (Commission regulations, art. 29).
Spouses: 5 years: If you are married to a Georgian citizen, you need 5 years of continuous lawful residence and the same test. A job, property or business in Georgia is not required on this route (art. 14).
The test comes first: Language, history and basic law, in Georgian: 10 questions and 20 minutes per subject, with at least 7 correct answers in each. In Georgia it is held in Tbilisi; the first attempt is free, each retake costs 40 GEL, and a pass is valid for 1 year (order No. 996).
Dual citizenship: Not as a rule: you become a citizen once Georgia receives proof that you have left your previous citizenship (art. 15). You keep your other citizenship if the President grants Georgian citizenship by exception (arts. 15, 21).
Georgian roots: The law has no separate route for compatriots; a simplified route exists for people with repatriate status (art. 14(2)). If you regard Georgia as your homeland and you or an ancestor up to five generations back live in the occupied territories, were displaced from them or emigrated for political or severe socio-economic reasons, this counts towards citizenship by exception (arts. 2, 17).
Investment: The law offers no citizenship for a fixed sum. A significant investment is one of the factors for citizenship by exception, with no amount set (art. 17). Investor residence permits are covered in the guide “Georgia residence permit”.
Time and fee: The agency prepares its report by day 80 for 65 GEL, by day 60 for 130 GEL, by day 40 for 260 GEL, or within 20 days for 390 GEL. The President decides, and the whole process takes no more than 3 months (art. 26, decree No. 508).
If you are refused: You can reapply on the same ground after 6 months (art. 26). A refusal under the ordinary, simplified, restoration or special procedure can be challenged in court (Constitutional Court decision of 7 March 2025).

How to get Georgian citizenship

Choose your route
The route sets the residence period, the test and the fee:
10 years in Georgia — ordinary procedureFor an adult who has lived in Georgia lawfully and continuously for the last 10 years before applying. You need the three-subject test and a tie to Georgia: a job, property, a business or a stake in a Georgian company; refugees are exempt from this tie. A stateless person with status in Georgia needs 5 years (art. 12). Apply at a territorial office of the Public Service Development Agency or at a Public Service Hall.
Married to a Georgian citizen — simplified procedure5 years of continuous lawful residence and the three-subject test; no job or property is required (art. 14). Apply at a Public Service Hall (sda.gov.ge). The fees are the same as for the ordinary procedure.
ChildrenA child with at least one Georgian parent at the time of birth is a citizen by birth (art. 10). A minor with one Georgian parent, or adopted by a Georgian citizen, gets citizenship under the ordinary procedure with no residence requirement (art. 13). Children don’t take the test, including those who turn 18 before the decision (order No. 996, art. 6). From age 14 the child’s own consent is needed (art. 6 of the law).
Roots, merit, investment — citizenship by exceptionThe President grants citizenship for special merit to Georgia or in the state’s interest. Factors include: you regard Georgia as your homeland and you or an ancestor live in the occupied territories, were displaced from them or emigrated for political or socio-economic reasons; a significant investment; success in sport, science or the arts and a wish to compete or work on Georgia’s behalf (art. 17). You need at least 2 recommendations from Georgian citizens or legal entities registered in Georgia (Commission regulations, art. 32). The law requires the test only on the first of these grounds — from people with roots in Georgia (art. 17(3)). You keep your other citizenship (arts. 15, 21). Fee: 500 GEL by day 80, 700 GEL by day 60, 1,000 GEL within 30 days.
Former citizens — restorationIf you renounced Georgian citizenship, lost it unlawfully or through your parents’ choice, it can be restored; you only take the language test, and none at all if it was ended unlawfully (art. 18). Fee: 130 GEL by day 30. If you lost Georgian citizenship by taking another one, you can restore it without giving up the other if you apply before 1 January 2027: the language test first, then the application; fee 325 GEL by day 80 (art. 32², decree No. 508; Commission regulations, art. 19). Test dates are picked from a calendar up to 2 months ahead (order No. 996, art. 3), so both the test and the application have to fit into 2026.
Pass the test
Register at the Public Service Development Agency, a Public Service Hall or a Georgian consulate, in person or through a representative: bring an identity document and a 3.5×4.5 cm colour photo in electronic form. You pick a date from a calendar up to 2 months ahead and can change it no later than 48 hours before. In Georgia the test is held only in Tbilisi, on a computer and in Georgian: 10 questions with 4 options and 20 minutes per subject, with at least 7 points in each. Arrive 15 minutes early with your registration slip and ID (order No. 996). The agency publishes 2024 test collections for language, history and basic law; language courses are in the guide “Learning Georgian”.
1st attempt — free · each retake — 40 GEL, at a consulate — $15
Gather your documents
The application and documents are submitted in Georgian; for citizenship by exception the agency may accept an application in another language. Documents in other languages need a certified Georgian translation, and documents issued abroad also need an apostille or legalisation unless an international treaty of Georgia says otherwise; a passport with Latin-script data is accepted without translation (Commission regulations, art. 10). Years of residence are proven with visas, residence permits or residence cards and border-crossing stamps; the agency checks them against the Interior Ministry’s database itself (arts. 27, 29). The full list is in the Documents block.
Apply within a year of the test
Ordinary applications are taken by the agency’s territorial offices and Public Service Halls, simplified ones by Public Service Halls, and abroad by Georgian consulates (sda.gov.ge). You can apply in person or through a representative (art. 22 of the law). The right to apply lasts 1 year after the test (art. 24). Applications for citizenship by exception are also accepted remotely. Consular fees are in US dollars, from $25.
65 GEL — by day 80 · 130 GEL — by day 60 · 260 GEL — by day 40 · 390 GEL — within 20 days
Wait for the President’s decision
The agency reviews the application with a 6-member commission: two each from the agency, the State Security Service and the President’s Administration (art. 24). If the agency decides an interview is needed, the clock can be paused until you come to Georgia (Commission regulations, art. 15). The President makes the final decision: a decree if yes, an order if no (art. 25). The deadline is 3 months (art. 26). If no decree is issued within a week of the draft reaching the President, that counts as a refusal (Commission regulations, art. 21). The agency sends notices on your case as messages or publishes them on its website (Commission regulations, art. 7).
Give up your previous citizenship
The citizenship decree takes effect once Georgia receives proof that you have left your previous citizenship (art. 15). The law sets no general deadline for this. The rule does not apply to citizenship by exception or to restoration under the temporary right until 1 January 2027 (art. 32²).
Sign the oath and get your documents
A new citizen signs the oath of allegiance in Georgian when their identity document is issued (art. 8 of the law; Commission regulations, art. 22). The ID card is a citizen’s main document, and you need it to get a passport (sda.gov.ge); for adults both are valid for 10 years. Apply at a Public Service Hall or the agency; addresses are in the guide “Public Service Hall”.
ID card — 60 GEL in 10 working days, 150 GEL same day · passport — 150 GEL in 10 working days, 350 GEL same day

Help with documents and residence permits Documents and residence permits in Tbilisi

Grey areas: lawyers disagree here

Which status counts towards the 10 years

The law requires living in Georgia “on a lawful basis” but names no type of residence permit (art. 12). As proof, the Commission regulations list visas, residence permits or cards and border-crossing stamps (art. 27). Whether years on visa-free stays without a residence permit count is not officially explained. Ask the agency on +995 32 2 40 10 10 before booking the test.

Deadline for leaving your previous citizenship

Neither the law nor the Commission regulations set a general deadline for bringing proof of renunciation; a 5-year limit is written only for repatriates (regulations, art. 31). What happens to the decree if the proof takes a long time is not officially explained. Find out in advance how renunciation works, and how long it takes, in your country.

Appealing a refusal

The Commission regulations (art. 23) still repeat the earlier wording of the law: the President’s citizenship decisions cannot be challenged in court. On 7 March 2025 the Constitutional Court ruled that rule of the law (art. 29(1)) unconstitutional for refusals under the ordinary, simplified, restoration and special procedures; the ruling took effect on publication on the court’s website the same day. Refusals of citizenship by exception were not covered by the ruling. Since 1 September 2026 a lawsuit does not halt a foreigner’s expulsion (art. 29).

The test for citizenship by exception

The law requires the test only from those applying as people with Georgian roots or ties to the occupied territories (art. 17). The agency’s page says the same, but order No. 996 (art. 2) lists citizenship by exception among the routes with a test, without that caveat. Ask the agency whether you need it.

The 1 January 2027 deadline

Until then former citizens can apply to restore citizenship without giving up their other one — the language test is taken before applying; Georgian citizens holding another citizenship, with no decision on loss of Georgian citizenship before 15 August 2018, can apply to keep it (art. 32²). The article on the special procedure for people born in Georgia is in force until 1 January 2027 (arts. 31¹, 34); the law does not say what happens to applications still undecided on that date. The deadline has already been moved from 31 December 2024; whether it will be moved again is unknown — apply early.

FAQ · 9

How do I get Georgian citizenship?

Through naturalisation: the ordinary procedure after 10 years of lawful residence, the simplified one for citizens’ spouses after 5 years, citizenship by exception by the President’s decision, and restoration for former citizens (arts. 9, 12, 14, 17, 18). You pass the test first, then apply to the agency or a Public Service Hall; the President decides within 3 months.

How many years do you need to live in Georgia to get citizenship?

Continuous lawful residence for the last 10 years before the application date; the last 5 years for the spouse of a Georgian citizen or a stateless person with status in Georgia (arts. 12, 14). “Continuous” means that in each year you were out of Georgia for no more than 90 days in total, not counting study of up to 2 years or medical treatment (art. 2).

Can I get Georgian citizenship after 5 years?

Only if you are married to a Georgian citizen or have stateless status in Georgia (arts. 12, 14). For other adult foreigners under the ordinary procedure it is 10 years.

Does Georgia allow dual citizenship?

Only in cases the law names directly (art. 3). A foreigner who gets citizenship under the ordinary or simplified procedure gives up the previous one (art. 15). Dual citizenship is kept by those granted citizenship by exception by the President, and by Georgian citizens who obtained consent to keep Georgian citizenship before taking another one — 500 GEL by day 80 (art. 21¹, decree No. 508). In addition, until 1 January 2027 former citizens who lost Georgian citizenship by taking another one can apply to restore it without giving up the other (art. 32²).

What test do you take for Georgian citizenship and how much does it cost?

A test in Georgian on language, history and basic law: 10 questions and 20 minutes per subject, with at least 7 correct answers in each. The first attempt is free, each retake costs 40 GEL, and a pass is valid for 1 year. For restoration of citizenship only the language part is taken (order No. 996).

Can you get Georgian citizenship by investment or by buying property?

There is no citizenship for a fixed sum in the law. The President can take a significant investment into account for citizenship by exception (art. 17); the review fee starts at 500 GEL. Property in Georgia is just one of the ways to show a tie to the country under the ordinary procedure after 10 years of residence (art. 12).

How much does Georgian citizenship cost and how long does it take?

The fee for the ordinary and simplified procedures is 65 GEL if the agency prepares its report by day 80; 130 GEL by day 60, 260 GEL by day 40, 390 GEL within 20 days (decree No. 508). The President makes the final decision, and by law the whole process takes no more than 3 months (art. 26).

How much is a Georgian passport?

An adult biometric passport costs 150 GEL in 10 working days or 350 GEL the same day; an ID card is 60 GEL in 10 working days or 150 GEL the same day (sda.gov.ge, decree No. 508). You need an ID card to get a passport; for adults both are valid for 10 years.

Can Georgian citizenship be revoked?

The law forbids stripping anyone of citizenship (art. 3). But citizenship is lost by joining another country’s military, police or security service without permission, obtaining Georgian citizenship with forged documents, or taking another citizenship without consent to keep the Georgian one (art. 21).

What changed · 4

1 September 2026Challenging a citizenship decision in court no longer halts the review or enforcement of a foreigner’s expulsion (law No. 1820, art. 29(3))
7 March 2025The Constitutional Court (decision No. 3/3/1601) ruled unconstitutional the ban on court appeals against the President’s refusals under the ordinary, simplified, restoration and special procedures; in force from publication on the court’s website on 7 March 2025
29 December 2024Law No. 155 extended the temporary right to restore and keep citizenship, and the special procedure for people born in Georgia, from 31 December 2024 to 1 January 2027
1 May 2024The language, history and basic law test is now taken before applying; the first attempt is free, retakes cost 40 GEL, a pass is valid for 1 year (law No. 3627, order No. 996)