In Which Cases Should Corona-Stranded Foreigners Be Allowed to Stay in Georgia?

In accordance with the government’s decree issued on April 16, foreigners or stateless persons who were legally on the territory of Georgia on March 14, 2020, and were not able to leave the country due to closure of borders as a part of the state of emergency, have a right to stay in the country until June 30, 2020, if their presence in Georgia is related to the following circumstances:

If the state of nationality of the person was in a high-risk zone during the relevant period;

If the restriction on border crossing was imposed by the relevant state;

If the person was hospitalized, quarantined or self-isolated due to a health condition;

If a person failed to leave the country due to canceled flights within the specified time.

In such cases, the presence of a foreigner or stateless person on the territory of Georgia:

Shall not be considered illegal and shall not be subject to liability under the legislation of Georgia, if a person presents the relevant documents;

Shall not be considered lawful for the purposes of obtaining a residence permit in Georgia.

This amendment was added to the decree of the Government of Georgia issued on January 28, 2020 "On Measures to Prevent the Spread of New Coronavirus in Georgia and the Approval of the Operational Response Plan for Cases of Diseases Caused by New Coronavirus."

A state of emergency is declared in Georgia until May 10, 2020. The President's decree suspends international air, land and sea traffic, except for specific cases provided by the Government of Georgia.

By Ana Dumbadze