Vilnius Airport Welcomes First Visa-free Traveler Georgians

The first Georgians to travel to the capital of Lithuania were welcomed at the Vilnius Airport with a street banner installed near the airport.

The banner says "Closer than ever” in English and Georgian. 

A photo of the banner was posted by the Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Simasius on his personal Facebook page.

Georgian travelers were also greeted at the airport by the Mayor himself, Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister, as well as by local journalists and the Georgian Ambassador to Lithuania. 

Visa-free regime with the EU took effect on March 28, which means that all Georgians holding biometric passports can enter the Schengen Area for 90 days within any 180-day period for vacation, business, or any other purpose except work.

Georgians are able to travel without visas to the following 22 EU member states: Belgium, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Greece, France, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.

Georgians can also travel without visas to four non-EU-member states (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) as well as four Schengen candidate countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania and Croatia).  

Exceptions for visa-free travel include Ireland and the United Kingdom.

By Thea Morrison