Georgian Citizenship Application Service
Georgian citizenship by naturalisation is available after ten years of continuous lawful residence, or five if you are married to a Georgian citizen. It requires exams in Georgian language, history and law, and in most cases giving up the passport you already hold. Here is what the process involves and whether it is the right destination for you.
- Long-term residents at ten years
- Spouses of Georgian citizens at five years
- Stateless persons resident five years
- Anyone weighing citizenship against permanent residence
- Residence required
- 10 years
- Married to a citizen
- 5 years
- Dual citizenship
- Restricted
What this unlocks
Unconditional status
No permit, no renewal, no basis that can lapse. Nothing to maintain.
A well-travelled passport
Visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a substantial list, including the Schengen area.
Unrestricted land ownership
Including agricultural land, which foreign nationals generally cannot own at all.
Vote and hold office
Full civic rights. The part no residence permit can give you at any price.
Read this part first: dual citizenship
Georgian law does not generally allow dual citizenship. A naturalisation applicant is ordinarily expected to renounce their existing nationality, and the route that preserves both runs through an exceptional grant by presidential decree, awarded on state-interest grounds rather than on merit or length of residence. For most people holding a strong passport, that single condition decides the question, and it is why a permanent residence permit, which delivers most of the practical benefits with none of the renunciation, is the right destination for the majority of long-term residents. We would rather you understood that at the start than after a decade of planning.
What ordinary naturalisation requires
Ten years of continuous lawful residence in Georgia, and continuity here is strict: absences beyond about 90 days a year undermine it. Then examinations in the Georgian language, in Georgian history, and in the basic principles of Georgian law. The language exam is the substantive hurdle for most applicants: Georgian is not related to anything you are likely to already speak, and passing takes sustained study rather than a crash course.
- 10 years of continuous lawful residence
- Absences generally under 90 days a year across the qualifying period
- Examination in Georgian language
- Examination in Georgian history
- Examination in the basic principles of law
- Renunciation of existing citizenship, absent an exceptional grant
The shorter routes
Marriage to a Georgian citizen brings the residence requirement down to five years, though the examinations still apply in full. Stateless persons can apply after five. Exceptional naturalisation by presidential decree exists for people who have made a significant contribution to Georgia or where a grant is in the state interest. This is the only route that reliably preserves an existing citizenship, and it is not something you qualify for by meeting criteria.
What the passport gets you
Visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a substantial list of countries including the Schengen area, the right to vote and hold office, unrestricted land ownership including agricultural land, and permanent unconditional status. Whether that is worth surrendering your current nationality is an arithmetic only you can do, and for a lot of our clients the honest answer is no, which is why we spend more time on permanent residence than on citizenship.
Want us to handle your georgian citizenship?
Thirty free minutes. We will confirm whether this route fits before you spend anything.
Pricing
Quoted after an eligibility review. Naturalisation cases vary enormously in complexity and a published price would be meaningless for most of them.
Whether your ten years actually count, what the renunciation position means for your nationality, and whether permanent residence is the better destination. Credited against the application fee if you proceed.
Prices exclude 18% VAT where applicable. Fees are quoted in USD and settled in Georgian lari at the prevailing rate. Government fees are set by the authority and confirmed at the time of application.
How it runs
- 01
Eligibility review
3–5 daysYour residence history, your absences, and, first, what renunciation would mean for you specifically. Some people should stop here, and we will say so.
- 02
Examination preparation
MonthsGeorgian language, history and law. This is the long part and it cannot be compressed. We point you at preparation rather than pretending we can shortcut it.
- 03
Application
1–2 weeks to compileDocumentation assembled and filed.
- 04
Decision
~3 monthsNaturalisation is granted by presidential decree, and the timeline reflects that.
Frequently asked questions
Ten years of continuous lawful residence for ordinary naturalisation. Five years if you are married to a Georgian citizen, or if you are stateless. Continuity is strict: absences beyond roughly 90 days a year undermine it.
Not generally. Naturalisation applicants are ordinarily expected to renounce their existing nationality. Dual citizenship is possible only through an exceptional grant by presidential decree on state-interest grounds, which is not something you qualify for by meeting criteria. For most people this single point decides whether citizenship is worth pursuing.
Georgian language, Georgian history, and the basic principles of Georgian law. The language exam is the real hurdle. Georgian is unrelated to almost any language you are likely to already speak.
Not as a programme. Exceptional naturalisation by presidential decree exists for significant contribution or state interest, and it is occasionally described as citizenship by investment by people selling it. It is discretionary, not purchasable, and anyone promising it on a fee schedule is misrepresenting how it works.
For most long-term residents, permanent residence. It ends the renewal cycle, exempts you from the labour permit, gives full family sponsorship rights, and costs you nothing in existing nationality. Citizenship adds voting, an unconditional passport and unrestricted land ownership. At the price of the passport you already have.
About three months from application to presidential decree. The preparation before that, the exams above all, is where the real time goes.
Continuous lawful residence is what counts, so time on temporary and permanent permits both contribute. Gaps between permits are what break the chain, and they are usually discovered far too late.
Visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a substantial list of countries including the Schengen area, the right to vote and hold office, and unrestricted land ownership including agricultural land, which foreign nationals generally cannot own.
Not sure this is the right one?
Thirty free minutes, no obligation. We will tell you which route actually fits, including when the answer is that you do not need us.