Georgia has reduced the period of stay in the country for Ukrainian citizens from three years to one year. Corresponding amendments were made to a government decree on April 2.
Before the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainians could stay in Georgia for one year, but on February 24, 2023, the government increased the period of visa-free stay to two years, and on April 23, 2024 – to three years.
The new decision of the Georgian government states that Ukrainian citizens who entered and stayed in Georgia until February 24, 2025, will have their right to stay extended until February 24, 2026.
After elections in October 2024, the Georgian Dream party won the majority of seats in the Georgian parliament, and in December, the members of the panel with a majority of Georgian Dream deputies elected a single candidate, Mikhail Kavelashvili, as the country’s president. He represents the Power of the People party, allied to the Georgian Dream, which advocates populist anti-Western positions.
The founder of Georgian Dream is the pro-Russian politician Bidzina Ivanishvili. The United States, Ukraine and the Baltic states have imposed sanctions against him.