The updated rules significantly raise fines and extend re-entry bans. Foreigners who overstay up to three months will face a fine of 1,000 lari (about $360) and a six-month ban from re-entering Georgia. Overstays between three months and one year will result in a 2,000 lari fine and a two-year ban, while those exceeding one year will pay 3,000 lari and be barred for three years. Previously, sanctions were far more lenient.
Violations of transit rules will be fined 500 lari, while individuals or companies that improperly invite foreigners now face penalties between 1,000 and 2,000 lari.
The Criminal Code has also been amended. Courts may now order the deportation of foreigners convicted in Georgia, along with bans on re-entry: from 2 to 10 years for minor crimes, and 5 to 20 years or even life for serious and particularly grave offenses. For administrative offenses, the ban will not exceed five years.
Authorities say the reforms aim to strengthen control over illegal migration, prevent abuse of asylum procedures, and create a transparent system regulating foreigners’ stay. The legislative package, approved by parliament in July, included amendments to 18 laws, among them the Law on International Protection.
