New regulation obliges Georgian customs officers to consult citizens before leaving for EU

Georgia is taking steps to ensure citizens do not violate EU visa-free travel rules as the visa-free regime for Georgian citizens to the European Union comes into force tomorrow.

Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Mgebrishvili signed a new regulation this evening obligating Georgian customs officers to have a thorough conversation with citizens who are about to depart for the EU. During this conversation, customs officers will ask passengers’ the purpose of travel and ask for relevant documents to be presented.

If any of the documents do not meet European standards or if there is any unclearness, customs officers are obliged to warn Georgian citizens that they might be refused entry to the EU.

• Prime Minister Kvirikashvili encourages citizens to follow visa-free requirements

Mgebrishvili said that "the road to Europe goes through the respect for the law” and added that Georgia has mechanisms to identify any violations Georgian citizens might possibly commit while in the EU.

In case of violations such as staying in the EU longer than 90 days, the Georgian side will inform the relevant EU state, after which efforts will be made to return the citizen back to Georgia. Along with deportation, these citizens will also have to pay a €3,000 fine.

Mgebrishvili said that during the past six years there had been 7300 applications from the EU to Georgia regarding readmission; 90 percent of these applications have been satisfied. Mgebrishvili said that these numbers means there is good police cooperation between Georgia and the EU.