Interior Ministry records 7,180,916 border crossings in Q3
In the reporting period, the largest number of border crossings was recorded from the Russian citizens. Photo: Revenue Service
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The Ministry of Internal Affairs on Monday said the number of border crossings in Georgia totalled 7,180,916 in the third quarter of 2023, of which 76 percent were carried out by foreign citizens and 24 percent by Georgian nationals.
In the reporting period, the largest number of border crossings was recorded from the Russian citizens.
The top 10 countries with the highest numbers of border crossings were as follows:
- Russia - 766,278 entries; 780,514 exits
- Turkey - 551,107 entries; 553,600 exits
- Armenia - 451,809 entries; 452,526 exits
- EU countries - 181,170 entries; 182,244 exits
- Israel - 90,269 entries; 89,921 exits
- Kazakhstan - 83,882 entries; 84,948 exits
- Belarus - 77,570 entries; 82,151 exits
- Azerbaijan - 74,301 entries; 74,443 exits
- Ukraine - 65,408 entries; 67,029 exits
- Saudi Arabia - 56,716 entries; 60,693 exits
The Ministry said the total number of arrivals included 1,670,541 by individuals who stayed in Georgia for more than 24 hours, and 464,445 transit arrivals.
The Georgian Interior Ministry on Wednesday said it had launched an electronic facial recognition programme earlier this month to increase the effectiveness of control at border checkpoints across the country.
The Public Service Development Agency of Georgia on Tuesday said it had handed over the basic domestic signatory certificates to the International Civil Aviation Organisation to guarantee the validity of national biometric passports and electronic identity cards and simplifying border crossing procedures.
The renovated Turkgozu customs checkpoint opened at the Georgia-Turkey border on Sunday, the Georgian Finance Ministry said.
The Georgian interior ministry on Tuesday released statistics on border crossings to Georgia made by Russian citizens over the last 10 days and detailed rules for entering the country and grounds for refusal, in response to recent claims by the domestic opposition on a “mass influx” of Russian nationals following the announcement of partial military mobilisation in the country last week for Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
The number of Georgian citizens staying abroad decreased in 2023 by 27,950 people, marking a 62.1 percent reduction from the previous year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Tuesday in latest data on border crossings.