What kind of passport is needed in Tbilisi. Is it possible to fly to Georgia with a Russian passport. Travel route in Georgia by car

Before traveling to this country, you need to familiarize yourself with a number of requirements that are needed for a smooth stay here, in particular, is it possible to fly to Georgia on a Russian passport. These states are united by long friendly relations.

Today, despite the political vicissitudes between their heads, the representatives of the people, as always, with their characteristic cordiality, are ready to receive tourists and ordinary guests. Russians, like many citizens of other powers, can stay or transfer without having a visa, since one is not needed at the moment. Also, thanks to diplomatic negotiations, since 2015, there has been a rapprochement between the neighboring countries, which will only intensify in the future.

Georgian beauties

Russians may not think about which passport to fly to Georgia from Russia, because for a regular tourist visit, an identity card that was issued to you at home will be enough. Similarly, you can stay here for 90 days.

If you need to extend the specified period, this is done in the institutions involved in the registration of citizens. This authority will issue you a permit for another 360 days. When transferring, the stay is limited to three days. Many are interested in what kind of passport a flight to Georgia is available for underage children: only with a foreign one or is a civil one also suitable?

This country is a great place to spend time with family and friends. Minor citizens must fulfill the same requirements as adults: they do not need a visa, it can be replaced by a passport, which you must have in any case. Minor passengers may have their own document confirming their identity or be included in the appropriate pass of their parents.

You will not have to go through any additional materials, for example, permission for the child to stay abroad, or other “paper formalities”. Thus, you can almost easily get into this wonderful country filled with radiant sun, beautiful sights and world-famous national dishes.

Tbilisi Airport

Extension of stay

Most often, the time allotted to you will be enough to fully enjoy all the delights of Georgia. For such a trip, additional documents are not required. In this case, a foreign passport will be enough for you, in which, upon returning home, the customs service will check the time of stay and put the appropriate stamp.

However, if you decide to stay late, you will need to seek help from the appropriate authorities. To obtain a permit, you need to prepare the following materials:

1. 2 color photographs 3x4 cm. You can make them directly at this organization for a fee.
2. A questionnaire in which you must enter all the necessary data. You can get and fill it out on the spot, therefore, you do not need to download it from the network and draw it up at home.
3. Paying a fixed fee for the registration process.

This small list of documents will be enough for you to complete this process, allowing you to stay here for a longer time.

Estimated trip cost

Thanks to the visa-free regime, staying in Georgia for less than 3 months will not lead you to significant spending of money. First of all, at the border you will have to pay the standard amount of 50 lari (approximately 30 US dollars) and present your passport.

If you are going to repeatedly cross the border of this state, then in order to save time and money, it is recommended to issue an appropriate pass for repeated use, it will cost you 60 GEL. This small difference will make your life much easier and will quickly pay for itself. Transfer trips for a period of less than 3 days are carried out by obtaining a transit pass worth 20 GEL.

The registration renewal procedure is also accompanied by a fee, the payment of which is stipulated by law. At the moment, for Russians, its amount is 100 lari (approximately 60 US dollars). Such money transfers are carried out directly at customs, at the local branch of the bank. When preparing papers for the extension of residence, the payment of a fixed fee is carried out directly in the organization involved in this procedure. In this case, you will receive the appropriate permission immediately, without waiting. As with many banking transactions, when paying the above fees, you will be charged a service fee of 1.5 GEL.

Possible complications

Such customs relations between Russia and Georgia are a definite plus. Thanks to them, a wide horizon of opportunities opens up for you, contributing to interesting tourism in this country. It is noteworthy that for Russians there are almost never any difficulties with documentation and other bureaucracy.

The loyalty of the customs service comes to the point that even when your three-month period of residence has expired and the delay is less than ten days, you will most often not have any claims. Probably the only difficulty that will prevent your visit to Georgia may be a preliminary visit to South Ossetia or Abkhazia.

The border guard, seeing a stamp in your passport, indicating a recent visit to them, will refuse you entry. If visiting the latter is necessary, initially you need to visit Georgia, and then Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Otherwise, your stay will be illegal. Such an accusation will lead to problems with the law - in particular, arrest or deportation.

Georgia has an amazing combination of natural and man-made attractions

The main sights of Georgia

Here, any tourist can easily find entertainment that he will like:

1. For lovers of mountain walks, it is better to go to Svaneti. It is also called the Land of a Thousand Towers, or the Golden Fleece. When you get here, you temporarily fall out of your time and era. The beauty of this place can be enjoyed at any time of the year: winter, which can immerse anyone in the atmosphere of a fairy tale, spring, alluring with its flowering, summer with its warm rays of the sun and, of course, beautiful autumn.
2. Connoisseurs of traditions and wine gourmets will love Kakheti. One of the most frequently visited places here is the Alaverdi Cathedral, which was built at the beginning of the 11th century. During its lifetime, the temple was destroyed more than once, but it was restored over and over again in order to amaze pilgrims from all over the world with its power and beauty as before. Lacking any visual embellishments, it delights visitors with spiritual power. Also a worthy representative of temple architecture is Vardzia - a work of art among its own kind. This building dates back to the 12th-13th centuries, it was erected at the base of the rock and at one time was an indestructible fortress, and now serves as a spiritual haven for believers.
3. if you like the subtropical climate, the sea and palm trees - Adjara will be most welcome for you. It is located on the Black Sea coast near the ridge of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains.

You will also be pleasantly surprised by the capital of Georgia - Tbilisi. This friendly city is always open to tourists. According to local customs, guests are always welcomed here with hospitality and kindness.

As the locals say about their city, two days will not be enough for you to have a proper drink and heart-to-heart talk over local cuisine. And even a week is not enough to visit all the significant sights of the capital. Here are the most famous of them:

• Shota Rustaveli street;
• Anchiskhati Cathedral;
• state museum;
• Metekhi temple, etc.

National cuisine

For those who like to please their stomach with something tasty, Georgian dishes will be just right. They can be called a kind of visiting card of the country. This is due to the fact that, according to local customs, no serious event is complete without feasts. Thanks to the hospitality of the people, guests are always treated with respect, and leaving him hungry in this nationality is perceived as a sign of a bad host.

Dishes in this country are not only extremely tasty, they also attract with their richness and variety. They developed under the influence of various countries and peoples, thanks to which they absorbed all the best from them. Let's look at the features of the preparation of various Georgian products:

1. Wine. This product accompanies this people throughout its existence (approximately 6-7 thousand years). Thanks to excavations, clay presses and containers for a drink were found, the origin of which dates back to the 3rd millennium BC, and leaves and branches of this plant were also found in the burials of that era. A feature of its preparation here is that the addition of sugar is unacceptable. Among local residents, special preference is given to home-made wine, which is produced by small handicraft enterprises.
2. Fruits and sweets. They most often add nuts, honey or grape juice. One of these dishes is baklava: an element of pastry made from puff pastry, to which honey and nuts are added. Popular representatives of this type are kozinaki and churchkhela.
3. Dairy products. Various cheeses are a favorite product in Georgia, they include feta cheese, suluguni, imeruli, gudiskveli, etc. Matsoni is also popular here - a fermented milk product similar to kefir or yogurt.
4. Bakery. Probably the most common product from this category is considered to be pita bread, which is a thin wheat cake made from yeast-free dough. Another popular dish is khachapuri, a baked item filled with cheese. There are a great many varieties of it, depending on the region of the country, various components are additionally added to it.

May holidays and the summer vacation season are approaching in Russia. The "Caucasian Knot" has collected some tips for Russians who are thinking about going to Georgia.

1. Do I need a visa to visit Georgia?

Citizens of Russia do not need a visa to enter Georgia for up to 360 days. All you need is a passport valid for the entire stay in the country.

Entry into Georgia through South Ossetia and Abkhazia is prohibited.

Moreover, the Georgian authorities may refuse entry if you have marks in your passport that you have visited Abkhazia or South Ossetia before. Most likely, such problems will not arise, since usually the Abkhazian and South Ossetian border guards do not put any marks in their passports. But in any case, the fact of your visit to Abkhazia or South Ossetia should not be advertised. According to Georgian laws, this is considered a criminal offense, for which you can go to jail or receive a large fine.

If you want to visit Abkhazia or South Ossetia, detailed travel advice can be found in the special information of the "Caucasian Knot".

2. Is it better to go to Georgia in summer or winter?

In winter, it is best to spend time at the ski resorts, which are usually open in Georgia from November to May.

3. Should I go to Georgia by car?

In Georgia, the main tourist attractions are compactly located, and traveling around the country by car is quite convenient. In addition, if you decide to go to Georgia from Russia by car, your path will lie along the picturesque Georgian Military Highway.

The downside is that for a land border crossing you will have only one option - the Upper Lars checkpoint, which is located 38 km from Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia. There is a risk of standing in line at the border for many hours, especially during the high season. You can find out what the situation is at the checkpoint now from the picture from the webcams.

The road is sometimes closed due to bad weather and the danger of avalanches. When this happens, the "Caucasian Knot" always reports about it.

If you do not want to spend time in lines at the border and risk getting stuck on the way due to bad weather, you can rent a car directly in Georgia. The technical condition of rental cars often leaves much to be desired. But on the other hand, it is possible to find very cheap versions of cars with high mileage, produced 10-15 years ago.

4. Where is the best place to stay?

Well-known international hotel chains operate in Georgia, but if you want to feel what real Georgian hospitality is, we advise you to take a closer look at small family hotels. The "Caucasian Knot" spoke about them in a special article.

5. Should I bargain?

In Georgia, after bargaining, you can almost always bring down the price in the markets, in souvenir shops, and especially in taxis. If the taxi does not have a meter (and there is almost never one), be sure to agree on the price of the trip right away.

6. Where to buy souvenirs?

Souvenirs will be much cheaper if you buy them away from popular tourist areas. In Tbilisi, you can buy something cheaper at the flea market near the Dry Bridge. But even there it is worth bargaining.

For those who want to learn more about holidays in Georgia, the "Caucasian Knot" has collected on its pages information about Georgian sights: about colorful Batumi with its cozy coffee houses, about the Gudauri ski resort, about the tiny town of Signaki in Kakheti and, of course, about the hospitable Tbilisi.

7. Where is the best place to eat?

Although there are McDonald's and other well-known fast food chain restaurants in Georgia, the Caucasian Knot definitely does not recommend eating hamburgers. Better try the local cuisine. Khinkali, pkhali, khachapuri and other national dishes - this is what you came to Georgia for.

8. Where to buy churchkhela?

If you want to be sure of the quality, it is better to buy the Georgian national delicacy in a supermarket where it is sold in vacuum packaging. You can also buy churchkhela in the market, but then you should be more careful.

9. To smoke or not to smoke?

Georgia still remains a paradise for suicides who poison themselves and their neighbors with nicotine. They smoke everywhere. If the choice of travel destination is connected with your bad habit, feel free to head to Georgia. True, then you should hurry. Georgia is rapidly integrating into Europe, and the authorities are already discussing a new law to limit smoking in public places. The next expected date for the introduction of innovations was set for May 1, 2018.

10. How much wine can I bring from Georgia?

The export of wine from Georgia is not limited, but, according to Russian customs rules, each adult can bring no more than 5 liters of alcohol from a trip. Of these, 3 liters can be imported without paying any fees, and another 2 liters - by paying a fee of 10 euros per liter.

Although Georgia is a great place to travel, the country has experienced turbulent periods in the last 25 years due to wars and revolutions. When planning your trip, keep an eye on

The demand for tours to Georgia is increasing every year. There are many reasons: awesome pictures, low prices, rave reviews, delicious cuisine and Georgian wine.

Popular questions

When is the best time to go on vacation?

If you are not a fan of skiing and want to enjoy the warmth, fruits and the sea, then the best time to travel is from May to mid-October.

In May and June, excellent conditions for excursions (until it's hot). Harvesting takes place in September-November and fruits can be bought literally for next to nothing.

The period from mid-June to September is best for relaxing in the Black Sea resorts.

Ski resorts are waiting for lovers of winter holidays from December to March. In warm winters, the snow cover in Gudauri and Bakuriani is finally formed by mid-January.

Where to spend your vacation

In Georgia, we counted 12 resort towns. Each has its own characteristics, which we analyzed in detail in. Therefore, you first need to decide on the goals of the trips, and then decide where it is better to relax.

For excursions, mountain landscapes, civilized service, wine and Georgian cuisine, it is better to go to Tbilisi.

The sea, the sun, the beach with a couple of mandatory excursions are waiting for you in Batumi. The cuisine is also on the level, but in Adjara it has its own differences. By the way, Batumi is the only Georgian resort that we can safely recommend for a family vacation.

Kutaisi is another tourist center of the country. It is famous for eco-tourism. No sea, no service, only mountains, canyons and old quarters. In general, Georgia is what it is. Without an emphasis on the tourist, who every year is more and more felt in Tbilisi and Batumi.

Where is the best place to live

If you are not on a business trip, then there is no point in booking expensive hotels. You will only sleep in them.

In Tbilisi and Batumi, you can always find accommodation through Airbnb. As a last resort, look for accommodation options in inexpensive 2-3 * hotels.

When choosing accommodation in Tbilisi, pay attention to the area of ​​the city. It makes no sense to settle in the tourist center itself (Freedom Square), because a taxi to anywhere in the city costs about 5-6 GEL. It is cheaper to get here every day by taxi than to pay 2-3 times more for a hotel room or apartment. However, if mobility in the center is important, then it should be borne in mind that traffic jams in Tbilisi can move your plans by 10-15 minutes at any time of the day.

Decide for yourself what you need from the hotel, but we would recommend not to pay more than 50-60 euros / day in the high season (off-season prices are 1.5 times lower). As in other cities of Georgia, Batumi has a large number of offers on Airbnb.

In small towns and remote mountainous areas, you can always find accommodation on the spot through local or through Booking.com. But it is better to do it in advance through travel agencies in Tbilisi or Batumi.

What to see in the country?

Everyone knows about local hospitality and legendary cuisine. But there is not much information about its significant sights. Here's what we liked:

• Caucasus Mountains (second highest after Himalayan)
• Sights of Tbilisi
• Wine region – Kakheti
• Batumi is the most progressive Black Sea resort
• Mtskheta and Jvari - the places that M.Yu. Lermontov wrote about in the poem "Mtsyri"
• Springs of Borjomi

What language is spoken in Georgia?

Residents speak Georgian among themselves.

If you have to communicate with the local population in shops or on the street, then you should keep in mind that the adult generation (35 years and older) speaks Russian with a pleasant Georgian accent without any problems. But with young people it is easier to negotiate in English. They will understand you, but it can be difficult for them to express their thoughts in Russian.

In all restaurants, travel agencies, people with knowledge of Russian work. During the entire vacation, we only had to ask the locals once how to get to the lower station of the Tbilisi funicular on foot. A student girl in good English explained to us without any problems. By the way, she understood Russian, but it was easier to explain to her in English.

It is also worth bearing in mind that a lot of visitors from Russia, Armenia and Ukraine work in the tourism sector.

How do they treat Russians?

After the military conflict of 2008, tension arose between the countries, and if you dig deep, the resentment still remains. But not a single local will tell you this in person. And if he does, he will honestly express his attitude towards the policy of the Russian state and note that he has no claims against the Russian people. They greatly value friendship and the assistance that the Russian Empire provided to their ancestors in military conflicts.

During the two weeks of our stay, we never noticed a single sidelong glance due to the fact that we communicated in Russian. It is better not to start disputes with the local population about South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Remember that neither you nor they have the truth about these conflicts.

What not to forget to take with you?

If you are going on vacation in the summer, be sure to include clothes for cloudy and rainy weather in your wardrobe. An umbrella, waterproof shoes will definitely not be superfluous in a suitcase.

A light sports jacket in summer and a warm jacket in autumn will come in handy during an excursion along the Georgian military road and in the caves.

If you are going to winter resorts, then you should take a light jacket with you for walking around Tbilisi. In the mountains, the temperature can drop to -15, and in Tbilisi it can be above zero.

How safe is the country now?

Before Saakashvili came to power, Georgia was one of the most dangerous countries in the world. But the global reform of the police (when all its employees were fired), the increase in prison terms not only for bribes, but also for minor violations, helped to quickly restore order in the country.

Now Georgia is one of the safest countries in the world.

On the streets of the resorts, police patrols meet constantly. It is usually enough to strain your eyes or turn your head to see a police officer in your line of sight. All of them are young people in good physical shape, with very high salaries and hold on to their jobs very much. Therefore, bribes are not taken and we do not recommend giving them.

In Tbilisi, it is quite possible to leave the phone in an open car and find it in the same place in the morning. No one wants to go to jail for something so small.

The only real risk is taxi drivers and pseudo-guides who can cheat you for money and offer their services. You will definitely see the attraction promised by the taxi driver, but you are unlikely to learn historical facts about it, interesting stories, and anything else besides what was announced in the program.

Mobile communication and Internet

Roaming in Georgia is very expensive. Do not even think about turning on the Internet if you do not have a tariff plan connected. In our case, unauthorized downloading of a couple of photos from Viber cost 22 euros. We recommend that you completely turn off the mobile Internet even when boarding the plane, so that nothing can be updated on its own even when the phone is turned on (as happened with us).

For internet we use tourist or local sim cards . You can buy them for 5-20 lari at tourist information centers or in communication stores. All you need is your passport.

Medical insurance

If you are driving on your own, it is better to buy basic insurance, the more it costs. Unfortunately, cases of poisoning in restaurants are not as rare as we would like. In addition, mountains are always an increased risk of injury, and heat can affect pressure.

In the event that you plan active hiking in the mountains, trekking, hiking and climbing, insurance is required.

What to bring to memory

Georgia has all the necessary souvenirs. Eyes run up from the abundance of horns, daggers, handmade earrings, carpets and other things. But, unfortunately, a lot of things are either too large or there is a high risk of forgery. Daggers, for example, have not been made by hand for a long time. The horns are made of plastic. Therefore, from the height of our experience, we are somehow calm about souvenirs.

We brought home 7 bottles of wine and a liter of homemade brandy. Believe me, no bottled brandy stood next to the grape moonshine that is distilled in Georgia.

Georgia is an amazing and incredibly beautiful country. If you are going to go by car to Georgia in 2019, then you will find a very exciting journey and friendly people. However, do not forget about compliance with the laws of this country. In this article, we will tell you how to cross the border correctly, what documents are needed for this, and how much on average you will have to spend on a trip.

It should be noted that legally it is possible to cross the Russian-Georgian border by car through the Upper Lars checkpoint. This checkpoint operates without interruption around the clock. A highway connecting Vladikavkaz and Tbilisi passes through this checkpoint. By the way, in many ratings this road is recognized as the most beautiful mountain road in the world.

The procedure for passing the border is as follows:

1. You pass through the barrier and go to pass the control by the border guards, including the inspection of transport using mirrors.
2. Then go through passport control.
3. Next comes customs control. Customs officials may ask you to unload all things that are in the car. They can even enlighten all the luggage on the x-ray machine. True, a thorough inspection and the use of X-rays is quite rare.

In general, the procedure for crossing the border of the Russian Federation and Georgia can take up to 2-3 hours. Passengers go through passport control separately. The driver, as a rule, is not required to leave the vehicle, he may be asked to leave only in extreme cases. As tourists note, all these procedures on the Georgian border are quite fast, but on the Russian border, the check takes at least 1-1.5 hours.

Please note that Georgian legislation prohibits travel to the country through Abkhazia (Gantiadi-Adler checkpoint), since according to Georgian laws, Abkhazia is not recognized as a separate republic, but as a temporarily uncontrolled territory. It is also forbidden to drive through the checkpoint "Rock - Nizhny Zaramag".

If you violate this rule, you may be fined 400 GEL. In case of re-crossing the border through prohibited checkpoints, the fine will already be 800 GEL or even imprisonment from 3 to 5 years. be sure to consider this fact before you go to Georgia.

Required documents

If you have planned a trip to Georgia, then you must take the following documents with you:

• Valid passports for all passengers.

• Vehicle registration certificate.
• Driver's license.

If the owner is not driving the car, then in addition you need to take a power of attorney with you, and it must be notarized and translated into English. Translation into Georgian is not required. You do not need to pay any additional taxes on the car.

A visa is not put in the passport, only a stamp on the passage of the border is affixed. Recall that a visa is not needed for a trip, since 2012 the visa regime between Georgia and the Russian Federation has been canceled and it is enough to present only a passport at the border.

Do I need a green card

From March 1, 2018, the owner of a foreign car entering the territory of Georgia is required to have a motor third party liability insurance policy. You can buy a policy directly on the territory of Georgia after crossing the border or in advance on the website www.tpl.ge
For lack of insurance, a fine of 100 to 200 Georgian lari threatens.

Basic traffic rules

After crossing the border from Russia to Georgia, high speed must be abandoned, as the road is very winding and dangerous. On highways, you will not meet police officers with a radar, but speeding can be registered by special cameras that record speed. The maximum speed on the highway is 110 km, and in urban areas - up to 60 km.

If you arrived in Georgia by car with a child, then according to local rules, you can put a child in the front seat only after they reach 12 years old. Babies under 3 years old must be in a special chair or in the arms of an adult.

Of course, you can’t drink while driving, you can be fined already for the presence of 0.03 ppm in the blood. You can refuse to test for alcohol, but in this case, the driver is found guilty. And the punishment for drunk driving is serious - 200 GEL, if the violation is committed for the first time, for the second such trick, deprivation of rights for up to six months threatens.

You can also get a fine for tinted windows - 50 lari, for a repeated violation, deprivation of rights for 6 months is already provided. True, the ban on tinting applies only to the windshield and front windows. Rear windows can be tinted without restrictions.

For driving a car without a driver's license, you will have to pay 500 GEL. Punishment is inevitable if you put a person without a license behind the wheel. Deprivation of the VU also threatens if the driver does not stop at the request of a police officer.

For driving without a seatbelt, a fine of 40 GEL can be imposed, for talking on a mobile phone while driving - 10 GEL.

Despite such harsh fines, local drivers are reckless and do not adhere to traffic rules very much. The fact is that fines for minor violations are not issued so often. However, if it has already happened that you have been fined, then it is not recommended to offer a bribe to the police.

Each police officer has a chest camera, so it is almost impossible to hide the fact of receiving a bribe. But in general, patrolmen treat foreigners very kindly. If it so happens that you get lost somewhere, you can always safely turn to law enforcement officers and ask them for directions to the right place.

The fine must be paid within one month after it is issued. If you do not invest within this period, then additional penalties will be charged. However, if you do not agree with the decision made, you can try to challenge the penalties in the local court.

For ignoring the deadlines for paying a fine, they can even deprive you of your rights, despite the fact that you are a citizen of the Russian Federation or another country. In practice, this happens at the border, if the border guards have information about non-payment of a fine by a foreigner. They will be given to the violator only to the ambassador of debt repayment and payment for the restoration of the VU. Therefore, it is best to avoid even minor traffic violations. And if it has already happened that you have been held accountable, pay off the penalties on time

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Gas stations, gasoline and roads

Gasoline in the country is slightly more expensive than in Russia. But cans of gasoline from the Russian Federation cannot be brought in, you can only fill a full tank in Vladikavkaz. A liter of the 95th costs about 2.20 lari or about 55 rubles. We can cancel that after Upper Larsi there are no gas stations along the road for a long time, the first gas station can only be found in the Gudauri region. It is also advisable to change money in advance, since only local money is accepted at gas stations, it will not work to pay in rubles.

The condition of the roads in Georgia is noticeably improving every year, but there are still some sections of complete off-road. Most of these sections can be found on the Georgian military road, but the deplorable state of the route here is explained by the fact that mudflows regularly descend here. The road section between Kobi and Gudauri is also in poor condition. There are no toll roads in the country, all highways are absolutely free.

What to see in Georgia

It is no secret that this state has a lot of attractions. The capital is of particular interest. The most interesting places in Tbilisi are Peace Bridge, Freedom Square, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Tbilisi Opera, Metekhi, Narikala Fortress, etc. It is also worth visiting the Old City, the quarters of Alnabar, Abunotubani and Sh. Rustaveli Avenue.

After visiting the capital by car, it is easy to get to Mtskheta. From there you can plan a route to Ananuri and then to Telavi. You can prefer a trip in another direction - from the capital go to Gori, Uplistsikhe and Kutaisi. The end points of the route will be Mestia and Batumi.

Many tourists are interested in the famous resort of Borjomi, which is located 160 km from the capital. Here you can enjoy wonderful mineral water and visit the unique cave town of Vadzia, Akkhaltsikhe fortress and Khervisi.

In summer, resorts on the Black Sea are especially popular: Kobuleti, Gonio, Sarpi and Kvariati.

A trip by car to Georgia in 2019 is a unique opportunity to see all the beauties of the country in a couple of days. The main thing is to take care of the availability of all necessary documents and not violate local traffic rules, then your vacation will be pleasant and unforgettable.

Emblem of the Georgian National Security Service

Once in Imereti, a driver told me that he invites his Russian friends to visit, and they are afraid to come, because "they will kill us there." Another time, a woman wrote to me that she was afraid to go, because, according to rumors, "there are some dark personalities grabbing people on the streets and taking them away to no one knows where." Sometimes I am asked directly whether it is dangerous to be in Georgia, and every time I am lost and do not know what to answer. Georgia and Russia are two different worlds, two different ideas about problems and dangers. Sometimes I myself forget how much a person in Russia is afraid of, or, to be more precise, how much trouble he is already prepared for in advance. When I remember, I say - yes, it's completely safe here.

To begin with, I will say that there are very few dangerous countries in the world. These traditionally include Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia. SOUTH AFRICA. Congo. Rumored to be Papua New Guinea. Part of Afghanistan. Moreover, people travel to these countries, observing some safety rules.

There are openly Russophile countries, such as Paraguay and China. Vietnam, contrary to popular belief, is not one of them. Russians are usually treated well by those who have never seen them, but read about them in old books. Paraguay last saw Russians in the face of white officers, so his Russophilia is understandable.

So, Georgia has not seen Russians for 20 years already. Perhaps that is why it also belongs to the Russophile countries.

I would like to make a reservation right away that security is a very conditional concept. The safest country has dangerous bits. In China it's Xi'an, in Mongolia it's Ulaanbaatar, in Thailand it's Pattani, in Georgia... it's probably somewhere. In addition, security depends not only on the country, but also on the behavior of the visitor. In the summer of 2010, Ksenia Sobchak walked around Tbilisi in an “Ay Love Putin” T-shirt and waited for aggression. Didn't wait. I know a man who a few years ago ran into a conflict in quiet Kakheti. But that man was a well-known scoundrel, so honor and glory to the Kakhetians.

Now closer to the point, about the objective facts. The main sources of trouble in the world are street crime, the police and the army.

Army

The Georgian army is probably the least affected by the reforms and the least inclined to be a friend and helper to man, and besides, the military, due to the specifics of their work, always suffer from some paranoia and persecution mania. However, the army in Georgia is small, there are 5 military bases throughout the country, so it is really difficult to face the military.

For comparison, in Russia this is sometimes a problem. Brandon Gottung, an American I personally know, traveled all over Russia, learned to escape from gopniks and bandits, but in Dagestan he was arrested simply for an American passport and deported from the country, forever denied entry.

In Georgia, there is such a thing as a military unit. Usually it is surrounded by a fence and provided with warning signs (in Georgian). Penetration into the territory of a military unit can lead to detentions and tedious interrogations. For example, on August 24, 2011, two citizens of the Russian Federation were detained for being on the territory of the HF near Lake Kumisi, where they deliberately climbed out of pure curiosity, but by nightfall they were released and even taken home.

Police

This is the trouble of the North Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and, to a lesser extent, Turkey. Until 2004, this was the curse of Georgia. The police of that time were worse than the current Kazakh, although it seemed - much worse. And everyone was sure that this was forever, but a miracle happened - by 2005 everything was fixed. Now the police are paying attention to tourists, but this attention is neutral-positive. They can check documents. Most often they check near the borders of the Russian Federation.

You can set up a tent near the police station - I was offered this a couple of times, and other people too.

Important: I have not yet been able to document this, but it seems that in Georgia it is officially allowed to photograph police buildings, and even go inside and photograph interiors. Somewhere there is a document stipulating this, although the police may not be aware of such a document. In many countries there is a ban on photographing state institutions, and many stepped on this rake when they photographed some statue, and the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs fell into the frame ... This is not the case in Georgia.

They often write that you can get into trouble if the police find traces of visiting Abkhazia or Ossetia in your passport. Well, yes, it is. In this case, a fine or arrest is imposed. Although at the moment only one case of such an arrest has been recorded, which will be discussed below.

About Alexey Nesterenko. There are rumors about the danger of the Georgian police and that it tends to arrange provocations against Russian citizens. These rumors were at one time spread by one particular person - Aleksey Alekseevich Nesterenko, who was appointed head of the information department at the Russian Foreign Ministry in the combat year of 2008. He owns a passage that later became famous:

I have often had to say that literally every who comes to Georgia from Russia on private business or to visit relatives is a potential target of provocations by the Georgian special services and is at real risk of being imprisoned. Our citizens are planted with weapons, counterfeit money or drugs, criminal cases are fabricated, after which people are thrown into prison.

This passage has another version, with the same meaning. As an example, Nesterenko referred to the detention of three citizens of the Russian Federation, who were found to have counterfeit banknotes in Batumi. Other statistics have accumulated. In 2010, Nesterenko blurted out something superfluous about Iran, for which he was kicked out of the department and exiled to Montenegro. The new head of the Information Department has not yet developed an opinion on Georgia.

Detentions. History knows several cases of detention of people who tried to travel to Georgia from the territory of Abkhazia. This is one Belarusian family, one or two Ukrainian, and one citizen of the Russian Federation of Georgian origin (Mamuka Berulava). In all cases, people were killed by frivolity - they could have known that the border had been closed for twenty years. All of them then seemed to be released, some were fined.

The last officially known story is the detention of a certain Konstantin Rodionov on February 17, 2012. It is not clear what and how he violated. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" wrote about this case several times, but completely illiterate, so the essence of the events is unclear. In any case, on 10 April it was reported that Rodionov had been released without trial.

I was personally detained in the "zone of uncertainty", but in the end they released me.

Crime

They say that it is not in Georgia, and not at all. They say that there is not even drug addiction here, which I find hard to believe. And yet - for several years of my stay in various parts of the country, I did not find any traces of crime, or even a hint of it. I met former "thieves", and even very often, but they were just the former.

In September 2010, a girl I knew traveled alone from Tbilisi to the sea by passing transport and did not meet anything at all uncomfortable.

There were no problems with ordinary people either. For some reason, people in Russia think that in Georgia you can run into unpleasant political conversations. However, in Georgia they know less bad things about Russia than the Russians themselves. All compromising information is now on the Internet, and the Internet in Georgia is not a lot. I noticed that even the Ossetians in Georgia are treated calmly. Even in those parts where you can hear shots from Ossetia.

The only ill-mannered part of the Georgian civil servants are the scouts. They have such a bad job. If you get interrogated by intelligence, get ready for a lot of verbal garbage that is not relevant. Although, according to my observations, inadequate people are not a mass phenomenon in intelligence. For example, in the Gori intelligence service there is only one such person (the chief). Such characters are also seen in the capital's departments.

One more thing. Modern Russian Georgianophobia has one positive consequence - there are few Russians in Georgia. These Russians are mostly adequate, intelligent people. A stream of shuttles and bydlotourists has not yet poured into Georgia. If such a flood rushes in, then a good attitude towards the Russians will be ruined in the same way as it was ruined in Egypt, Turkey, Thailand and the northern regions of China.

All that you personally can do is to behave decently and do everything so that the reputation of the country perishes without your help.

Note. This entire text describes the situation that existed under Saakashvili. After the elections, everything can change. The criminals have already begun to be released, Kitovani has already been returned, theft has already begun in some places, but so far timid and uncertain. The forces of Evil are still weak.