Health Insurance for Expats in Georgia: Here’s What You Need to Know 

A complete guide to health insurance in Georgia for expats, digital nomads, and long-term visitors, covering costs, local and international plans, UHC limitations, and how to choose the right coverage for your stay.

Georgia has become a popular destination for travelers, remote workers, and digital nomads alike. However, unlike some countries where expats can rely on robust public healthcare systems, Georgia presents some unique challenges. The country has made significant strides in modernizing its healthcare infrastructure since independence, but the reality for foreigners is that you’ll likely be navigating a predominantly private healthcare system.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about health insurance in Georgia. You’ll learn about the legal requirements versus practical realities, understand the insurance options available to you (from affordable local plans starting at around US$250 per year to comprehensive international coverage), and get clear guidance on choosing the right approach for your specific situation.

Disclaimer: This article may include links to products or services offered by ExpatDen's partners, which give us commissions when you click on them. Although this may influence how they appear in the text, we only recommend solutions that we would use in your situation. Read more in our Advertising Disclosure.

Do You Need Health Insurance in Georgia?

Let’s start with this important question first. Do you really need health insurance in Georgia? Well, the answer depends on how long you will be in the country and what you currently have. So, here’s a quick look.

Visiting / Short-Term Stay

If you’re coming to Georgia as a tourist or short-term visitor for the purpose of traveling, as of June 2024, visa-exempt visitors are required to show proof of travel health insurance with minimum coverage of €30,000 upon entry (similar to the Schengen Visa requirement). However, implementation of this policy has been delayed until January 2026 and could be delayed again. In any case, it is recommended to be covered at least through simple travel insurance wherever you go. –> you may check out www.safeandnotsorry.com

For short-term visitors, travel medical insurance is generally the best approach. These policies are designed specifically for temporary stays and typically cover emergency hospitalization, evacuation, and urgent care. They’re relatively inexpensive (depending on your age and coverage level) and provide crucial peace of mind.

Georgia offers visa-free entry to many countries for stays of up to one year. Immigration officials may ask to see your insurance documentation.

Long-Term Residency (3+ months)

If you’re planning to live in Georgia for an extended period, the insurance question becomes more critical.

Georgia does have a state-funded healthcare system called the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, launched in 2013, but as a foreigner, you will most likely not be able to access this system. The UHC primarily serves Georgian citizens.

For long-term foreign residents, private health insurance (through a local insurer or international policy) isn’t just recommended—it is mandatory and can technically even result in a fine. Apart from the fine, hospital charges in case of hospitalization can be very costly, even in Georgia where healthcare treatment costs are generally still more or less affordable. Therefore, check for at least an inpatient-only plan to get yourself covered for any unexpected major medical event.

Geographic Variation in Healthcare Quality

Healthcare quality in Georgia varies by location. Major private hospitals with international standards are concentrated in Tbilisi, Batumi, and other large cities. If you’re living in rural areas or smaller towns, access to quality healthcare becomes more limited, and you may need to travel to Tbilisi for specialized treatment.

Having insurance with medical evacuation or transportation coverage then becomes even more valuable.

Before You Come to Georgia

There is some information you should know before you come to Georgia.

Check Your Existing Insurance (Home-Country/Employer Plan)

Start by reviewing any insurance coverage you currently have. Many people discover they already have some level of international coverage they didn’t know about.

If you have any type of insurance such as, for example, travel medical coverage through a credit card or employer-provided insurance, check whether it covers Georgia and for how long.

Some credit cards include travel medical insurance as a benefit, but these policies typically only cover short trips (usually 30–90 days) and provide limited benefits. They’re rarely sufficient for expats or long-term residents in Georgia.

Any company or employee benefit plans usually should cover you sufficiently in Georgia, but you should check with your HR or the insurer.

Coverage Implications – Inpatient, Outpatient, Evacuation / Repatriation

Understanding the types of medical coverage is crucial to choosing the right insurance:

Inpatient coverage is treatment that requires admission to a hospital—surgeries, serious illnesses, multi-day hospital stays. This is typically the core coverage of any health insurance policy and is essential. Without it, a single hospital stay could cost you thousands of dollars.

Outpatient coverage (often called OPD or outpatient department coverage) includes doctor consultations, diagnostic tests, prescriptions, and treatment that doesn’t require overnight hospitalization. This is where you’ll see the most variation between insurance policies. However, outpatient surgeries, for example, usually fall under the benefits of hospitalization plans, as does cancer care.

Advertisement

Emergency evacuation and repatriation is coverage that many people overlook until it’s too late. If you suffer a serious medical emergency that can’t be adequately treated in the area you live in (for example, a complex cardiac event requiring specialized care), evacuation coverage pays to transport you to the nearest appropriate medical facility. Medical evacuation by air ambulance can easily cost US$50,000 or more. If you’re living in rural Georgia or engaging in adventure activities (hiking, skiing), this coverage is especially important.

Residency / Legal Registration in Georgia and Eligibility for State-Public Coverage

The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, launched in 2013, is Georgia’s effort to provide healthcare access to all its residents. The programme offers a basic package of services including primary care, emergency treatment, some specialist care, and essential medications.

What It Covers for Georgian Citizens

• Primary care services (family doctor visits)
• Emergency medical care
• Some specialist consultations
• Essential medications
• Hospital treatment for specific conditions
• Preventive services and screenings

The Reality for Foreigners

Here’s the difficult truth: as a foreigner in Georgia, the UHC provides minimal practical benefit, and you should not rely on it as your primary healthcare safety net.

Without residence status, you have essentially zero access to UHC benefits. With official residency, you may be able to enroll, but your benefits remain far more limited than those available to Georgian citizens. Many services still require out-of-pocket payment. Even Georgian citizens enrolled in UHC face out-of-pocket healthcare costs averaging around 40–50% of total healthcare spending. For foreigners, this percentage is typically much higher.

The quality of care under UHC varies significantly. State-funded hospitals and clinics often face overcrowding, limited resources, and language barriers.

To summarize: if (and only if) you obtain official residency in Georgia (temporary or permanent residence permit), then there is a possibility that you may be able to enroll in the UHC programme. For details on the enrollment process, you may check with the local UHC Georgian office. However, even with enrollment, your benefits remain very limited compared to Georgian citizens, and additional insurance is still likely to be needed.

The bottom line: Don’t move to Georgia counting on the state healthcare system to cover you. While obtaining residency may give you some benefits and enrollment in the UHC may provide coverage for pre-existing conditions, it will still be very limited but can be an option.

Paperwork & Practicalities

There is some paperwork you need to deal with when it comes to insurance.

Insurance Applications

Health insurance applications require documentation and some background information about your health history.

For local Georgian insurance, you’ll typically need:

• Valid passport (with at least 6 months validity)
• Proof of legal stay or residence in Georgia (visa stamp, residence permit, or evidence of legal entry) Local Georgian phone number (you can get a local SIM card easily upon arrival)
• Completed health questionnaire disclosing your medical history
• Sometimes: proof of address in Georgia (rental contract, utility bill, etc.)

For international insurance, you’ll need:

• Valid passport
• Health history questionnaire
• Sometimes: results from a recent medical examination for pre-existing conditions

Important timing consideration: In any case, start the process 4–6 weeks before you need coverage to begin.

Medical underwriting: Be honest and thorough when answering medical questions. Omitting information about pre-existing conditions or past illnesses can result in claim denials or policy cancellation. It’s better to be upfront and pay a higher premium or accept exclusions than to risk having no coverage when you need it.

Claim Denials & Issues

Understanding why claims get denied helps you avoid problems and know what to do if issues arise.

Common Reasons for Claim Denial

1. Excluded treatments: The treatment you received is specifically excluded in your policy (e.g., you had dental work but don’t have dental coverage, or you had a motorcycle accident and motorcycles are excluded).

2. Non-network provider: You went to a hospital or doctor outside your insurer’s network without prior approval, and your policy doesn’t cover out-of-network care.

3. No prior authorisation: Your policy required prior approval for a procedure, but you didn’t get it before proceeding with treatment.

4. Pre-existing condition not disclosed: You didn’t disclose a pre-existing condition when applying, and the insurer discovered it when processing your claim.

5. Treatment during waiting period: You received treatment during the policy’s waiting period (e.g., maternity care less than 12 months after purchasing insurance with maternity coverage).

6. Insufficient documentation: You didn’t provide complete receipts, medical reports, or required documentation with your claim.

7. Residency status issues: Your residency status changed, or your claim relates to treatment that doesn’t align with your stated residency in Georgia.

Medication Restrictions

Important: Georgia has strict pharmaceutical import regulations. Some common Western medications, including codeine-based products, are illegal in Georgia. If you take prescription medications, especially psychiatric medications, bring documentation from your doctor certifying the prescriptions and check with Georgian authorities about legality before traveling.

Finding the Right Plan: Individual & Family Considerations

There’s no best health insurance out there. It mainly depends on what you need. So, here are some tips to help you find the right plan for you and your family.

Requirements for Individuals

Your ideal insurance plan depends on multiple personal factors. Key considerations:

Age

• Under 35: You have the most options and lowest premiums. Local Georgian insurance is affordable and sufficient if you’re healthy and staying primarily in Georgia, but international options are also suitable if you don’t plan on living in Georgia forever.
• 35–50: Premium increases are higher. Consider whether you want the flexibility of international coverage or are comfortable with local private insurance.

• 50–65: Premium increases are more significant. If you don’t already have international insurance, getting it may become more problematic in terms of pre-existing conditions and will only continue to become so. Consider locking in international coverage now before aging out of available and affordable options.

• 65+: Options narrow. Many local Georgian insurers won’t accept new applicants over 65–70. If you can’t get a local insurance plan, then an international one may be your best option despite the cost.

Health Status

If you suffer from any chronic condition, then it might be difficult to subscribe to any private medical insurance (local or international). Private medical insurers will most likely exclude such conditions or, depending on the severity, decline an application completely. Therefore, check with your broker of choice and perhaps check if enrollment into Georgia’s UHC national social security program is possible to get some form of coverage for your existing conditions.

Travel and Mobility Plans

• Staying primarily in Georgia: Local insurance will be the most cost-effective.

• Frequent travel outside Georgia: International insurance will provide the best coverage, inside and outside Georgia. However, a local plan plus a travel medical insurance plan for frequent travel can be a good and cost-effective solution as well.

• Digital nomad lifestyle: An international private medical insurance plan will most likely be the most suitable option.

• Planning to return home regularly: Ensure your insurance covers treatment in your home country as well.

English Language Support and Hospital Network

For most expats, having access to English-speaking doctors and staff is important. Key considerations:

Major private hospitals in Tbilisi (like American Medical Center and Tbilisi Central Hospital) have English-speaking staff. International insurers typically provide better English service when dealing with hospitals and can help with procedures. Local insurers are improving English support, but it might not be universal. However, if you speak Georgian or Russian, you’ll have more options and better value with local insurance.

Requirements for Families

Families have additional considerations beyond individual coverage:

Coverage for Spouse and Children

• Local Georgian insurances: You typically need separate policies for each family member, though some insurers may offer family discounts (10–20% off when insuring 3+ family members).

• International insurance: Most international insurance plans do not offer family plans, with few exceptions. This can make international insurance more competitive for families. Some IPMI providers offer family plans with discounts (like Morgan Price) or child-free rates (such as April, for example, after the 2nd child).

• Age limits for dependents: Children’s premium rates are typically provided from birth to age 17, even though kids can be covered as dependents under a family policy until the age of 25 in most cases.

Maternity Coverage

If you’re planning to have a baby, then please consider that most plans do not include maternity benefits. For maternity, most providers offer add-ons or specific comprehensive insurance options including maternity. Please keep in mind that waiting periods apply for such benefits, typically 10–12 months. Some local Georgian plans (like Irao’s “Pulse” package) include childbirth coverage.

If you’re already pregnant, disclose this when applying. Unfortunately, this won’t be covered due to the waiting period for maternity coverage.

Cost of childbirth in Georgia without insurance:

• Normal delivery: US$1,500–3,000
• Caesarean section: US$2,500–5,000
• The cost for maternity complications during pregnancy or childbirth can be significantly higher, but some inpatient-only plans do cover such risks without the need to include maternity benefits (a waiting period applies in this case as well).

Since the maternity coverage add-on costs at most medical insurance plans are more expensive (taking the waiting period into account) than the actual hospital fees for maternity packages in Georgia, it might be wise to take out a health insurance plan that covers maternity complications but not the cost of maternity itself.

However, check the actual package costs with your clinic of choice versus the insurance costs before making any decision.

Dental and OPD for Children

Children typically require more routine medical care than adults. For families, OPD (outpatient) coverage becomes much more valuable, but also more expensive. While a single adult might skip outpatient coverage and pay out-of-pocket for occasional doctor visits, a family with two or three children visiting the doctor regularly will benefit significantly from OPD coverage.

Decision-Making Framework / Checklist

You may use the following approach to choose your insurance, but also don’t forget to ask for help from your broker of choice.

Step 1: Map Your Residence Status

The first step is to map your residence status. Suitable options depend on the duration of your stay in Georgia. For short-term visitors, a travel insurance plan may be a much better option than international private medical insurance. For permanent residents or perpetual travellers, IPMI is often the better choice.

Step 2: Define Your Health Insurance Needs

The second step is to define your health insurance needs. How concerned are you about long-term treatments such as chronic conditions, or would you be able to pay most of your outpatient needs out of pocket? An inpatient-only plan will give you peace of mind for any major medical event, but for more risk-sensitive individuals, a plan including outpatient coverage might be the better choice.

Step 3: Set Your Budget

Step 3 is to set your budget. For instance, if you are on a tight budget, then perhaps an inpatient-only insurance solution through a local provider is better than no insurance at all. If you get a budget from your employer, then check what is available within that price range but don’t necessarily take it to the maximum. Always keep in mind that these insurances are not getting cheaper; they will increase over the years for sure.

Step 4: Check Hospital Access and Claims Process

Another step to consider is the hospital access and claims process of available options. Even though most insurance providers will settle inpatient claims directly, it makes sense to reach out to the insurer or broker to double check on that, because inpatient claims can be very costly.

For outpatient claims, it is very convenient if claims can be directly billed without any additional paperwork. If an insurance option offers outpatient direct billing, then check which hospitals and clinics are included and whether it’s worth taking this option, which may cost more than a plan with a simple “pay & claim” process.

Step 5: Verify Legal and Residency Implications

For Step 5, verify legal and residency implications. For example:

• Does your insurance need to meet any local requirements (to obtain a visa or meet mandatory insurance rules)?
• How does your residency status affect your need for coverage? Are there any particular benefits that need to be included?
• What happens if your residency status changes? Do you need to cancel or change your insurance?

Recommended Example Plans (Local & International)

Here are some example health insurance plans you can get.

Local Budget-Friendly Plan: Irao Insurance “Pulse” Package

Provider: Irao Insurance (available through CredoBank)

Coverage highlights:

• Ages covered: 0–65 years for new applicants (no lifetime renewability guaranteed)
• Outpatient care included
• Chronic diseases covered (if not pre-existing)
• Childbirth/maternity coverage
• Home nursing services
• Dental discount program

Approximate cost: US$300–500/year depending on age

Limitations: Georgia-only coverage, no medical evacuation, network limited to Georgian providers.

Local Premium Plan: GPI Holding “GPI Exclusive”

Provider: GPI Holding (one of Georgia’s largest insurers)

Coverage highlights:

• Premium services at top Georgian hospitals
• Broader coverage limits than basic plans
• Better provider network including top Tbilisi hospitals
• Comprehensive inpatient and outpatient coverage
• Includes some chronic condition coverage (if not pre-existing)
• No lifetime renewability guaranteed

Approximate cost: US$600–900/year depending on age and specific plan details

Advertisement

Limitations: Georgia-only, limited or no evacuation coverage, may not cover treatment outside Georgia.

Travel/Short-Stay Plan: Coverage for Visitors

Provider: Various available travel insurance companies; you may check Safe And Not Sorry

Approximate cost: US$30–250/month depending on age, duration, and coverage level

Limitations: Limited duration (typically 30–180 days), no routine care, no chronic condition management, not suitable for long-term residents.

Hybrid Strategy: Best Value for Many Expats

Many expats in Georgia find that combining coverage types provides the best balance of cost and protection.

Example: Local insurance + Travel insurance

• Local Georgian insurance: US$300–600/year (covers routine care in Georgia)

• Annual travel insurance with evacuation: US$600–1,000/year (covers emergencies and evacuation)

• Total: US$900–1,600/year

This provides comprehensive coverage in Georgia, plus outside-Georgia coverage including emergency medical evacuation and repatriation, at a fraction of international insurance cost.

Important Disclaimer

The purpose of this guide is to provide general information about health insurance options for people living in or traveling to Georgia based on information available as of 2025. Insurance products, regulations, costs, and healthcare facilities change over time.

Always:

• Verify current information directly with insurance providers
• Read all policy documents carefully before purchasing
• Confirm coverage details, exclusions, and terms in writing
• Consult with qualified insurance professionals for personalized advice
• Check official government sources for current legal requirements

This guide is not a substitute for professional financial, legal, or medical advice. The author and publisher are not liable for any decisions made based on this information. Specific plan names and features are subject to change. Always verify current offerings directly with insurers. Cost estimates, facility information, and other details may have changed since this guide was originally written.