Commission suspends visa-free travel for Georgian holders of diplomatic, service or official passports under the revised Visa Suspension Mechanism

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Today, the European Commission is suspending visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic, service, and official passports. They are now required to be in possession of a visa when entering the Schengen area for official purposes. It is the first time that the new reinforced visa suspension mechanism is applied. This decision follows the approval by Member States.

The visa suspension mechanism is activated in response to Georgia’s deliberate and persisting violation of the commitments taken under its visa-free regime in key areas of democracy and fundamental rights.

Visa liberalisation aims to foster people-to-people contacts and promote shared values, including respect for human rights and democratic principles. The actions of the Georgian authorities since October 2024, including crackdown on protesters, opposition politicians, and independent media, have negatively impacted the situation in Georgia and resulted in breaches of several fundamental rights and international legal standards. Georgia has also refused to align with the EU visa policy, which is an essential condition of maintaining visa-free travel. The Commission considers that the actions of Georgian authorities undermine the principles on which visa liberalisation is based.

In addition, the Commission adopted today guidelines for Member States’ consulate authorities and border guards, to support Member States in an effective implementation of the decision to suspend visa-free travel.

The guidelines recommend heightened scrutiny of all Georgian nationals crossing the EU’s external borders: representatives of Georgian authorities have to use their diplomatic or service passport when travelling to the EU for official and diplomatic purposes. Not doing so, may result in the issuance of an entry ban.

Member States should also ensure that all Georgian nationals are checked against national and European databases, such as the Visa Information System, Schengen Information System, and other public databases. The Entry/Exit System, which is being gradually rolled out in the EU since October last year, provides for an additional layer of security screening.

In addition, when holders of Georgian diplomatic, service, and official passports apply for a Schengen visa, Member States are encouraged to carry out a thorough screening, conducting an interview and requesting supporting documents from these applicants. Member States should refuse visas in case of any doubts about the reliability of the information provided by the applicants.

Next steps

The temporary suspension will enter into force today and will last 12 months, until 6 March 2027. If the governance and rule of law issues are not addressed by the Georgian authorities, the Commission can extend the suspension for a period of up to 24 months. The Commission can also decide to extend the measure to all Georgian citizens.During this time, it is up to the Georgian authorities to redress the situation. The Commission strongly encourages Georgian authorities to engage constructively in this process.

The Guidelines will be presented to the Member States in the Council of the EU on 27 March (‘Visa Working Party’). The Commission will monitor their implementation closely, together with the Member States.

Background

This decision follows the suspension of the EU-Georgia Visa Facilitation Agreement proposed by the Commission in December 2024 and adopted by the Council in January 2025, already enforced by 19 EU Member States.

Today’s decision under the revised visa suspension mechanism reimposes the visa requirement for holders of diplomatic, service and official passports at EU level (for stays of up to 90 days in any 180 day period), while ensuring that bilateral visa exemptions for these groups are no longer possible. The suspension takes the form of a Commission Implementing Regulation and received a positive opinion from Member States in February 2026, as per the comitology procedure.

The revised visa suspension mechanism, which entered into force in December 2025, provides the EU with stronger, faster tools to respond to abuses of visa-free travel, security risks, and fundamental rights backsliding.

For more information

Commission Implementing Regulation on the temporary suspension of the visa exemption for Georgian nationals holding diplomatic, service or official passports

Guidelines on the assessment of visa applications submitted by Georgian holders of diplomatic, service or official passports and controls of Georgian nationals at the external borders of the EU