Nearly half of foreign visitors who buy Georgia's mandatory tourist insurance online do so within 24 hours of their arrival date, and three in ten buy on the day they arrive or later, according to an analysis published by cover.ge, an online agent for the mandatory travel insurance introduced under Decree No. 602.

The company examined policies it issued between May and September 2026 under Government Decree No. 602, which since 1 January has required most foreign nationals entering Georgia to hold health and accident insurance with at least 30,000 GEL of cover for the full length of their stay.

It found that 49 percent of buyers purchased within a day of arrival and 30 percent on the arrival day itself or after entering the country. Only one in four bought a week or more in advance.

The timing leaves a gap in cover, the company said. The compulsory tourist policy takes effect from midnight of the chosen start date and excludes any event in the first six hours after purchase. A visitor who buys on arrival is therefore compliant at the border but uninsured for their first hours in the country.

"The rule is well known by now. What people underestimate is the timing," said David Jimsherashvili, Head of Customer Relations at cover.ge. "Three in ten of our customers are buying on the day they land or later. If something happens in the taxi from the airport, the policy does not respond. Buying a week ahead costs nothing extra and closes that gap entirely."

The analysis also found that around one in nine policies included a child under 18. Under the decree every traveller, including infants, must hold a separate policy, a requirement the company said many families discover only at the border.

Decree No. 602 was adopted by the Government of Georgia on 26 December 2025 and took effect on 1 January 2026. Exemptions apply to accredited diplomats, staff of international organisations on mission, nationals of countries with specific bilateral agreements, and transit passengers who do not clear passport control.

The company said the figures describe its own customers and are not a census of all visitors to Georgia, and that no personal data was included in the analysis.

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