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Georgia planning to launch e-visa service

18 December 2014 [11:04] - TODAY.AZ

/AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Georgia is planning to launch an electronic visa service in the near future. It is part of the country’s efforts to ease the process of applying for a Georgian visa for foreign tourists.

Giorgi Chogovadze, Head of the National Tourism Administration, which stands for the tourism sector's development in Georgia, believes that the e-visa service will boost the country's tourism sector and offer hassle-free travel to foreigners, as the newly applied visa rules have created some difficulties for tourists.

"The date for the launch of the new service has not yet been set. However, we have to test the traffic of the users that will be able to use the electronic travel authorization scheme,” Chogovadze said.

Chogovadze noted that the government is actively working to correct the current deficiencies to simplify the issues related to new visa regulations, which came into force on September 1, 2014.

"The Georgian government would like Dubai to share its experience on how to issue residence permits to foreigners living in Georgia. In this regard, a Georgian delegation has been invited to Dubai on behalf of Dubai’s Sheikh,” Chogovadze said.

Tourists from 102 countries including Iran, Iraq, Egypt and India are required to obtain a visa before entering the Georgian territory.

Latest data revealed that the number of tourists has decreased by 50 percent and 45 percent from Iran and Iraq respectively. Despite these facts, Iranians are still on the list of top ten nations visiting Georgia.

The largest number of non-resident visitors to Georgia is from Turkey, followed by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Iran, Israel, Germany, Kazakhstan and the U.S.

Georgia’s new law on "Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons" came into force on September 1, 2014. Visa-free travel with Georgia was canceled for 24 countries. Citizens from 94 countries are now eligible to enter Georgia for a short stay without a visa.

The previous rules allowed the citizens from 118 countries to enter Georgia without a visa and stay for a maximum of 360 days there. But since this September, the citizens from 94 countries are provided with the right to enter the Georgia's territory without a visa for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period after September.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/138002.html

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