How long can I stay in Georgia on a C5 visa?

Checked on 2026-10-25

A C5 visa is a multiple-entry short-term visa valid for 5 years, with the right to stay in Georgia for 1 year. Getting a new C5 visa automatically ends the old one, and the 1-year stay on the new visa counts from your first border crossing with it.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Type	Multiple-entry short-term visa	Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, art. 6(7¹)
Validity	5 years	Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, art. 6(7¹); Ordinance No 280, arts. 4(5¹), 31(6), as amended by Ordinance No 184
Stay	The right to stay in Georgia for 1 year	Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, art. 6(7¹); Ordinance No 280, art. 31(6), as amended
Other short-term visas	No more than 90 calendar days in any 180-day period	Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, art. 6(7); Ordinance No 280, art. 4(4), as amended
A new C5 visa	The old C5 visa ends automatically; the 1-year stay counts from your first border crossing on the new visa	Ordinance No 280, art. 31(7), as amended
Extension in Georgia	The law’s list of visas that can be extended in Georgia (short-term diplomatic and special visas, D3, D5, D6) doesn’t include C visas	Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, art. 9(1)
When your stay ends	You must leave before your lawful stay expires; an overstay means a penalty, and visas and entry are refused until it’s paid	Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, art. 47(3)–(4)

Five years of validity, one year of stay

The Law on the Legal Status of Aliens limits ordinary short-term visas to a total of 90 calendar days in any 180-day period. The C5 visa is the exception: the law says a multiple-entry short-term visa may be issued “for a five-year validity period and the right of stay in Georgia for the term of 1 year only in the case of issuance of C5 category ordinary visa” (art. 6(7¹)). The government’s visa procedure says the same and adds that this applies to C5 e-visas issued through the e-VISA PORTAL (Ordinance No 280, arts. 4(5¹) and 31(6), as amended by Ordinance No 184 of 7 May 2026).

Getting a new C5 visa

The ordinance says a C5 visa “automatically terminates” if you obtain a new visa of the same category. On the new C5 visa, the 1-year stay is counted from the day you first cross the Georgian state border on it (Ordinance No 280, art. 31(7)).

Extensions and overstays

Article 9(1) of the law lists the visas a foreigner in Georgia can ask to extend: short-term diplomatic and special visas, and D3, D5 and D6 immigration visas. Ordinary (C) visas, including C5, aren’t on that list.

The law requires foreigners to leave before their lawful stay expires. Anyone whose lawful stay has expired must pay the penalty for unlawful stay set by Georgian legislation, and is refused a visa and entry until it is paid (art. 47(3)–(4)).

Who can get a C5 visa: see the page on Georgia’s C5 visa.
Staying a year without any visa: citizens of countries on a government list can stay visa-free for one full year (Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, art. 10(3)).

Sources

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2026-10-25: Page created

This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.