Your embassy: when you need it and how we help

Who this is for

Foreigners who need help from their own country's embassy or consulate while in Georgia.

Also family members at home trying to find out what has happened to someone here or get help to them.

Our role

We find out which mission covers you, book the appointment, prepare the document list and go with you if needed.

You pay consular fees to the embassy yourself, and we never hold your money. We take no commission from partners, and our own fee is agreed separately.

We are not the embassy

We do not speak for the embassy and cannot make decisions in its place.

Only your country's authorised body issues documents; we never make or forge an official paper.

The embassy sets timelines and outcomes, and we cannot promise them.

Embassy and consulate

An embassy is a country's diplomatic mission, while its consular section serves citizens.

In most cases both are in one building in Tbilisi, and consular services are part of the embassy.

Some countries also have a separate consulate in Batumi, which is handy if you are in western Georgia.

Your country's mission

Many countries have an embassy in Tbilisi, while others cover Georgia from a neighbouring country's capital.

In that case you may need to travel to meet the consul or wait for a visit.

We find out who covers you and how to reach them quickly.

Honorary consuls

Some countries have an honorary consul in Georgia, often a local businessperson or public figure.

An honorary consul has limited powers and, as a rule, cannot issue passports.

Even so, they are often a quick help in making contact and reaching the right office.

When there is no mission

An EU citizen whose country has no mission here can turn to the embassy of another EU member state.

Other countries sometimes have agreements for a friendly country's embassy to serve their citizens.

We check this through your foreign ministry's hotline.

Registering your trip

Many countries run a system where citizens register their travel in advance.

With such a registration, the embassy contacts you itself during a crisis.

It usually takes a few minutes and is worth doing before you arrive.

Contacts in advance

Save the embassy's address, phone and emergency line on your phone and write them on paper too.

If you lose your phone, a number on paper is often the only way.

Leave the same contacts with one family member.

Opening hours and duty officers

The consular section usually receives visitors on working days, during limited hours.

Many embassies have an out-of-hours duty line for emergencies only.

Do not call the duty line about routine matters; it exists for questions of life and liberty.

When to contact the embassy

When you are detained, seriously ill or injured, have lost your passport or someone close has died.

Also when you have become a victim of violence or find yourself in a natural disaster zone.

The embassy usually does not get involved in everyday problems, such as a dispute with a hotel.

What an embassy does

It issues a new or temporary document, gives you lists of lawyers and doctors and contacts your family with your consent.

It visits detained citizens and checks that they are treated fairly.

In a crisis it provides information and sometimes arranges evacuation.

What an embassy does not do

An embassy generally does not pay hotel, hospital, lawyer or ticket costs.

It cannot intervene in court proceedings or get you released from detention.

It does not act as your lawyer or interpreter and cannot change local law.

Emergency travel documents

In place of a lost or stolen passport, embassies often issue a single-journey travel document.

It usually only lets you travel home, sometimes via transit countries.

We cover the detailed steps after a loss on a separate page.

Renewing a passport

If your passport is expiring, some embassies make a new one locally, while others send it from home.

In that case the wait can run to several weeks.

Check the expiry date well before a long trip.

Booking an appointment

Many consulates see people only by appointment, often through an online system.

In an emergency, call or write first and explain the situation.

We help with booking, but the embassy sets the time.

Preparing for the visit

Follow the list on the embassy's official website and bring every document as an original and a copy.

You often need a photo of a specific size, a completed application and a police report.

One forgotten paper often means a second visit.

Security at the entrance

There is a security check at the entrance, often with phones, bags and electronics left behind.

Do not bring a large bag, and arrive a little before your appointment.

Some embassies do not let anyone accompanying you inside.

Language at the embassy

At the embassy they speak your language, which is often a great relief.

For dealing with local authorities, though, you will need Georgian text or a translation.

We connect those two worlds.

Going with you

We can take you to the embassy and afterwards to the police, a photo studio or a bank.

If the embassy allows it we come inside; if not, we wait outside.

Having someone with you helps most after an injury or severe stress.

Consular fees

The embassy sets its consular fees by its own rules.

Payment methods vary: cash, card or bank transfer.

You pay the fee directly to the embassy and keep the receipt.

Detention and consular notification

A detained foreigner has the right to ask for their country's consulate to be informed.

If you do not want the embassy informed, that is your choice too.

We contact the embassy with your consent and let your family know as well.

Consular visits

The consul visits the detained citizen, checks on their condition and helps them keep in touch with family.

The consul does not defend the case in court; that is the lawyer's job.

We pass news of the consul's visit to your family with your permission.

Lists of lawyers

Many embassies publish a list of local lawyers who work in your language.

The list is not a recommendation, and the embassy takes no responsibility for their quality.

We write about choosing a lawyer on a separate page.

Doctors and clinics

An embassy often has a list of doctors and clinics that see foreign patients.

For medical help, call your insurer first.

We give no medical advice, but we can take you to the clinic.

Hospital stays

In a serious condition the embassy can contact your family and help with communication with doctors.

Treatment costs are usually covered by insurance or by you.

In hospital, keep a copy of your passport and your insurance policy close by.

Keeping in touch with family

If you have lost your phone or have no connection, we or the embassy will contact your family.

You decide what is passed on to them.

Often one short message is enough to calm the people close to you.

A missing relative

If a family cannot reach someone in Georgia, they can turn to their own foreign ministry.

The ministry works through the embassy with local authorities to find the person.

An embassy often will not reveal an adult's whereabouts without that person's consent.

Money from family

Some embassies help with an emergency transfer from family, and some make a loan in certain cases.

Practice varies greatly from country to country.

A money transfer service or direct payment by a relative's card is often faster.

Insurance and the embassy

Travel insurance often gives you more than the embassy can: treatment, a changed ticket and sometimes evacuation.

So when trouble strikes, call your insurer first and the embassy second.

Keep your insurer's hotline number with your passport.

Disasters and crises

In an earthquake, flood or other crisis the embassy informs its citizens and sometimes announces a gathering point.

At such times, follow the embassy's official website and social media.

We share local information and plan your movements.

Travel advice

Your government publishes travel advice on Georgia, which can differ by region.

Some insurance does not apply in areas where your government advises against travel.

Read that advice before planning your route.

Children

When issuing a child's passport, the embassy often asks for both parents' consent.

If a child travels with one parent, carry the other parent's notarised consent.

When a child's document is lost, the process often takes longer.

Registering a birth

If a child is born in Georgia, the local authority issues the birth certificate.

The child then needs registration at the embassy and a first document.

We help with translating the certificate and the apostille.

A death

When someone close dies, the embassy informs the family and helps with the documents.

We write about bringing the body home on a separate page.

At such a time, our task is to spare the family unnecessary formalities.

Marrying abroad

To marry in Georgia you sometimes need a certificate showing there is no impediment to your marriage.

Your embassy or an authority at home issues this certificate.

We write about organising a wedding in the wedding section.

Notarial services

Some embassies certify signatures and copies or draw up powers of attorney.

This is convenient if the document is to be used in your own country.

A document for a Georgian authority, however, often needs a local notary.

Legalisation

Documents from Apostille Convention countries need an apostille; others need consular legalisation.

Legalisation passes through several offices and takes time.

We work out the correct order in advance.

Elections

Some countries let citizens abroad vote at the embassy.

This often requires registration in advance.

The deadlines are published on the embassy's website.

Visas for a third country

If you are travelling on from Georgia to another country, you apply for a visa at that country's embassy or visa centre in Tbilisi.

We help with booking and translating documents.

Only the embassy decides on the visa.

Scam risk

Scammers sometimes call in the embassy's name and ask for money or personal data.

An embassy does not ask for cash or card codes by messenger.

If a call seems suspicious, call the official number back yourself.

Fake websites

There are websites that look like an embassy's and charge extra for booking.

Book only through the official website or a link from the ministry.

If in doubt, we check the address together.

Dual citizenship

If you are also a Georgian citizen, local authorities may treat you as a Georgian citizen.

In that case another country's consular help may be limited.

Clarify this in advance with a lawyer or the embassy.

Business visitors

Many embassies have a trade or economic section that helps businesses in the local market.

That section can give you contacts and information on events.

We write about business services in the business section.

Living here longer

Long-term residents of Georgia should consider consular registration if their country offers it.

Plan a passport renewal months before it expires.

We write about relocation in a separate section.

Older guests

For an older guest, the embassy queue and security check are tiring.

We plan the visit for the morning and have transport waiting at the entrance.

With consent, we involve a family member at every step.

Accessibility

Not every embassy building is adapted for wheelchairs.

We ask in advance about the entrance, lift and toilet.

Some embassies set aside separate time for such visits.

Groups

When a group has a problem, keep one contact person with the embassy, usually the group leader.

Prepare a list of participants with passport details in advance.

That way the embassy gets the information in one place and quickly.

Public holidays

An embassy is usually closed on its own country's holidays and on some Georgian ones.

Before a long weekend, start sorting out the matter in good time.

Closure days are published on the embassy's website.

Writing to the embassy

Write the embassy a short, clear message: who you are, what happened, what you need and how to reach you.

Attach a copy of your passport and the police report, if you have them.

We help with drafting and translating the message.

Personal data

As a rule, an embassy does not share information about you with anyone without your consent.

This applies to family members too.

So state in advance who information may be shared with.

The border with a new document

When leaving on a new or temporary document, the border may need to check your entry record.

Carry the police report and a copy of your old passport, if you have one.

It is worth getting to the airport earlier than usual.

Getting to the embassy

Most embassies are in Tbilisi, some of them away from the city centre.

Parking nearby is often limited, so a taxi or our transport is more convenient.

If you are coming from the regions, allow for the travel time too.

The emotional side

When trouble strikes abroad, people often expect more from the embassy than it can do.

Knowing its limits in advance means less disappointment.

If needed, we connect you with a psychologist.

What we do not do

We do not act on the embassy's behalf and cannot promise its decision.

We never make or forge documents, and never offer bribes or ways to skip the queue.

We take no commission from partners.

Common mistakes

Calling the embassy's duty line about a routine matter.

Turning up to an appointment with incomplete documents.

Booking through an unofficial website and paying extra.

What we need from you

Your citizenship and passport details or a copy, if you have one.

What happened, where you are now and when you plan to leave.

Who we may share information with and which language you want to use.

Cost

The embassy sets consular fees, and you pay them directly.

You also pay interpreters, photo studios and notaries directly; we take no commission from them.

Our fee for preparation and accompaniment is separate and agreed as soon as the situation allows.