The procedure for replacing a lost passport is being revised. The relevant amendments to Decree №98 of the Minister of Justice, which regulates the Procedure for Registration and Deregistration of Georgian Citizens and Aliens Residing in Georgia and Issuance of Identity (Residence) Cards, Passports, Travel Passports, and Travel Documents, will take effect on November 1.
The purpose of the new regulations is to prevent the improper use of lost or invalidated documents. On the one hand, this legislative novelty protects Georgian citizens from improper use of their personal information in case of document loss, while on the other hand it is aimed at safeguarding the most significant achievement of Georgia – the visa-free travel regime with Europe, which could be jeopardized by illegal border crossing with another person’s document or travel with multiple passports within the European territory.
According to the amendments, in the event of loss of a Georgian passport, both within Georgia and abroad, citizens must immediately notify the relevant law enforcement agency or authorized body and obtain confirmation from them regarding the filing of an application for the loss or theft. This confirmation, together with other required documents, must be submitted in order to obtain a new passport. It is important to note that this type of certificate, when issued abroad, will not require legalization or apostille certification.
In order to obtain a new Georgian passport, in line with other documents, citizens residing in Georgia should file a complaint regarding the loss or theft with the Public Service Development Agency or Community Center and citizens residing abroad should submit it to the Georgian embassy or consulate.
After the citizen has submitted the relevant documentation, the Public Service Development Agency will process the request to annul the lost/stolen passport, providing information on the annulment to Interpol in accordance with data protection standards and issue the citizen with a new passport. These new procedures will not apply to any applications submitted prior to November 1.
