Georgia insurance for nomads on the 365-day visa-free rule

Georgia runs a Universal Health Care Programme (UHCP) for citizens and certain residents, financed through the state budget and administered by the Ministry of IDPs, Labour, Health and Social Affairs. It covers a baseline of emergency and primary care plus some planned treatment, with significant co-payments on anything complex. As a nomad you are almost never inside this system. You will be using private providers and either paying cash or claiming on international insurance.

The private sector is where care for foreigners actually happens. Three networks dominate: Aversi, EVEX (part of Georgia Healthcare Group), and Medi Club / New Hospitals. These concentrate heavily in Tbilisi, with meaningful presence in Batumi and Kutaisi and thin coverage everywhere else. Standards in the flagship Tbilisi facilities are genuinely good for routine and many specialist procedures. Regional hospitals vary widely, and most international insurers will route you back to Tbilisi for anything non-trivial.

English availability is the weak point. In top Tbilisi private clinics you will usually find English-speaking GPs and many specialists, but it is not guaranteed and the picture drops off fast outside the capital. Russian remains widely spoken, which is part of why a meaningful chunk of Russian and Belarusian nomads ended up here from 2022 onward. For non-Russian, non-Georgian speakers, the realistic play is sticking to the expat-oriented private clinics in Tbilisi.

Costs are the headline. Out-of-pocket pricing at private clinics is often 5 to 10 times cheaper than Western Europe for equivalent consultations. This shifts the economics of insurance in Georgia in a way it does not in Portugal or Germany. The honest framing: cheap routine care, real risk on catastrophic events, and evacuation costs that can dwarf any savings from skipping cover.

Georgia is one of the easiest places in the world to stay long-term as a nomad without formal visa work. Citizens of around 95 countries (including the US, UK, EU member states, Canada, Australia, and most of the Gulf) get one full year of visa-free stay on entry. This is the famous "year on entry" rule. You can leave and re-enter to reset the clock, though border officers do notice patterns. There is no requirement to show insurance at the border, and no formal "nomad visa" with an insurance condition.

For longer-term setups, the Individual Entrepreneur (IE) status combined with Small Business status grants a 1% tax rate on turnover up to roughly 500,000 GEL (around $180,000 USD) per year. Above that threshold, rates step up sharply. This regime has turned Tbilisi into one of the most tax-efficient bases in Europe for solo freelancers and online service providers. There are also investor residency routes via property purchase (typically at least $100,000 USD), work visas tied to local employment, and family reunification routes. The "Remotely from Georgia" programme launched during COVID is no longer a separate active scheme but still informs how the country treats remote workers.

None of these routes formally require you to carry health insurance. Georgia does not gate residency on proof of cover the way Schengen states or the UAE do. In practice, given how reliant you will be on the private system, most established nomads carry an international plan or at minimum catastrophic-only cover with evacuation.

One quirk worth knowing: Georgia is geographically in Asia for some insurance pricing zones and in Europe for others. This matters because "Worldwide excluding US" tiers can price differently depending on how a carrier classifies Georgia. Confirm the zone definition in writing before you buy.

• Evacuation distances. Top-tier care for complex cardiac, oncology, or neurosurgery typically means evacuation to Istanbul, Vienna, or Tel Aviv. Confirm your plan's evacuation clause covers both ground and air movement out of Georgia.
• War-risk perception and exclusions. Georgia borders Russia and lived through the 2008 war. Most international insurers cover Georgia normally today, but some policies still carry war and civil-unrest exclusions or sub-limits. Read the war clause before assuming you are covered if the regional picture shifts.
• Currency volatility. The lari has moved meaningfully against the dollar and euro in recent years. Cash-pay prices in GEL can feel cheap or expensive depending on the month. Insurance priced in USD or EUR insulates you from this.
• Dental coverage gaps. Dental work in Tbilisi is high-quality and cheap, but most international plans reimburse Georgian dental claims poorly. Add a dental rider only if you actually plan to use it, otherwise just self-pay.
• Mental health provider scarcity. English-speaking therapists exist in Tbilisi but capacity is thin and waiting times are real. Russian-speaking options are broader. Telehealth from your home country is often the cleaner solution.
• Winter air quality. Tbilisi's winter heating mix and basin geography produce real respiratory issues. Factor this in if you have asthma or chronic respiratory conditions.
• Regional vs. capital quality gap. Care in Kutaisi, Batumi, and smaller cities is meaningfully thinner. If you are based outside Tbilisi, confirm your insurer is willing to route you back to the capital and cover associated costs.