What should I do if I am refused entry to Georgia?

First, what the law says happens — because your next 24 hours depend on it.

The entry inspection is carried out under Article 12 of the Law on Aliens, and its outcome is binary: consent to enter, or refusal with return to the point of origin (Article 12(2)). Under Article 11(4) you return to where you came from. If immediate departure is impossible for legal or factual reasons, you are temporarily placed in the border control zone, under observation, in a specifically designated place (Article 11(5)) — this is not detention and not a police station.

The carrier company must take back an alien who has been refused entry (Article 13(1)(c)). Where the refusal is not caused by the absence of documents and grounds for entry, the state bears the expenses of your stay before return while the carrier covers the return transportation (Article 13(3)). The carrier may then claim those costs back from you (Article 13(4)).

What to do on the spot

Ask for the written refusal decision. Without a document stating the ground there is nothing to appeal. The grounds are listed in Article 11(1), from (a) (lacking the required documents) to (i) (other cases).

Know in advance: for grounds (b) (an existing ban or an unpaid fine), (e) (a security threat) and (f) (foreign policy considerations) the authorised body's report is not substantiated — Article 11(3). No one is obliged to explain the reason to you, and that is not a violation.

Record the facts: date and time, crossing point, desk number, the officer's details, which documents were taken from you and whether they were returned.

Contact your consulate. Article 41(3) expressly gives an alien the right to apply to the diplomatic mission or consular office of the state of their citizenship or permanent residence. Keep the number in your phone before you travel, not while standing at the border.

Can it be appealed?

Here the exact wording matters. Article 11(3¹) excludes an appeal against a decision refusing a visa on grounds (b), (e), (f) and in the case under paragraph 3², and paragraph 3² separately excludes an appeal against a refusal of a C5 visa. That provision contains no express bar on appealing a refusal of entry.

The general right remains: under Article 41(1), aliens in Georgia, regardless of their legal status, may apply to the courts and other state agencies to protect their rights.

In practice, lawyers working on such cases describe a two-step route: a complaint to the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 10 days and, if the ministry rejects it, a court claim within 1 month (a GEL 100 court fee), followed by appellate and cassation instances. This is enforcement practice, not the text of the law; it may change, and the odds are objectively lower where the refusal carries no stated reasons.

If what you were handed is not a refusal of entry but an expulsion decision, the deadline is different: 10 days from service of the decision, appealed to court (Article 56(1)). Note that under Article 56(2) filing the appeal creates no ground for a residence permit and does not defer the obligation to leave. And under Article 41(2¹) you hire a lawyer at your own expense, and their participation in the proceedings is not mandatory. If the lawyer you hired fails to appear without a valid excuse, the proceedings go ahead without them, and in that case no lawyer is appointed at the state's expense (Article 41(2²)).

What is specific about land borders

At an airport, "where do I go back to" is answered by a ticket. On land it is answered by whether the neighbouring country will take you back.

• Sarpi, Vale, Kartsakhi (Turkey). Returning to Turkey works only if you have the right to enter it — a valid visa or visa-free entitlement. If you left Turkey on the last day of your visa-free stay, you may not be admitted back.
• Sadakhlo–Bagratashen, Guguti, Ninotsminda–Bavra (Armenia). Usually the most predictable return option.
• Dariali / Verkhny Lars (Russia). The only functioning crossing in that direction; long queues and weather closures are common.
• Azerbaijan. Land crossings are closed to ordinary tourists — this is not a fallback exit.

The practical conclusion: after a problematic history, do not travel to a land border one-way. Keep a reserve — a valid right to enter the country you came from, money for a night's stay, and transport back.

Two separate branches

Asylum. If you cannot return because of danger at home, that is a different law and a different procedure (the Law of Georgia on International Protection), and it must be raised at the border, not after you have gone back. Help: UNHCR in Georgia, Rights Georgia.

Occupied territories. Entering Abkhazia or South Ossetia other than through Georgian checkpoints is not an administrative offence but a crime under Article 322¹ of the Criminal Code of Georgia: a fine or imprisonment from two to four years. If the refusal relates to this, the matter is criminal, and you should not talk to border officers without a lawyer.

Where to turn

• Legal Aid Service — 1485. A state-funded lawyer within the limits set by law.
• Public Defender (Ombudsman) — 1481, 24/7. Recording procedural violations.
• Rights Georgia — +995 (32) 299-88-56, hotline +995 (593) 111-405. Free lawyers for asylum seekers and stateless persons.
• UNHCR in Georgia — +995 (32) 238-62-02, hotline +995 (577) 415-610.
• IOM (International Organization for Migration) — +995 (32) 225-22-16.
• The consulate or diplomatic mission of your state (Article 41(3)).

⚠ To be verified by a lawyer: the procedure and deadlines for appealing a refusal of entry specifically (10 days to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, then 1 month to court) are described from the practice of lawyers working in Georgia, not from an express provision of the Law on Aliens. Confirm the current procedure with a lawyer before filing.