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EU Commission proposes to suspend visa-free travel for officials from Georgia

The European Commission has presented a proposal to suspend the visa-free regime for holders of diplomatic passports and their family members.

The proposal stated that, if approved by the Council, Georgian diplomats, officials, and their families will need to obtain a visa for short-term visits to the EU — up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

‘This proposal is a response to the violent repression by the Georgian authorities against peaceful protesters, politicians, and independent media, which started after the authorities announced on 28 November to no longer pursue the opening of negotiations with the EU until 2028’, the statement read.

‘It is now for the Council to decide on today’s proposal to partially suspend the Visa Facilitation Agreement’.

According to the statement, if the Council adopts the proposal, ‘they will have to apply the visa requirement for holders of diplomatic, service/official passports, and special passports issued by Georgia and notify those measures to the other Member States and the Commission’.

‘Equally Member States will have to cease applying the current facilitations for Georgian holders of diplomatic and official passports, such as shorter application times, lower visa fees, and the possibility to submit less supporting documents’, the statement read.

In the event of the introduction of a visa regime for diplomatic passports, officials will be able to travel without a visa using their ordinary passports.

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