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• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

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• General
 

Travel Summary

• We continue to advise against all travel to the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Unless you are carrying out essential business, such as humanitarian work, we advise against travel to areas near the Administrative Boundaries of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in particular Zugdidi (unless transiting on the way to Svaneti) and villages north of Gori.  Tension remains high around the Administrative Border Lines with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.  You should exercise caution if you travel along the M27 (also known as the M1) road, particularly where it runs very close to South Ossetia, i.e. between Gori and Khashuri and between the Stepantsminda/Gudauri turnoff and Gori, where there  wasa kidnapping in February 2009. . There remains a risk of local volunteer militia or criminal activity along this road.  We do not recommend that you use the M27 during the hours of darkness.
  
  
• We also do not recommend that you travel north from the M27 between the points named above, or west of the Georgian Military highway as there is also a risk of criminal or militia activity in the Akhalgori area.
  
  
• The situation remains fluid.  If you plan to visit any of the areas detailed above on essential business we advise that you liaise closely with the British Embassy, Tbilisi.
  
  
• All British nationals should monitor developments closely and check this travel advice regularly. British nationals in Georgia who have not done so already should register with the British Embassy.
  
  
• There have been some reports of mines and other explosions.  There is some risk from unexploded ordnance in areas in which fighting took place last August or in military installations where Russian troops were present.  You should avoid these areas until they are reported as having been cleared.  International monitors have been shot at in the vicinity of the South Ossetian boundary line and there  was a landmine attack on 21 June near the Abkhazian boundary line which killed a Georgian ambulance driver working with the EU Monitoring Mission.
  
  
• International flights are operating normal services into and out of Tbilisi International Airport.
  
  
• Influenza A (H1N1): There are confirmed human cases of the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) in Georgia (source: Georgian Health authorities). Travellerssuspected of having H1N1 will be admitted to designated governmenthospitals for compulsory quarantine, testing and treatment. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its Pandemic Threat Alert Phase to Level 6. The The WHO website has further details.  There is a dedicated Swine Flu page on the FCO website. Guidance on Pandemic Flu can be obtained on the UK Department of Health website.
  
  
• There is an underlying threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• The main type of incident for which British nationals required consular assistance in Georgia in 2008 was for replacing lost and stolen passports. Crime against foreigners is generally low, but does occur. See the Crime section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. See the General (Insurance) section of this advice and Travel insurance for more details.