Guidance

Georgia: Knowledge Base profile

Published 15 May 2024

About: Georgia

This document contains useful information about Georgia which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 3.0
• published for Home Office staff on 9 May 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Georgia: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Georgia.

Names in Georgia consist of:

• up to 2 forenames
• 1 surname

Names are confirmed by birth registration or Baptism. Baptism takes place up to 40 days after the child’s birth.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Georgia.

Women can adopt their husband’s surname on marriage.

Georgia: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Georgia.

Dual nationality is not allowed in Georgia. An exception to this is where the President of Georgia grants citizenship to a foreign national.

If a Georgia citizen renounced their citizenship to gain a foreign citizenship, they can reacquire Georgia citizenship.

Georgia: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Georgia.

Legitimacy

Georgia recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. A child will be:

• legitimate if the:
  • parents’ marriage is registered before the birth
  • parents marry or register the marriage after the birth and the father registers his paternity
• illegitimate if the:
  • parents never marry
  • parents do not register their marriage
  • father does not register his paternity following his subsequent marriage

Parental responsibility

Both parents have parental responsibility in Georgia.

Georgia: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Georgia.

Adoption is legal in Georgia.

Georgia: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Georgia.

There is no law on Surrogacy in Georgia.

From 25 August 2020, the commissioning parents will only be issued with a full birth certificate recording them as the parents if they:

• have a notarised surrogacy agreement; and,
• between July 2020 and 15 June 2021, at least 1 commissioning parent is a Georgia citizen; and,
• from 25 August 2020 they are:
  • married; or,
  • living together for a year or more before the child was born

The registrar will issue the child’s birth certificate without the commissioning parent’s names on it if the commissioning parents do not have a notarised agreement or they do not meet the parental criteria.

If the commissioning parents are not named on the birth register, they apply to prove parentage through the courts. If successful they can have the birth register updated.

Georgia: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Georgia.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Georgia. A citizen can change the gender on their documents by contacting the Civil Registry Agency.

Georgia: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Georgia.

Same sex marriage and civil partnerships are not recognised in Georgia.

Georgia: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Georgia.

Birth certificates

The Justice House records birth registrations centrally in Georgia. Registration is mandatory and is completed electronically by the hospital or maternity homes. The parents must go to the Civil Registry Agency to collect the birth certificate.

If the parents identify an error on a birth certificate, they can ask the Civil Registry Agency to correct it. When the birth record is updated the Civil Registry Agency will issue a new certificate.

Hospitals retain paper files of births.

If both parents are foreign nationals, they will not be named on the birth certificate. If 1 parent is a Georgia citizen, the parents will be named on the certificate.

Marriage certificates

Georgia only recognises civil marriages. Civil marriages must be registered on the day of the wedding; late registrations are not allowed.

Death certificates

It is mandatory in Georgia for citizens to register all deaths on the day of the event. The authorities issue death certificates in every case.

Identity documents

Identity cards are issued on a national level by the Ministry of Justice in Georgia. The Georgia authorities laminate identity cards.