Philippine Embassy Abu Dhabi issues a public warning to Filipino expatriates — and the wider UAE outbound travel market — about Georgia’s travel insurance requirement, to take effect from 1 January 2026. The new regulation demands that all individuals staying in Georgia shall have coverage for health and accident insurance, at a minimum, providing at least 30,000 GEL (ie approx. AED 41,000). The rule applies even to visitors entering Georgia under the country’s generally liberal visa-free regime.
Insurance Documents Is Necessary
At border control, travellers should present a physical or digital insurance certificate in English or Georgian with the following:
- Names of the policyholders
- Territorial coverage including Georgia
- Start and end dates commensurate with the stay
- Covered risks
Importance: Airlines may refuse boarding in Dubai if there is a gap in documents; also Georgian authorities are able to refuse entry and may impose fines.
How Travellers Can Comply
For users who wish to have something more comfortable, they can get compliant insurance on platforms like VisaHQ UAE (visahq.com/united-arab-emirates), which:
- You’d just be trained to make sure that there are policies reaching the 30,000 GEL minimum
- Issues certificates in English at Georgian borders
- Assists HR teams and travel coordinators to ensure smooth boarding for both groups and corporate trips
As with the Future: Consequences for Corporate and Leisure Travel
Georgia is a favoured short-distance source of travel out of the UAE, with a range of year-round flights from Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Gudauri winter sports trips and town breaks in Tbilisi and Batumi also draw thousands of UAE-based residents. Corporate travel managers are recommended to:
- Audit the currently conducted travel insurance regimes
- Check that credit-card tied-up or personal plans have a minimum amount of coverage
- Check for winter sports and other dangerous sports
- Disclose frequent self-booking employees of the new rule
Exemptions
No coverage, such exemption should be subject:
- Holders of diplomatic or service passports
- Accredited mission staff
- Commercial drivers with a freight route internationally
Strategic Context
The embassy’s proactive notice is part of a larger trend: countries tightening insurance and solvency rules to lower the cost of treating uninsured visitors — an evolution that corporate mobility managers can look at for more than one market.
