The Ministry of Justice no longer requires foreigners to provide a certificate of no criminal record when applying for a residence permit

At the end of autumn 2025, important changes took place in the field of migration services in Georgia: the House of Justice no longer requires foreigners to provide a certificate of no criminal record when applying for or extending a residence permit. This has been confirmed by both applicants and agency staff.

What happened before?

Since the end of August, foreign citizens from a number of countries — Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and others — have been required to submit a certificate of no criminal record.

❗ It is important to understand that Georgian law does not require such a certificate to be submitted when applying for a residence permit. However, the agency has the right to request additional documents for a more thorough review of the case, which it did in the fall.

This practice led to:

• delays in the consideration of applications;
• additional expenses for obtaining certificates in the country of citizenship;
• longer document preparation times.

What has changed now?

According to lawyers and applicants, since the end of October and throughout November, employees of the House of Justice have stopped requesting criminal record certificates. Today, this information was confirmed by the agency’s operators themselves: the requirement is temporarily not being applied.

Why is this important?

• The procedure for obtaining a residence permit has become faster and easier again.
• Foreigners no longer need to obtain a certificate of no criminal record, which in some countries takes a long time to obtain or requires personal presence.
• The risk of delays in submitting documents is reduced.

However, it is important to remember that the agency reserves the right to request additional documents at any time. Therefore, each case may be considered individually.

Recommendations from ESPERO

We recommend:

• Prepare a standard set of documents in accordance with current legislation.
• Keep in mind that requirements may change — it is best to consult with someone before submitting your application.
• In complex or non‐standard cases, discuss your strategy with a lawyer in advance.

Need help with obtaining a residence permit?

The ESPERO team supports foreigners at all stages: from choosing the basis for a residence permit to submitting documents to the House of Justice.

• We will check your documents.
• We will prepare your application.
• We will support you and monitor the status of your application.

Contact us — we will make the process as simple and predictable as possible.