From 28 March, Georgian citizens can travel to the Schengen Zone without a visa
On March 1, 2017, Georgians have been granted the freedom to travel to the Schengen Area member states. The signing ceremony took place in Brussels on the same day, while the regulation will come into full effect on 28 March, 2017.
From 28 March, 2017 Georgian citizens holding biometric passports can travel to the Schengen Zone without a visa for a period of 90 days within any 180-day period for purposes other than working.
The European Commission submitted a legislative proposal on the visa liberalization for Georgia to the European Parliament. It was assumed that visa-free regime would be discussed for both countries as a package, Georgia and Ukraine, but the MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) decided to divide the two countries.
The negotiations on visa liberalization for Georgia started back in 2008 as part of the Eastern Partnership Program.
Georgia took part in the EU-Georgia talks back in June 2012, as a way used by the pro-Western government to win painful EU-sponsored reforms.
In order to travel freely, the citizens of Georgia will need to provide a biometric passport. On the other hand, Georgians will lose this freedom to travel if they:
- Suddenly start making numerous asylum requests
- Stay in the Schengen Zone for more than 90 days at a time
- Cause an increase in the risk of public policy and internal security
If such problems persist, the suspension can be extended up to 18 months, were also the European Parliament will get involved and continue a more complex procedure.
Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Georgia’s prime minister called this a truly historic day for the Georgians and expressed gratitude towards the EU member states.
This has proved to be the day that will bring Georgians closer to the European Union.
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Visa and Rooms Hotels Partnership in Georgia Embarks on New Phase
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The new partnership sees VCA playing a key role in providing strategic support to Rooms Hotels by allocating Visa consulting and various other Visa functions in joint projects. The partnership aims at creating exclusive offers for Visa cardholders at Rooms Hotels.
The launch of the new collaboration was marked by the special event held in the Rooms Hotel Courtyard in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi. The happening featured the representatives of Rooms Hotels and Visa, including Valeri Chekheria, Rooms Hotels Lab CEO, Roberto De Meo, Vice President of Visa Consulting & Analytics, CEMEA, and Diana Kiguradze, Visa Regional Manager for the Caucasus Region.
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VCA represents a major source of value for Visa, with experts in strategy, product, portfolio management, risk, digital, and more with decades of experience in the payments industry.
“We are celebrating yet another great milestone in our years-long partnership with Rooms Hotels.Our companies started collaboration 3 years ago, and together, we've redefined what it means to provide remarkable experiences for guests and Visa cardholders. Customers will get more tailored offers and better customer experiences matching their travel profiles and expectations when staying at Rooms Hotels. Visa remains steadfast in fortifying the local business ecosystem in the country and fostering tourism ecosystem development,” Diana Kiguradze, Visa Regional Manager in the Caucasus Region, said.
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Valeri Chekheria, Chief Executive Officer. Valeri is a business leader, hospitality consultant and dedicated philanthropist. Before joining Slow end-2021, he led Tbilisi-based Adjara Group building a diverse portfolio of renowned hotels and trend-setting entrepreneurial projects. Prior he served as Chief of Staff to the Georgian Minister of Economic Development and the Minister of Finance. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs. In 2018, Valeri was appointed as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
About Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA)
Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) is the payments consulting arm of Visa. We are a global team of several hundred payments consultants and data scientists across six continents. Our consultants are experts in strategy, product, portfolio management, risk, digital and more with decades of experience in the payments industry. Our data scientists are experts in statistics, advanced analytics and machine learning with exclusive access to insights from VisaNet, one of the largest payment networks in the world. The combination of our deep payments consulting expertise and our breadth of data allows us to identify actionable insights and recommendations that drive better business decisions.
To learn more about VCA, please visit https://www.visa.com.ge/en_GE/services/visa-consulting-analytics.html
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement.
Learn more at visa.com.ge
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War in Ukraine: European Commission to allocate €500 million to urgently boost EU defence industry
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Functioning as a professional social network, the digital platform will unite women leaders from Georgia and the whole region of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus and provide them with tools for networking, exchanging experiences, and international business expansion.
Tbilisi, 27 April, 2023 - Visa announced the launch of the She’s Next digital community platform for female entrepreneurs from Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus created in partnership with Emerging Europe, a prominent growth hub with thorough expertise in the region. The website launch was announced in Georgia and in this regard, Visa organized an informal meeting with Georgian women entrepreneurs and Visa partners.
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The She’s Next digital community platform is open to everyone interested in entrepreneurship, from those with a business idea but no existing business to startup owners and women with well-established enterprises. To learn more and join, please visit https://shesnext.emergingeurope.org/.
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About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at visa.com.ge
