🩺 A Health Insurance Policy for Living in Georgia: Coverage and How to Choose
🩺 Your travel policy has probably stopped working
If you hold a residence permit, a standard travel insurance policy usually no longer applies. By the rules such policies are written under, they are meant for people temporarily outside their country of permanent residence, and once you have a residence permit, Georgia is that country.
Most people move to Georgia and assume the logic is straightforward: they took out travel insurance on entry, it runs for a year, so the question is settled. In practice this is the single most common mistake in this area, and it usually surfaces at the exact moment the policy is needed.
Here is how a resident's policy differs from a travel one, what it actually covers, and how to choose.
🆚 How a resident's policy differs from a travel one
The difference is not in price or the list of services. It is in how the product is built.
A travel policy insures someone who is abroad temporarily. Its terms explicitly assume the country being insured in is not your country of permanent residence. That is why it covers emergencies, evacuation and repatriation: the assumption is that for anything serious, you fly home.
A resident's policy insures someone where they actually live. It is built around planned, ongoing care: seeing a doctor, running tests, being monitored by a specialist, filling prescriptions. There is no repatriation clause, because there is nowhere to repatriate to.
Where the two collide. If you hold a residence permit but your policy is a travel one, the insurer can decline a claim on the grounds that you live permanently in the country you are claiming in. Technically, they would be right to.
The practical takeaway. While you are still coming and going over a few months at a time, a travel policy is fine. Once you have a residence permit, it is time to switch products. We covered entry requirements and travel policies in more detail in insurance to enter Georgia.
🏥 What a resident's policy covers
The details vary by tier, but the shape of the product is fairly predictable.
Almost always included. Outpatient visits to a GP and specialists. Lab work and diagnostics. Inpatient treatment and surgery. Ambulance services. Emergency dental care.
Depends on the tier. Routine dentistry, usually a separate add-on. Medication, typically reimbursed at a percentage rather than in full. Pregnancy and childbirth, almost always its own block with a waiting period. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Scheduled check-ups and screenings.
Almost always excluded. Incidents occurring while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Consequences of unlawful acts or deliberate self-harm. Breaches of the law, including driving without a licence. High-risk activities like skiing and mountaineering usually need a separate add-on.
And the big exclusion people forget about. Chronic conditions that existed before the policy started. Insurers can exclude them entirely or apply a waiting period. Ask about this before signing, not after.
🏢 Which companies work with foreigners
There are several major players in the market, and all of them offer products aimed at foreign residents.
Aldagi, GPI Holding and Imedi L come up most often as insurers working with foreign residents, including policies as short as one month.
Unison runs a programme called Vitamins for individual clients, split into five tiers from A to E, and has been on the market since 2015.
TBC Insurance is part of the TBC financial group and shows up well in search: for our medical insurance query, its listing sits in tenth position.
Branch details, addresses, phone numbers and reviews are gathered in the directory by city: insurance companies in Tbilisi, insurance companies in Batumi and insurance companies in Kutaisi.
📋 How it actually works
The mechanics matter more than the coverage list, because this is where people lose money.
Direct billing or reimbursement. Most Georgian insurers have a network of partner clinics where the bill is settled directly. Outside that network, the arrangement is different: you pay upfront and then submit for reimbursement. The difference is significant, especially for hospitalisation.
Look at the network, not just the limits. A policy with big numbers but no local clinic in its partner list is impractical in daily use. Before buying, check whether the clinics you would actually use are included.
The deductible. The amount you pay yourself on each claim. A high deductible lowers the premium noticeably, but makes small claims pointless.
The waiting period. Many products do not cover planned care in the first weeks or months after the policy starts. For pregnancy, this period is usually the longest.
What to keep. Referrals, discharge summaries, receipts, test results. Without them, reimbursement is not going to happen.
Where to find clinics and labs is in the directory: medical centres in Tbilisi, medical centres in Batumi and hospitals in Tbilisi. The wider picture of Georgian healthcare is covered in medicine in Georgia.
🎿 Special cases
Skiing and mountaineering. A standard policy usually does not cover these; it is a separate add-on. If you head to Gudauri or Bakuriani in winter, check specifically. Covered in more detail in insurance at Georgia's ski resorts.
Pregnancy and childbirth. Almost always a separate block with a long waiting period. Taking out a policy once you are already pregnant is usually too late; the insurer will exclude it as a pre-existing condition.
Children. Some companies run family programmes, and these are usually better value than separate children's policies.
Travel outside Georgia. A local policy only works inside the country. If you fly often, you need either an international product or a separate travel policy for each trip.
Exemption from the entry requirement. According to one source, holders of a valid residence or permanent residence permit are exempt from the mandatory entry insurance introduced in January 2026. This claim appears in only one place so far, so if you are re-entering Georgia from abroad on a residence permit, it is worth confirming with a consulate or on geoconsul.gov.ge.
When comparing tiers, do not chase the highest inpatient limit. Hospitalisation is rare, while seeing a doctor is routine, and it is the outpatient section that decides whether the policy earns its keep.
A practical way to approach it. List the clinics you actually use or would use. Ask two or three insurers for a quote against that list. And ask directly: are your existing chronic conditions covered, and what is the waiting period. Those two questions settle more than comparing coverage limits in a table.
Taken out an annual policy in Georgia? Leave a review on Madloba: tell us which company, what the coverage included, and whether you have made a claim.
Information is current as of September 2026 and is provided for general guidance. Policy terms, coverage and pricing differ by insurer and change over time. The price ranges are drawn from open guides written for foreigners and are not an offer. Before signing, request a quote and the policy terms directly from the company and read the exclusions section carefully.
❓ Frequently asked questions
💬 In most cases, no. Travel insurance terms typically exclude the policyholder's own country of permanent residence, and with a residence permit, Georgia becomes exactly that for you. The insurer can decline a claim on those grounds.
💬 No. A residence permit does not unlock state health insurance. Foreign residents pay for medical care themselves or cover it with a private policy. Emergency care is provided to everyone, but it can come with a bill.
💬 By open guides written for foreigners, a decent local policy runs roughly $250 to $1,000 a year, while an international one covering you outside Georgia too runs $1,000 to $5,000 for an adult aged 30-40. These are ranges: insurers quote an exact figure only after a questionnaire, and age, the deductible and any chronic conditions move it the most.
💬 Aldagi, GPI Holding, Imedi L, Unison with its Vitamins programme, and other major insurers all work with foreign residents. Policies as short as one month exist. It makes sense to request a quote from two or three companies, since pricing and coverage differ noticeably.
💬 Incidents under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the consequences of unlawful acts, and breaches of the law. Skiing and mountaineering usually need a separate add-on. And the big one: chronic conditions that existed before you applied can be excluded or come with a waiting period.
💬 Emergency dental care usually is, routine dentistry is more often a separate add-on. This is one of the things worth confirming before you sign rather than finding out later in the fine print.
💬 Almost always a separate block with a long waiting period. Taking out a policy once you are already pregnant is usually too late; the insurer will exclude it as pre-existing.
💬 No, it only covers you inside Georgia. If you fly often, you need either an international product or a separate travel policy for each trip.
💬 At partner clinics the bill is usually settled directly; outside that network you pay yourself and then submit for reimbursement. That is why it matters to check whether the clinics you would actually use are in the network, not just the coverage limits.
💬 By one source, holders of a valid residence or permanent residence permit are exempt from the requirement introduced in January 2026. This claim appears in only one place so far, so it is worth confirming with a consulate or on geoconsul.gov.ge.
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