How to choose and check a clinic in Georgia: permits, questions and warning signs

Where do you start looking for a clinic?

There is no such thing as ‘the best clinic’ in general: a facility that is strong in one specialty may not work in another at all. So the search starts not with a ranking but with a precise description of what you need. The better you know which procedure you need, the easier it is to see which clinic has the permit, the team and the equipment for it.

• Diagnosis and proposed treatment as set out in your doctor's latest report, with dated records.
• Type of procedure: outpatient, day case, or one that requires several nights in hospital.
• Timeframe: when you can travel and how long you can stay, taking your visa and your work into account.
• Language: the language in which you comfortably follow a medical explanation.
• Companion: whether anyone is coming with you, and where they will stay.

Why several quotes are better than one

A reply from a single clinic gives you nothing to compare it with: you cannot tell whether its price, the length of treatment or the list of additional tests is typical. Two or three independent quotes based on the same records often raise questions you would not otherwise have thought of. If the doctors propose sharply different plans, that is grounds for an independent medical assessment, not simply a price comparison.

The medical choice, that is, which method to use and when to be treated, is a matter for the treating doctor. This guide covers the organisational and legal checks: how to make sure that the clinic operates lawfully, that the price is transparent and that surprises after you arrive are kept to a minimum.

Who issues a clinic's permit and licence?

Under Article 54 of the Law of Georgia on Health Care, the document confirming the right to carry out medical activity, a licence or a permit, is issued by the Ministry, and a facility may not carry out a licensable activity without it. These documents are issued by the Regulation Agency for Medical and Pharmaceutical Activities, a legal entity of public law. It is a state body within the system of the Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs, that is, the Ministry of Health of Georgia.

The rules distinguish between two documents. An inpatient facility, that is, a hospital where patients stay overnight, needs a permit for inpatient activity, which covers specific medical profiles. Certain individual medical activities, on the other hand, need a licence. The procedure and conditions for issuing them are set by Government Resolution No. 385 of 17 December 2010, the latest amendment to which was made on 1 October 2026.

A clinic's permit does not confirm the doctor's qualifications. A doctor's professional right to practise is confirmed by a state certificate, and its suspension or revocation is considered by the Professional Development Council under the Law of Georgia on Medical Practice. So, alongside the facility's document, ask for the treating doctor's name, specialty and certificate details.

How do you check a permit when there is no public register?

The Ministry's electronic licensing module is open only to authorised users, and during our research we found no open database where you could type in a clinic's name and see its permit status. That does not make checking impossible; it simply means the initiative passes to you or your coordinator.

1. Ask for the document in writing

   Ask the clinic for a copy of its permit or licence showing the number, the date of issue and the name of the legal entity. A clinic that operates lawfully should have no difficulty showing it to you.

2. Compare the name and address

   The legal entity and address on the document should match the party you are signing the contract with and the place where you will be treated. If the trading name differs from the legal name, the clinic should explain how the two are connected.

3. Check what it covers

   A permit covers specific profiles. Check that the treatment offered to you is on that list, and not only in the clinic's promotional description.

4. Verify it with the Agency

   You can try to verify the document number through the Agency's official contact channel. As part of coordination we do this ourselves and let you know the result in writing.

When we select a clinic for you, we request its permit documents before any of your records are sent. The details of the process are on our clinic selection service page.

International accreditation: how should you read a clinic's claim?

Some Georgian clinics refer to international accreditation, for example under the American JCI or the German KTQ system. Accreditation is an assessment carried out by an external organisation and does not replace the Georgian permit: it comes in addition to the state-issued document, not instead of it.

We treat such a claim as the clinic's own statement until the issuing organisation confirms it, and in this guide we do not name any facility as accredited. When you check it yourself, pay attention to four things:

• Validity period. Accreditation is temporary and can expire; the certificate should show start and end dates.
• The specific facility. Accreditation of one clinic in a network does not automatically extend to another address in the same network.
• The issuer's directory. If the organisation publishes a list of accredited facilities, the clinic should appear in it.
• Wording. ‘We work to international standards’ or ‘we are in the process of accreditation’ is not accreditation.

Accreditation says something about management systems and procedures, but it cannot tell you how experienced a particular doctor is with cases like yours. That is a separate question.

What should you ask the clinic before you decide?

Article 18 of the Law of Georgia on Patient Rights gives you the right to information about the cost of the service and about the identity and experience of the provider, so there is nothing awkward about the questions below. Ask for the answers in writing, because you will have no way of proving a verbal promise later.

One example of the last point is Mir cards: according to the National Bank of Georgia, no bank or payment service provider registered in Georgia services this system. Our guide to costs and payment explains how to compare price items in detail.

Which signs should make you pause?

The signs listed below do not prove fraud in themselves, but each one is reason enough to put off your decision and ask for further answers:

• Pressure. ‘This price is only valid today’ or ‘we will give your slot to someone else if you do not pay by tomorrow’. A medical decision needs time for reflection.
• Unrealistic promises. A guaranteed result, a ‘risk-free’ operation, or treatment prescribed before anyone has seen your records.
• Payment to a private individual. A request to transfer money to the personal account or card of a doctor, manager or intermediary, by money transfer or in cash, without an official receipt from the clinic.
• Refusal to provide documents. The clinic will not show you a copy of its permit or will not tell you the name of the treating doctor.
• Requests for originals. For its assessment the clinic needs copies of your records; if you are asked to post the originals of your passport or medical documents, find out why first.
• An unclear intermediary. Someone who is not a clinic employee and does not explain in writing who pays them and for what.
• Treatment restricted by law. For example, organ transplantation is, as a rule, not available to foreign patients under current Georgian law, so an offer of this kind is a serious warning sign.

If you come across a situation like this, do not transfer any money, keep the correspondence and write to us. If needed, an Advocat.Ge lawyer will assess the matter as part of our legal help.

What should you check once you are in Georgia?

Even before you travel, the clinic's communication style tells you a great deal. A remote consultation or written correspondence shows how quickly and how specifically the clinic responds, whether your questions are understood and whether you are told what may change after an examination. Answers that are vague before you arrive rarely become clearer once you are there.

Checking documents is essential, but some things can only be seen on site. At your first appointment, notice whether you are seen by the doctor named in the quote, whether you are told why the plan has changed, if it has, and whether you are given the consent form to read in advance rather than on the morning of the procedure.

If the plan or the price changes significantly once you are there, ask for a new written quote before you decide. Under Article 7 of the Law of Georgia on Patient Rights, consulting another doctor or another facility for a second opinion is your right, and under Article 23 you may refuse treatment at any stage. These rights are covered in detail in our guide to the rights of international patients.

How do we help you choose a clinic?

Solidaroba.ge is a private coordination service: it is neither a clinic nor the state Solidarity Fund. We do not treat patients and we do not make medical decisions. We check that your records are complete, send them with your consent to suitable licensed clinics or to a facility you name, request written quotes, check the permit documents and set out the results for you in your language.

The flow of money is simple: you pay the clinic's bill directly to the clinic, while our coordination fee is separate and agreed in writing before any work begins. If any partner clinic pays us anything, we tell you before you make your choice. Once you have chosen a clinic, your personal coordinator arranges the visa, airport pick-up, interpreter and your return home, and a full description of our services is in the Treatment in Georgia section.

Frequently asked questions about choosing a clinic