What to bring for treatment in Georgia: documents, medical records and medicines

Which medical records should you bring, and in what format?

The clinic builds its quote on your records, so they should be sent electronically before you arrive. When you travel, bring the same file with you as well: on paper, on a USB stick and in a cloud folder, so that losing one copy does not hold everything up. The doctor will tell you which tests they need in your particular case; the list below is a sound starting point in most cases.

A DICOM file is the "digital original" of a scan: it holds every slice of the image and the technical data a radiologist uses to judge accuracy. If your clinic gives you only a printed film or a report, ask for a copy of the files; in many cases it is issued on a separate request. Our second opinion service explains how a Georgian doctor can review your case remotely before you travel.

Do your records need to be translated?

In a Georgian clinic, medical documentation is kept in Georgian. Your own records, however, have to be read by the doctor, so the key question is which language the doctor reads. Some doctors will struggle with records in English or Russian, others will not; ask the clinic before you travel in which language it will accept your file. Records in a less common language, such as Hebrew, Arabic or Armenian, almost always need a translation.

For medical review, a professional translation without notarisation is usually enough. Certification becomes necessary when a document is submitted to an official body or a notary, for example a power of attorney or a child's birth certificate. You can work out what a translation will cost by number of pages with the translation price calculator, and the work itself is done by our medical translation service. To check what a term means, the medical glossary will also help.

A written translation does not replace interpreting. During consultations, when you sign the informed consent form and at discharge, you and the doctor must be able to understand each other, and Georgian law does not give patients a right to an interpreter. That is why we plan language support in advance: in English or Russian, and in other languages through an interpreter.

How do you bring your own medicines?

According to the customs brochure of the Revenue Service of Georgia, you may bring into or take out of Georgia, for personal use, no more than ten standard packs of medicine, including products not registered in Georgia, without any medical documents. This rule does not apply to specially controlled medicines. If you need more than ten packs for long-term treatment, they are also allowed, but with medical documentation, and the quantity is calculated by multiplying the daily dose by the number of days of your visit.

Narcotic and psychotropic medicines

Many people are surprised to find their medicine in this group: the brochure lists, for example, tramadol, pregabalin, alprazolam, methylphenidate, buprenorphine, and combination products containing codeine or pseudoephedrine. For personal needs they may be brought in only as a supply of no more than 31 days, and only with the following documents:

• a customs declaration;
• a copy of the prescription, translated into English and certified by the competent authority of the country you are travelling from;
• a copy of a certificate from the doctor who wrote the prescription, translated and certified in the same way;
• a document signed and stamped by the competent authority of the same country, confirming that the prescription and the certificate are genuine.

The prescription or the doctor's certificate must show the patient's identity, the name and composition of the medicine, the dose and the duration of treatment. Customs checks the quantity, signs and stamps the documents and returns them to you: keep them. If the 31-day supply runs out and you cannot leave Georgia, you present the customs-certified documents to a local medical facility, which will register you as its patient and issue a prescription under Georgian rules. Passing such a medicine to anyone else is prohibited, and bringing it in unlawfully is a criminal offence.

Carry your medicines in their original packaging, in your hand luggage, allowing for travel delays. Taking medicine prescribed in Georgia home and continuing treatment there is described in detail on the medicines service page.

Passport, visa and mandatory insurance

The entry rules depend on your citizenship: citizens of many countries can enter Georgia visa-free for one year, some need an e-visa, and others must apply to a consulate. You can check which applies to you on the visa and entry page. If you apply for an e-visa, your passport must have been issued within the last ten years, must remain valid for another three months after the visa expires and must have two blank pages; supporting documents are submitted in English or Georgian.

According to the e-visa portal, you may be asked for five things at the border. Keep them together in one folder, on paper and on your phone:

• Passport or travel document. A child needs their own as well.
• Proof of the purpose of your trip. For treatment, this is the clinic's written confirmation with the date of your visit, preferably in English.
• Proof of accommodation. A hotel or apartment booking for the length of your stay.
• Travel and medical insurance. Since 1 January 2026 every tourist needs it, whether or not they need a visa; the requirements are explained in the insurance guide.
• Proof of sufficient funds. A bank statement or a card; which cards work in Georgia is covered in the costs and payment guide.

What does a companion or a child's parent need?

A companion enters Georgia under the rules for their own citizenship, not the patient's, and needs their own mandatory insurance policy. If they will stay overnight in your hospital room or help with your care, let the clinic know in advance who they are and how many days they will stay.

Medical information is a separate matter. Health data enjoy special protection, so the doctor will discuss an adult patient's condition with a companion only with the patient's consent. If you want a family member to receive information directly from the doctor, tell the clinic in writing, giving their name and passport details.

When the patient is a child

Under the Law of Georgia on Patient Rights, for a minor patient it is a relative or legal representative who receives information and gives informed consent. The clinic will need a document showing that the person accompanying the child is that person: the child's birth certificate or, for a guardian, the decision establishing guardianship. If these documents are not in Georgian, English or Russian, bring a translation as well. If the child is travelling with only one parent, check before departure what your country and your airline require in that case.

When do you need a power of attorney?

You need a power of attorney when another person performs a legal act in your name: for example, signs a contract with the clinic, pays or receives a refund, collects your medical records when you cannot go yourself, or deals with a bank. Under Georgian law, the patient asks the medical facility for a copy of their records in writing, and when someone else submits the request, the clinic will usually ask for a document confirming their authority. Written consent for the doctor to talk to a family member does not replace a power of attorney: these are two different documents.

There are several ways to arrange a power of attorney:

1. In your own country, before you travel

   A power of attorney made before a notary usually needs an apostille if your country is a party to the Apostille Convention, or consular legalisation if it is not. In Georgia it will also need a translation into Georgian and certification of that translation.

2. At a Georgian consulate

   A Georgian consulate in your country performs notarial acts. A power of attorney made there does not need an apostille in Georgia.

3. In Georgia, before a Georgian notary

   If you are already here, you arrange the power of attorney on the spot. If you do not speak Georgian, you will need an interpreter present at the notary's office. If you are in hospital, some notaries will come to your ward.

Which route suits you best depends on what the power of attorney is for and who it will be submitted to. We prepare the text and the route through our power of attorney service, and the difference between an apostille and legalisation is explained in the guide to apostilles and notaries. Keep the powers narrow: only what is really needed, and only for the duration of your treatment.

Final check before you travel

Two or three days before departure, go through this list together with your companion. Any item you cannot tick off will be more expensive and harder to sort out once you have arrived:

• The clinic has received your records and confirmed the date of your visit in writing.
• Your DICOM files, reports and translations are stored in three places: on paper, on a USB stick and in the cloud.
• Your medicines are in their original packaging, and the certified documents for any controlled medicine are in your hand luggage.
• Passport, visa if needed, and an insurance policy for every traveller, in Georgian or English.
• Your accommodation booking, transfer details and your coordinator's phone number.
• Two means of payment, both checked in advance to work in Georgia.
• The child's birth certificate or the guardianship document and, if needed, a power of attorney.
• The emergency number 112 and your insurer's assistance line saved in your phone.

From your arrival to your departure, one person keeps track of all this if you choose a personal coordinator; the full service is described on the Treatment in Georgia page.

Frequently asked questions about what to bring