When do you write a request, and to whom?
You need the letter when the discharge summary you received on discharge is not enough: a foreign clinic asks for the full records, a second opinion requires the imaging itself, an insurer or a funding programme asks for an additional document, or you simply want to have your full treatment history. Article 17 of the Patient Rights Law also sets the form of the request: a request to see the records and receive a copy is submitted to the medical institution in writing.
The addressee is the institution as a legal entity, and its head. An oral request made to a doctor or to reception staff does not start the clock and leaves no trace, which is why the sample is addressed to the director, with proof of delivery. If the clinic has several branches, state which one treated you, because the archive is often kept at the branch.
The right to make the request belongs to the patient and, with the patient's consent or where the patient is a minor, to a relative and the legal representative. That is why the sample ends with a short patient consent text, which a family member submits together with the letter. Records of a deceased patient require a different basis, which is covered in a separate guide.
Which laws does the request rely on?
Medical records fall under two laws at once. The Patient Rights Law tells you what you can request, but says nothing about deadlines or fees. Health information is personal data, and the Law on Personal Data Protection of 14 June 2023 regulates the rights of the data subject in detail. In our assessment, this is exactly why it is better to cite both laws in the letter.
| Issue | Patient Rights Law | Personal Data Protection Law |
|---|---|---|
| What you can request | To see and correct the records, and a copy of any part of them (Article 17) | To see your own data and receive copies (Article 14) |
| Form | A written request to the medical institution | A copy in the form in which the data are stored; in another form, if technically possible, for a reasonable fee |
| Deadline | Not specified | No later than 10 working days after the request, unless the law sets a different deadline; in exceptional cases, an extension of no more than another 10 working days, with reasons and immediate notice |
| Fee | Not specified | Free of charge, unless a fee is set by law; a reasonable fee only because of a different form or the frequency of requests, and no more than the actual cost |
| Correction | Both the old and the new information are kept | Correction, or a reasoned refusal with an explanation of how to appeal, within 10 working days of the request (Article 15) |
| Refusal | Not specified | In writing, with an explanation of the right to appeal; the burden of proof lies with the institution (Article 21) |
The Personal Data Protection Law is presented as amended on 17 December 2025. The view that the 10-working-day deadline applies to copies of medical records rests on reading the two laws together and should be assessed by a lawyer in a specific dispute.
Sample request letter
Replace the highlighted fields, and delete the conditional parts in brackets if they do not apply to you. The last block, the patient's consent, is needed only when a family member writes the letter on behalf of an adult patient. The letter itself is submitted in Georgian: the Georgian version of this page (language switch at the top) has the original text to copy.
[Full legal name of the clinic]
To the Director, [Director's first name and surname]
[Address of the clinic or branch]
Applicant: [First name and surname], personal number [Personal number], address [Address], telephone [Telephone], email [Email]
(If the patient is another person) Patient: [Patient's first name and surname], date of birth [Date of birth], personal number [Patient's personal number]. My status: [relative with the patient's written consent / parent of a minor patient / legal representative].
Request for copies of medical records
On the basis of Article 17 of the Law of Georgia on Patient Rights and Article 14 of the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection, I kindly ask you to provide me with copies of the medical records listed below.
Period of treatment: [from date] [to date]; department: [Department]; medical card number: [Number, if known].
1. Discharge summary (epicrisis) [Dates of hospitalisation];
2. Operation report and anaesthesia record [Date of operation];
3. Laboratory test results [Period];
4. Imaging and other instrumental examination reports, with the images in DICOM format, all series [Type and date of examination];
5. [Other document: histology report, prescription sheet, informed consent form];
6. Any other parts of the medical records for the said period not listed above.
Form of delivery: [on paper, with the clinic's stamp and the signature of an authorised person / electronically, in PDF format, by email / images on a digital storage medium]. I will [collect the copies in person / ask you to send the copies to the address given].
I need the copies for [purpose, e.g. a consultation at a foreign clinic] by [date]. Please provide the copies within the deadline set by law. Should an extension of the deadline or a refusal to release any document become necessary, please inform me in writing, stating the reason and the procedure for appeal. If a fee is charged for any copy, please inform me in advance of the amount and its basis.
Attachments:
1. A copy of my identity document;
2. (Where applicable) [the patient's written consent / power of attorney / the child's birth certificate / document proving representation].
Date: [Day, month, year]
Signature: [Applicant's signature]
Sample attachment: patient consent
I, [Patient's first name and surname], personal number [Patient's personal number], consent to [Relative's first name and surname], personal number [Relative's personal number], seeing my medical records at [Name of the clinic] and receiving copies of them [Period or list of documents]. This consent is valid until [Date].
Date: [Day, month, year]
Patient's signature: [Signature]
How do you fill in the letter?
First see what exists
Your electronic health record or the discharge summary you received on discharge shows on which dates and in which department you were treated. With that information you can fill in the period field precisely and make the archive search easier.
List the documents by name
A general request for “the whole history” is often answered with the discharge summary alone. Tailor the list to the purpose: a second opinion needs the images in DICOM format, an insurer often needs the outpatient records too. Keep item six at the end, so that any document you missed is still covered by the request.
Choose the form according to the purpose
If the records are going abroad, ask for a stamped paper copy, because the translation and certification will be based on it. Ask for an electronic copy as a PDF, not as photos. If the records are stored digitally, the clinic may charge a reasonable fee for printing them on paper.
Deadline and purpose in one sentence
A specific date, such as that of a consultation at a foreign clinic, does not change the legal deadline, but it shows the clinic why the matter is urgent.
Deliver it so that the date is recorded
Bring the letter in two copies and have the registration number and date written on the second one, or send it to the official email address and keep the confirmation of receipt. The 10 working days run from exactly that date.
Which mistakes delay receiving the copies?
- An oral request. A request made at reception has no date, and you cannot use it to prove that the deadline was missed.
- A relative without consent. A family member obtains an adult patient's records with the patient's consent; without consent the clinic will refuse, and that refusal will be lawful.
- Inconsistent details. A patient's first name, surname or date of birth written differently from the ID forces the clinic to carry out extra checks.
- Asking only for the report. An imaging report and the images themselves are different things; if you do not list the images separately, you will often receive only the report.
- Leaving without checking. As soon as you receive the copies, check that every listed document is there, that the stamp is legible and that the digital storage medium opens.
What if the clinic does not reply or refuses?
The first step is a follow-up letter: state the date and registration number of the first request, refer to the 10-working-day deadline and ask for the copies or a written, reasoned refusal. This is often enough, because the cause of the delay is the way the archive is organised, not an intention to refuse.
If there is still no reply, or the refusal is unreasoned, Article 22 of the Personal Data Protection Law names three routes: the State Audit Office, to which supervision of data protection was transferred by the December 2025 amendment; the court; or a higher administrative body, if the clinic is a public institution. Attach to the complaint the first and the follow-up letter, proof of their delivery and the clinic's reply, if there is one. If you need the records for a medical dispute, agree the sequence of steps with a lawyer: the patient rights and medical disputes services cover this stage.
Once you have the copies and they are going abroad, the terms for translating discharge summaries and reports are on the discharge summary translation page, and you can work out the price in advance with the Translation price calculator. The full package for treatment abroad is collected in the document checklist.
Frequently asked questions about the request letter
Can the clinic charge me for the copies?
Under Article 14 of the Personal Data Protection Law, copies of data are, as a general rule, issued free of charge. There are two exceptions: where a fee is set by law, or where the clinic charges a reasonable fee because you are asking for the copy in a form different from the one in which the data are stored, or because the request is repeated frequently. Such a fee must not exceed the resources actually spent, and the burden of proving that it is reasonable lies with the clinic. That is why the sample asks the clinic to tell you the fee and its basis in advance.
Within how many days should I receive the copies?
The Patient Rights Law does not name a deadline. The Personal Data Protection Law, however, provides that the data subject receives the copies no later than 10 working days after the request, unless the law sets a different deadline. In exceptional cases, and with reasons given, the deadline may be extended by no more than another 10 working days, and you must be notified of this immediately. The deadline runs from the date the request is delivered, so be sure to keep the registration number and date. In practice, retrieving old or archived records can take longer.
I am requesting my child's records. What should I attach?
For a minor patient, the law gives the right to see the records and receive copies to a relative and to the legal representative. In the sample, a parent states their status as “parent of a minor patient” and attaches a copy of the child's birth certificate showing the relationship, together with a copy of their own ID. If the child's legal representative is someone else, for example a guardian, attach the document that proves it. If the records are going abroad, you may also need a translation of the birth certificate, so check this in advance.
Does the patient's consent have to be notarised?
The law does not specify the form of consent; it requires the request itself to be in writing. Many clinics accept consent signed by the patient, especially if the patient is in the same clinic and staff can confirm their wishes on the spot. Others ask for a notarised power of attorney, especially when the patient is in another city or country. So ask the clinic's office about its rules in advance. If time is short, a notarised power of attorney is the safe choice, because every institution accepts it. Always state in the consent the list of documents or the period, and how long the consent is valid.
I found a mistake in the records. Can I ask for a correction in the same letter?
It is better to ask for the correction in a separate letter, so that a dispute on that point does not hold up the release of copies. Under the Patient Rights Law, the records keep both the information as it stood before the correction and the new information, meaning the old entry is not deleted. Under the Personal Data Protection Law, you should receive a response to a correction request within 10 working days: either the data are corrected, or you are told the grounds for refusal and how to appeal. Disagreeing with a diagnosis is not a matter for correction; it is a medical assessment, and the right route for it is a second opinion.
Sources and official pages
- Law of Georgia on Patient Rights, Article 17: matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/16978 (accessed 2026-10-12)
- Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection (14 June 2023, No. 3144), Articles 14, 15, 21, 22: matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/5827307 (accessed 2026-10-12)