Airport pick-up and transport in Georgia: transfer to the clinic, daily trips and transfers to resorts
After a flight, a patient should not have to hunt for a taxi, explain an address in a foreign language or haul suitcases. At the airport a driver meets you with your name on a sign, and we choose the vehicle according to your state of health: a standard car, a wheelchair-accessible vehicle or an ICU ambulance with a medical team. The same coordinator plans your daily trips to the clinic and, after treatment, a transfer to another city or a resort if you need one.
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Met by nameWe send you the driver's name, the car and its registration before your flight
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A vehicle to match your mobilityIndependently, in a wheelchair, on a stretcher or with a doctor
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One coordinatorIn English, in Russian or through an interpreter, from arrival to departure
In short: how you get around in Georgia during treatment
- At the airport, the driver waits for you in the arrivals hall with a sign bearing your name, and we track any flight delay ourselves.
- The level of vehicle is determined by the patient's mobility and, for a patient in a serious condition, by the doctor's report: we never choose the level of medical support on our own.
- For a wheelchair user, we book a vehicle with a ramp or lift, so there is no need to transfer out of the wheelchair.
- We plan the trip to every clinic appointment according to the schedule: the driver either waits for you or comes back when the appointment is over.
- A transfer to another city or a resort is planned only once the treating doctor has approved a long journey.
- You see the price of each transfer in writing before you arrive; in an emergency, Georgia's single number 112 applies.
Which vehicle do you need? Three levels of transport
We choose the level before you arrive and do not change it on the way. If in doubt, a higher level is better than a problem discovered at the airport.
| Level | Who it is for | Who is in the vehicle | What we need to know in advance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard car or minivan | The patient walks and sits unaided and can manage the luggage together with a companion | A driver; an interpreter or coordinator if you wish | Number of passengers, suitcases, child seat |
| Wheelchair-accessible vehicle | The patient uses a wheelchair or finds it hard to get into a car | A driver who knows how to secure a wheelchair and use a ramp or lift | Type and size of the wheelchair, whether the patient can stand for a moment |
| ICU ambulance with a medical team | The patient needs monitoring, oxygen, pumps or breathing support on the way | A team from a licensed operator: a doctor and equipment, as on a ward | The latest discharge summary, current prescriptions and the doctor's report on the conditions for transport |
The driver of a standard or wheelchair-accessible vehicle is not a medical professional and cannot give you medical assistance. When a patient needs a doctor on the way, the transfer is carried out by our critical care team and ICU ambulance service, part of our critical care services. The medical conditions for transport are set by doctors, not by the coordinator.
How does the airport pick-up work?
Most international flights to Georgia arrive at Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi airports. Which airport you fly into depends on where the clinic is and which flights are available; if you land in Kutaisi or Batumi, an intercity journey to a Tbilisi clinic lies ahead, and we take this into account when planning the transfer.
The driver waits for you in the arrivals hall, after passport and customs control, with your name on a sign. Before your flight, we send you the driver's name, phone number, the make of the car and its registration number, as well as the coordinator's contact on +995 501 113 200. If the flight is delayed, we track the new time by flight number and let the driver know, so you do not need to call us from the plane.
Help from the aircraft to the arrivals hall
Getting off the aircraft, moving through the terminal in a wheelchair and being taken to passport control are services provided by the airline and the airport, which are usually requested through the airline when you buy your ticket or a few days before the flight. Our driver meets you where that service ends. So tell us whether you have requested this help: if not, we will remind you before your flight.
What to have to hand at the border
Keep your passport, insurance policy and the clinic's appointment confirmation in your hand luggage, not in a checked suitcase. If you are carrying a narcotic or psychotropic medicine, declare it at customs with its documents before you come out to the driver. Entry rules and insurance requirements are explained on the visa and entry page, and medicines on the medicines page.
If you are arriving overland
If you are coming from a neighbouring country by car or bus, also check that country's own border rules. For example, Azerbaijan has restricted its land borders under a special regime for several years, so you may only be able to travel from there by air; we check the regime in force before you travel. We can meet you on the Georgian side of the border if we know the crossing point and your expected arrival time in advance.
Daily trips to the clinic: how do we plan them?
On treatment days you rarely have more than one or two appointments, but the exact time is often known only the evening before. So the coordinator checks the clinic's schedule every day and confirms the time with the driver, and you receive a message telling you when and where the car will be waiting.
- Waiting or coming back. For a short appointment, the driver waits for you at the clinic; for a lengthy test, the driver leaves and returns when it is over, so you do not pay for hours of waiting.
- To the reception desk. At your first appointment, the driver or coordinator walks you to registration and shows you where to come out afterwards, because large hospitals have several entrances.
- After a procedure. If the doctor has told you not to leave alone after anaesthesia or sedation, the driver comes up to the ward with you or waits for your companion.
- Together with an interpreter. When a medical interpreter accompanies you to an appointment, they can travel in the same car so that you can prepare your questions on the way.
- Pharmacy and shopping. On the day of discharge, we plan a stop at a pharmacy on the way, so that you have your prescribed medicines the same evening.
The price is calculated per transfer or as a daily rate, taking the distance and waiting time into account, and is agreed in writing before you arrive. If you choose accommodation close to the clinic, the cost of daily transport goes down, and sometimes disappears altogether: we explain this on the accommodation page.
Transfers to another city or a resort
Some patients continue their recovery after treatment in Tbilisi at one of Georgia's spa or mountain resorts. In their own descriptions, the Georgian National Tourism Administration and local municipalities name the radon thermal waters of Tskaltubo, the mineral water of Borjomi, Sairme, the warm springs of Nunisi and Abastumani, which lies at an altitude of about 1,300 metres. These are the resorts' own descriptions, not a medical recommendation: whether a resort suits your condition is for the treating doctor to decide.
For an intercity transfer we take three things into account. First, the doctor's consent to a long journey and to going up to high altitude, if the route passes through the mountains. Second, a car with reclining seats, enough legroom and stops every few hours, if the doctor has told you to limit long periods of sitting. Third, the arrival time: reaching the resort hotel before check-in and in daylight makes a mountain road far less stressful. Destinations and the arrangement of recovery programmes are described on the rehabilitation and spa resorts page, and a detailed overview of the resorts is in our spa resorts guide.
If a patient is being moved from one hospital to another, for example to a clinic in another city, and needs monitoring on the way, we do not use a standard car: such a transfer is carried out by a medical team, by agreement between both clinics.
What to tell us before your flight
The more precise this information is, the less chance there is of finding a cramped car at the airport, a boot too small for a folding wheelchair or a driver who knows nothing about the patient's condition.
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Flight and airport
Flight number, date, arrival airport and local arrival time. If you have a connection, we need the number of the last flight, because that is the one we track.
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People and luggage
How many adults and children are coming, the children's ages so we can choose seats, the number of suitcases and any bulky items: a folding wheelchair, crutches, an oxygen concentrator or another device.
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Mobility and limitations
Whether the patient can walk, climb stairs and get into a car unaided; whether they need to keep a leg raised or to lie down. These details determine the type of vehicle.
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Medical documents
If the patient needs to be accompanied by a doctor, we request the latest discharge summary, the prescriptions and the treating doctor's report on fitness to fly in advance. Clearance to fly is the doctor's decision, and we do not change it.
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First address and contact
Where you are going from the airport: a hotel, an apartment or straight to the clinic. Also a number that will work in Georgia, or WhatsApp, and the language you would prefer to use with the coordinator.
You can book transport on its own, but it works best as part of treatment coordination, when the coordinator knows the clinic's schedule, your accommodation and your mobility all together. All our services for international patients are gathered on the main page of this section.
Frequently asked questions about pick-up and transport
What happens if my flight is delayed or cancelled?
We track delays by flight number and give the driver the new time ourselves, so you do not need to call us from the plane. If the flight is cancelled or moved to another day, send us the new flight number as soon as the airline gives it to you and we will rearrange the pick-up. If you had a clinic appointment that day, we let the clinic know and ask for a new time. Any extra waiting charge, should one arise, is stated in advance in the booking terms.
Can the driver speak my language?
Not always, and we tell you so in advance. The driver's main job is a safe and punctual journey; language is covered by the coordinator, who speaks with you in English or Russian, or in another language through an interpreter. Addresses, appointment times and the driver's details are sent to you in writing, so you do not depend on spoken explanations. If a question comes up on the way, the driver puts the call through to the coordinator. For conversations with the doctor at the clinic, we arrange a separate medical interpreter.
When is an ICU ambulance needed, and who decides?
An ICU ambulance is needed when the patient requires monitoring, oxygen, an infusion or breathing support on the way, or can only be transported lying down. This is decided by the treating doctor, not by the coordinator or the family: the doctor's report on the conditions for transport is the key document for the team. Based on that report, we book a team from a licensed operator and agree where and to whom it will hand over the patient. If you do not yet have the doctor's report, we request it first and only then plan the transfer.
Should I bring my own wheelchair or hire one locally?
Either is possible. You arrange in advance with the airline to bring your own wheelchair; we also need its type and size, so that it fits in the boot of the car or can go up the ramp. For an electric wheelchair, airlines have separate rules on the battery, which you check when buying your ticket. If bringing it is difficult, we will hire a wheelchair, crutches or other equipment locally for the length of your stay and have it waiting for you at the airport or the hotel.
How do I pay for transport?
We send you the price of each transfer or of daily transport in writing before you arrive, stating the type of vehicle, the distance and the waiting time. We agree the specific payment method, such as card or bank transfer, in advance, because bank cards from some countries do not work in Georgia and finding that out on the spot is awkward. The transport price is shown separately from the coordination fee, so you know exactly what you are paying for. There are no hidden extras, and no new price is quoted on the way.
Related to transport
- Accommodation near the clinic A lift, a short distance to the clinic and an adapted room, so that daily trips stay short.
- Returning home after treatment The day of departure, the transfer to the airport and documents for your doctor at home.
- Wheelchairs, crutches and other equipment Hire of medical equipment for the length of your stay, if bringing your own is difficult.
Just fly in and leave the rest to us
Send us your flight details and briefly describe how the patient gets around. We will choose the vehicle, confirm the price and tell you before your flight who will meet you.