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If you fall ill or are injured in Georgia: 112, hospital, insurance and help in your language

If a life is in danger, call 112 first: it is the single number for the ambulance, police and fire services, free from any phone, at any time of day or night. The cost of hospital treatment is paid by you or your insurer: Georgia's state Universal Healthcare Programme does not cover foreign visitors, and since 1 January 2026 every tourist must have mandatory health and accident insurance. We step in after that: an interpreter by phone, contact with the clinic and your insurer, documents for reimbursement and the journey home.

  • 112 first, then usWe are not an emergency service and we do not replace 112

  • An interpreter by phoneBetween you and the doctor, in English, Russian or another language

  • Contact with your insurerMedical report, itemised invoice and translation for reimbursement

Need help at a hospital?

Tell us where you are and what has happened. If a life is in danger, call 112 now instead of filling in the form.

Policy or medical document (optional)

For an urgent question, call us: +995 501 113 200, or message us on WhatsApp: +995 501 113 200.

What should I do if I fall ill in Georgia?

Five steps, in the order that loses the least time and money. The first two steps you take without us.

  1. Call 112

    Tell the dispatcher where you are: the address, the hotel name or a nearby landmark, then what has happened and how old the patient is. If you find it hard to explain in Georgian, ask the hotel staff, your host or someone nearby to help with the call.

  2. Notify your insurer

    The assistance service's number is on your policy. Many policies require you to report a hospital admission as soon as possible; a delay can make it harder to recover part of the cost. The exact condition is in your policy.

  3. Take with you to the hospital

    Your passport, your insurance policy on paper or on your phone, a list of current medicines, any allergies and, if you have them, documents about chronic conditions. Note down the phone number of a family member or the person travelling with you too.

  4. Contact us

    By form, by phone or on WhatsApp. We arrange an interpreter by phone for your conversation with the doctor and, with your consent, contact the clinic and your insurer.

  5. Keep every piece of paper

    Medical certificate, invoice, receipts, pharmacy slips and prescriptions. When you claim reimbursement, these documents decide how much you get back.

Who pays for emergency treatment in Georgia?

The Law of Georgia on Health Care gives the right to use state healthcare programmes to citizens of Georgia and to stateless persons with the relevant status. Foreign visitors are not among the beneficiaries of the Universal Healthcare Programme.

Cost Who pays What you should know
Calling 112 Free From any mobile or landline phone
Ambulance crew Depends on the case Do not count on the service being free; keep any paper you are given and submit it to your insurer
Hospital treatment The patient or the insurer The clinic often waits for the insurer's guarantee of payment or asks the patient for the money
Medicines after discharge The patient Reimbursed if your policy covers them; the receipt and prescription are essential
Return home for medical reasons The patient or the insurer In many policies repatriation is a separate item and is organised by the assistance company

The question of payment should not hold up the start of treatment. Under the Law of Georgia on Health Care, a doctor must provide medical care to a patient whose life is in danger or who needs emergency care; services may be refused only when there is no such condition. The cost still has to be paid afterwards, which is why insurance matters so much.

Mandatory insurance for tourists since 2026

Under Article 12 of the Law of Georgia on Tourism, a tourist coming to Georgia must have mandatory health and accident insurance. The requirement has applied since 1 January 2026, and the details are set out in Government Resolution No. 602 of 26 December 2025. A tourist is a visitor who comes for business, leisure or personal purposes and stays at least one night and no longer than one year.

  • The sum insured is at least GEL 30,000.
  • The policy covers health and accident risks for the entire visit, including the days of arrival and departure.
  • The policy may be issued by a Georgian or a foreign insurer, on paper or electronically, in Georgian or English.
  • The Ministry of Internal Affairs may check the policy when you cross the border.

The obligation does not apply, for example, to holders of diplomatic or special visas and of diplomatic, service or special passports, to accredited diplomats and their families, to persons covered by an international agreement or to international haulage drivers. If you are coming for treatment, bear in mind that a travel policy meets the entry requirement but usually does not cover the planned treatment you are coming for. We explain how to choose a policy and what to look for in the small print in the insurance guide. We do not sell insurance.

What we do while you are in hospital

Our role is coordination: we connect you, the doctor, your family and your insurer, so that everyone knows what is happening, in the same way and in good time. Treatment decisions are made by the treating doctor and coverage decisions by the insurer; we do not take the place of either.

  • Interpreter. Conversations with the doctor by phone or video call and, during a longer hospital stay, an interpreter on site at agreed times. More on the interpreter page.
  • Contact with the clinic. We find out who the treating doctor is, when test results are expected and when discharge will be considered, and pass this on to you and your family in your language.
  • Contact with your insurer. With your consent, we provide the assistance company with the clinic's medical report and cost estimate, follow up the guarantee of payment and tell the clinic when it arrives.
  • Documents for reimbursement. The itemised invoice, medical report, discharge summary and receipts, translated into English or your insurer's language by our medical translation service.
  • Family arrival. If a relative flies in, we help with an airport transfer and accommodation near the clinic.
  • Disputes. If you believe an invoice or an insurer's refusal is unfair, the case is passed to an Advocat.Ge lawyer; see the legal help page.

Getting home: scheduled flight, escort or medical transport

Whether you can fly, and under what conditions, is decided by the treating doctor, and the airline sometimes needs its own medical form. Depending on that, there are several options: an ordinary flight with a wheelchair and airport assistance, a flight with a doctor or nurse as escort, a stretcher on a scheduled flight or a medical charter flight. If your insurer is organising repatriation, we support its assistance service on the ground and do not set up parallel, duplicate arrangements. If your insurance does not cover it, we arrange transport through our VIP and critical care service, and we describe the whole process on the return home page.

If your illness has extended your visit beyond what you are allowed, tell us early. Citizens of many countries can stay in Georgia without a visa for one year, but for some e-visa holders the limit is 30 days, and a short-term visa cannot be extended from within Georgia. In that situation, a lawyer assesses the legal options. All our other services for international patients are gathered on the main page.

Frequently asked questions: falling ill in Georgia

What should I do if I fall ill while travelling in Georgia?

If your condition is serious, call 112 immediately and give your exact address. Then notify your insurer using the number on your policy, because many policies require prompt notification. Take your passport, your policy and a list of your current medicines to the hospital. If you find it hard to talk to the doctor or need to deal with your insurer, contact us: we arrange an interpreter by phone and, with your consent, contact the clinic and your insurer. In a less urgent case you can also go to a private clinic, but ask your insurer about that in advance too.

What number do I call for an ambulance in Georgia?

Georgia's single emergency number is 112. It covers the ambulance, police and fire services, works around the clock, and calls are free from any mobile or landline phone. When you call, first say where you are, then what has happened. If you find it hard to explain in Georgian, ask someone nearby or a member of the hotel staff for help. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has a mobile app, "112 Georgia". Our number does not replace 112: we step in after the call.

Is emergency medical care free for tourists in Georgia?

Calling 112 is free, and by law a doctor must help a patient whose life is in danger. That does not mean treatment is free, however. The cost of hospital treatment, tests and medicines is paid by the foreign visitor or their insurer. Do not count on the ambulance crew's services being free either. That is exactly why, since 2026, health and accident insurance has been mandatory for every tourist.

Does Georgian state healthcare cover me as a foreigner?

No. The Universal Healthcare Programme is designed for citizens of Georgia and a few protected categories, such as stateless persons with status, refugees and asylum seekers. A foreign tourist or a patient who has come for treatment is not one of its beneficiaries. The Law of Georgia on Health Care likewise gives the right to use state programmes to citizens and to stateless persons with status. So the cost is covered by you or your insurer, and you should read the terms of your policy before you arrive.

Is insurance mandatory for travel to Georgia?

Yes. Since 1 January 2026, tourists must have health and accident insurance under the Law of Georgia on Tourism and Government Resolution No. 602. The policy must cover the entire visit, including the days of arrival and departure, and the sum insured must be at least GEL 30,000. The policy may be Georgian or foreign, on paper or electronic, in Georgian or English, and it may be checked at the border. There are exceptions, for example for holders of diplomatic passports.

How do I get home if I cannot fly on an ordinary flight?

First the treating doctor must assess under what conditions you can fly. In some cases a wheelchair and airport assistance are enough; in others you need a doctor or nurse as an escort, a stretcher on a scheduled flight or a medical charter flight. If your policy covers repatriation, it is usually arranged by your insurer's assistance company, while we help on the ground with documents, translation and contact with the clinic. If your insurance does not cover it, we set out the options and costs in writing before you decide.

You are not alone in a hospital abroad

Tell us which city and hospital you are in and which language you want to speak. We arrange an interpreter and contact the clinic and your insurer.

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Fallen ill in Georgia? 112 first, then us.

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