International protection in Georgia: new deadlines, closed proceedings and the appeal procedure

The overall logic of the changes is to make the procedure faster, more formal and stricter in terms of procedural discipline.

For the state this means a more manageable administrative and judicial procedure. For foreigners and stateless persons it means shorter deadlines, more obligations and a higher risk of losing asylum seeker status because of a formal breach.

Key changes:

1. the applicant acquires an obligation to appear, within 5 working days, at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and provide contact details in certain cases;
2. when applying for international protection at the border or in the transit zone, the applicant must hand over their travel document, if they have one;
3. the asylum seeker certificate can only be obtained by appearing in person at the Migration Department;
4. questionnaire and interview materials will be released only after the final decision on the application has been served;
5. the grounds for terminating the asylum procedure are being expanded;
6. new rules for serving decisions are being introduced, including via the MIA website;
7. the deadline for going to court in international protection cases is being shortened to 10 calendar days;
8. the appellate instance becomes the final judicial instance;
9. many matters will be considered without an oral hearing.

The changes affect:

1. foreigners who apply for international protection in Georgia;
2. stateless persons who apply for international protection;
3. asylum seekers;
4. persons who have already been granted refugee status;
5. persons with subsidiary protection;
6. persons with temporary protection;
7. foreigners who apply for international protection at Georgia's state border;
8. persons held in a penitentiary facility, a temporary accommodation centre or a temporary detention facility;
9. lawyers and legal representatives of such persons;
10. foreigners who appeal MIA decisions on international protection matters.

In practice, the amendments are especially important for those applying for protection in a non-standard situation: at the border, after illegally crossing the border, during removal proceedings, during extradition proceedings, in a penitentiary facility or in a temporary accommodation centre.

A separate block of changes concerns cases where a foreigner or stateless person requests international protection:

1. at Georgia's state border;
2. in a transit zone under Georgia's control.

In such a situation the procedure becomes more formalised.
If the applicant has a travel document, they are obliged to hand it to the authorised official. The document will be held at the Ministry of Internal Affairs until the asylum procedure is completed.

This is an important change, because previously the question of storing the travel document in such situations was not regulated so clearly.

In practice this means that a person requesting international protection at the border will not be able to freely dispose of their passport or other travel document until the procedure is completed. The state effectively fixes the applicant's identity and controls their further procedural position.

One of the key new obligations is to appear at the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 5 working days and provide mandatory contact information.

This obligation arises, in particular, when a person:

1. requests international protection after illegally crossing the state border;
2. obtains the right to enter Georgia's territory as part of the border application procedure;
3. was released from a penitentiary facility, a temporary accommodation centre or a temporary detention facility before a decision was made on their application.

The applicant must provide:

1. a mobile phone number;
2. an email address;
3. a place of residence, if they have one.

The authorised MIA official must explain this obligation in a language the applicant understands, or in a language they can reasonably be assumed to understand. The applicant signs confirmation that the obligation and the consequences of failing to fulfil it have been explained to them.

This is not a technical formality. Failure to fulfil this obligation may lead to termination of the asylum procedure or to a decision taking effect without the applicant actually receiving the document.

The amendments tighten control over travel documents.

If an application for international protection is found admissible and the person is issued an asylum seeker certificate, the MIA seizes their travel document, if they have one.

The document is returned only after the relevant procedure is completed and the decision has taken legal effect.

Depending on the situation, this may be:

1. termination of the asylum procedure;
2. refusal to grant refugee status;
3. refusal to grant subsidiary protection;
4. termination, revocation or deprivation of an already granted status;
5. refusal to extend subsidiary protection;
6. a court decision taking effect, if the MIA decision was appealed.

The case of applying for protection at the border or in the transit zone is regulated separately: there the travel document is handed over immediately upon application and held at the MIA until the procedure is completed.

Practical takeaway: when applying for international protection, the applicant must understand that their passport or other travel document may be seized for the entire duration of the procedure.

If an application for international protection is found admissible, the foreigner or stateless person is issued an asylum seeker certificate.

On the basis of this certificate, a temporary identification document is issued.
But an important clarification appears: to obtain the asylum seeker certificate, the applicant must appear in person at the MIA Migration Department.

This means that submitting the application, or the application being found admissible, does not replace appearing in person to collect the document.

There is also an exception: the asylum seeker certificate and temporary ID are not issued if the asylum seeker is held in a penitentiary facility, an MIA temporary accommodation centre or a temporary detention facility.

The amendments separately regulate access to information and documents gathered on an international protection application.

Case materials, including questionnaire and interview materials, will be released to the applicant, their legal representative or lawyer only after the applicant has been served the final decision on the international protection application.

This is an important change for building a legal position.

On the one hand, the state fixes the moment from which the applicant and their representative gain access to the full body of materials. On the other hand, until the final decision is served, the defence may be restricted in accessing certain materials that are already held by the administrative body.

In practice this raises the importance of the initial interview, the questionnaire and the documents the applicant submits at the very start of the procedure. Correcting errors or supplementing the position after receiving the materials may be harder because of the short appeal deadlines.

The amendments introduce several new grounds that may affect the fate of an international protection application.

- Accelerated review
An application may be found manifestly unfounded and reviewed on an accelerated basis if, after the circumstances the applicant relies on in the country of origin arose, they had a history of trips to Georgia but did not request international protection at the first opportunity.

In practice this means the state will assess not only the risks in the country of origin, but also the applicant's own conduct: when they learned of the risks, when they entered Georgia, why they did not apply for protection earlier.

If a person had already come to Georgia after the claimed circumstances arose but did not request protection, this may be used against them.

- Termination of the procedure
The asylum procedure may be terminated if the applicant:

1. failed to appear at the MIA Migration Department within the set deadline;
2. failed to provide the mandatory contact information;
3. voluntarily availed themselves of the protection of the country of origin;
4. acquired Georgian citizenship;
5. refused to hand over the travel document when applying for protection at the border or in the transit zone.

It is also clarified that in certain cases the procedure may be terminated even during a court dispute.

The most important consequence of terminating the procedure is that, after the decision to terminate is served, the person is no longer considered an asylum seeker.
This means that the special protection associated with asylum seeker status no longer applies to them.

In particular, the law expressly states that, after the decision to terminate the procedure is served, the non-refoulement principle established by the Law on International Protection no longer applies to the person, and from that moment their removal from Georgia or extradition becomes permissible.

This is one of the harshest blocks of the amendments.

It is especially important that the same approach applies where the decision to terminate the procedure is appealed in court: the mere fact of going to court does not always preserve the person's asylum seeker status and protection from removal.
In practice this means that missing procedural obligations - for example, failing to appear at the MIA or failing to provide contact details - may have not only an administrative but also a direct migration consequence: the risk of removal.

The amendments to the administrative procedure shorten the deadlines for judicial protection in international protection cases.

The deadline for applying to Tbilisi City Court in such cases is shortened to 10 calendar days.

The deadline runs from the day the relevant individual administrative-legal act is served in a language the person understands, or in a language the person comprehends.

This concerns disputes related to:

1. a claim for international protection;
2. the grant of international protection;
3. refusal to grant international protection;
4. termination of international protection;
5. revocation of international protection;
6. deprivation of international protection;
7. extension of subsidiary or temporary protection;
8. refusal to extend such protection.

Another significant change is that the appellate instance effectively becomes the final one.

The decision of the Tbilisi Court of Appeal in the relevant categories of cases will be final and not subject to further appeal.

This means that a cassation appeal to the Supreme Court in such cases is excluded.

Practical takeaway: whereas previously the applicant had more time and more judicial stages, now an error at the first stage may carry far greater weight. The claim and the appeal must be prepared as fully and precisely as possible.

One of the key procedural changes is a new procedure for serving judicial and administrative documents.

In cases related to international protection, court decisions, rulings and summonses may be served by posting them on the relevant website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The document will be deemed served from the day following the day it is posted on the website.

This creates a substantial practical risk.

A person may in fact not see the document, not check the website, not receive a notification or not understand the significance of the posted act. But legally the document will be deemed served, and the appeal deadline will start to run.

For this reason it becomes critically important for applicants and their representatives to:

1. monitor the MIA website;
2. check email;
3. promptly report up-to-date contact details to the MIA;
4. not change their phone number and address without notice;
5. agree in advance with a lawyer on how notifications will be monitored.

Separate rules are introduced for persons held in closed facilities.

These include:

1. penitentiary facilities;
2. temporary accommodation centres;
3. temporary detention facilities.

If a person applied for international protection while held in such a facility, or is still there at the time the decision is made, the general procedure of posting the notice or decision on the MIA website does not apply to them.

If the person is held in a penitentiary facility, the notice or decision is sent through the Special Penitentiary Service.

If the person is held in a temporary accommodation centre or a temporary detention facility, the document is served in person against signature.
But there is an important separate situation.

If a person filed an application for international protection in a penitentiary facility, a temporary accommodation centre or a temporary detention facility, and was then released before a decision was made, they must appear at the MIA within 5 working days and provide contact details.

If they fail to do so, the relevant decision may take effect 15 days after it is issued.

This concerns decisions on:

1. the admissibility or inadmissibility of the application;
2. the grant of or refusal to grant international protection;
3. termination, revocation or deprivation of status;
4. extension of subsidiary or temporary protection;
5. refusal to extend such protection.

In practice this means: release from a closed facility does not end the applicant's obligation to take part in the procedure. On the contrary, after release they have a very short deadline to contact the MIA.

These changes show the general direction of migration regulation: the state is speeding up procedures, shortening the deadlines for judicial review and increasing the significance of a foreigner's formal cooperation with administrative bodies.

For foreigners this means several practical conclusions.

First, international protection becomes more procedurally strict
Even if a person has genuine grounds to fear returning to the country of origin, breaching the procedure may worsen their position.

Failure to appear, failure to provide contacts, refusal to hand over a document or a late application may have serious consequences.

Second, the deadlines for protection are shortened
10 calendar days to go to court is a very short deadline, especially if the person:

1. does not speak Georgian;
2. is held in a closed facility;
3. has no lawyer;
4. does not understand the procedure for serving decisions;
5. received the document only in Georgian;
6. in fact learned of the decision later.

Third, the written position becomes critically important
Many matters will be considered without an oral hearing.

This means the court may decide on the basis of written materials. Therefore the claim, the appeal, the evidence and the legal argument must be prepared carefully from the very outset.

Fourth, an appeal does not always protect against removal
In some cases, after the procedure is terminated the person is no longer considered an asylum seeker, and the non-refoulement principle under the Law on International Protection no longer applies to them.

This makes it especially important not only to appeal, but also to prevent termination of the procedure in good time.

Fifth, contact details acquire legal significance
Phone, email and place of residence stop being merely formal information. Whether the person actually receives decisions, notifications and summonses may depend on them.

The amendments to Georgia's Law on International Protection and to the administrative procedure substantially change how international protection cases are handled.

The procedure becomes faster, more formal and stricter.
The main changes:

1. an obligation is introduced to appear at the MIA and provide contact details within 5 working days;
2. control over applicants' travel documents is tightened;
3. the asylum seeker certificate is issued only upon appearing in person;
4. case materials are released only after the final decision is served;
5. the grounds for terminating the procedure are expanded;
6. the deadline for going to court is shortened to 10 calendar days;
7. the appellate instance becomes the final one;
8. many matters will be considered without an oral hearing;
9. judicial and administrative acts may be deemed served via the MIA website;
10. breaching formal obligations may lead to loss of asylum seeker status and the risk of removal.

The main conclusion: after 1 July 2026, international protection cases in Georgia will critically depend not only on the substance of the application, but also on the applicant's procedural discipline.

Even where there are genuine risks in the country of origin, missing a deadline, failing to appear, failing to provide contact details or applying to court late may seriously worsen a foreigner's legal position.

So in such cases it is important to act quickly, document all circumstances, stay in contact with the MIA, monitor notifications and prepare a legal position in advance.