Georgia switches to digital passports
Technical parameters of new international passports will change in Georgia, adding a QR code and a special page for electronic data. This was reported by SPRESS.ge with reference to the corresponding order signed by Minister of Justice of Georgia Anri Okhanashvili on April 3, 2025. The passport reform will affect civil, service and diplomatic passports. It also applies to the so-called travel passports of refugees and stateless persons registered in the country. The design of the documents will be slightly changed. In particular, a relief image of the national flag of the country and its name will appear on the back of the colored cover of the passport. In addition, the design of the inner pages of the passports will be updated. The color scheme of the stubs themselves will still vary depending on the type of passport. It will be dark dogwood for a civil passport, dark blue for a diplomatic passport, black for a service passport, light blue for stateless persons and blue for refugees. The issuance of new-style passports will begin on June 4, 2025. However, previously issued old-style passports will remain valid for now.
As the source notes, in March 2025, the head of the Ministry of Justice legalized the process of introducing new civil ID cards by another order. The new Georgian ID cards will be closely integrated into the global digital ecosystem, also equipped with a QR code and will even allow for the expansion of technical parameters, including software support for CBDC electronic wallets. It is assumed that the new ID cards will comply with the global digital ID standard, and also contain vaccination certificates and even a digital wallet on the blockchain platform for transactions with the central bank's digital currency.
