Citizenship by descent (jus sanguinis) at birth — one parent a citizen (Art 10(a))
Citizenship in Georgia
- Eligibility
- Georgia acquires citizenship at birth by jus sanguinis: a person is a citizen of Georgia by birth if, at the moment of his/her birth, one of his/her parents is a citizen of Georgia (Art 10(a)). Either parent suffices, and the rule carries NO generational limit and NO territorial qualifier — the statute requires only that one parent hold Georgian citizenship at the child's birth. A child who at birth acquires both Georgian and a foreign citizenship retains both from birth until the age of 18, but the Georgian citizenship is terminated at 18 unless a retention application is filed during minority (Art 21-1(3)).
- Timeline
- automatic
- Renunciation
- Not required
Overview
Georgia acquires citizenship at birth by jus sanguinis: a person is a citizen of Georgia by birth if, at the moment of his/her birth, one of his/her parents is a citizen of Georgia (Art 10(a)). Either parent suffices, and the rule carries NO generational limit and NO territorial qualifier — the statute requires only that one parent hold Georgian citizenship at the child's birth. A child who at birth acquires both Georgian and a foreign citizenship retains both from birth until the age of 18, but the Georgian citizenship is terminated at 18 unless a retention application is filed during minority (Art 21-1(3)).
Who qualifies
- Georgia acquires citizenship at birth by jus sanguinis: a person is a citizen of Georgia by birth if, at the moment of his/her birth, one of his/her parents is a citizen of Georgia (single-parent rule — either parent suffices, no territorial requirement). - Establishment (recognition) of existing citizenship: persons born in Georgia before 21 December 1991 who resided in Abkhazia or the Tskhinvali Region (former South Ossetia AO) before that date, and their children, are DEEMED citizens of Georgia (by-operation establishment, not naturalisation) provided they have not acquired foreign citizenship and no Art 16 ground applies.
Legal basis
Primary statute: Organic Law on Georgian Citizenship Art 10(a); Constitution Art 32(2). Operative 1993-03-25–present. Authority: Public Service Development Agency (PSDA); President of Georgia (grant/loss decree).
Example scenarios
eligible
Citizen by birth under Art 10(a): at least one parent (here both) is a Georgian citizen at the moment of birth. Acquisition is automatic and single (no foreign citizenship), so the Art 21-1 retention/single-citizenship machinery is not engaged.
eligible
Citizen by birth under Art 10(a): a person is a citizen of Georgia by birth if at the moment of birth one of the parents is a Georgian citizen. The single-parent rule suffices (either parent), and no territorial qualifier or oath applies to by-birth acquisition (Art 8 oath is for naturalisation only). Acquisition is automatic at birth.
conditional
She acquired Georgian citizenship by birth under Art 10(a) and a foreign citizenship by birth, so under Art 21-1(3) she retains Georgian citizenship from birth UNTIL age 18; if a retention application is not submitted before she reaches 18 her Georgian citizenship is TERMINATED. The Georgian status is retained at present but is conditional on a timely Art 21-1(3) retention application by a parent/legal representative (with the other parent's consent if filed by one) before majority.
not eligible
Under Art 21-1(3) a by-birth Georgian/foreign minor retains Georgian citizenship only until 18; because no retention application was submitted before majority, his Georgian citizenship was TERMINATED at 18. He is now a former citizen and would have to pursue restoration (GE-RST-01) rather than assert subsisting by-birth citizenship.
eligible
Once Georgian citizenship attaches at birth under Art 10(a), it is independent of subsequent parental citizenship changes: Art 5(4) provides a change in the citizenship of one or both parents shall not result in a change of the children's citizenship. Tamar remains a Georgian citizen notwithstanding her mother's later change.
eligible
Art 10(a) keys acquisition to a parent being a Georgian citizen 'at the moment of birth'. Once parentage to the Georgian-citizen father is legally established, the by-birth bond attaches as of birth. (Per GE-ASSERT-006, the timing mechanics of establishing parentage sit in the Civil Code and are flagged NLR-MED; the citizenship-statute eligibility itself is met because the father was a Georgian citizen at the child's birth.)
Informational summary compiled from primary legal sources — not legal advice. Citizenship law changes; verify with the competent authority before acting. Last verified 2026-06-25.
Track changes to this route
Descent and naturalization rules change. We'll email you in plain English when anything affecting Georgia updates — no spam.