Visa runs
How to reset your year in the country: three destinations, every way of getting there, prices and how long it takes.
checked in August 2026Georgia gives citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the EU, the US and nearly a hundred other countries 365 visa-free days. As the year runs out, you reset the counter by leaving the country and coming back — that is a visa run.
🇹🇷 Turkey
🚐 Minibus 88 to the border
Leaves from Tbilisi Square for the Sarpi crossing, every 20–30 minutes.
- Cost:
- about 1.5 ₾, cash to the driver
- Journey time:
- about 30 minutes
- When:
- from early morning to evening
🚌 City bus 16
Runs Batumi — Gonio — Sarpi. Bigger and more comfortable than the minibus, but slower.
- Cost:
- by Batumi Card or contactless card
- Journey time:
- 40–50 minutes
- When:
- roughly 07:00 to 23:00
🚕 Taxi to Sarpi
Via Bolt, Yandex Go or Maxim. The fastest option, and good for two or three people sharing the fare.
- Cost:
- 20–30 ₾ one way
- Journey time:
- 20–25 minutes
🚏 Onwards into Turkey
From the Turkish side, minibuses and buses run to Kemalpaşa, Hopa, Rize and Trabzon. Trabzon is about two hours away.
- To Kemalpaşa:
- about 30 lira, lari accepted
- Payment:
- to the driver, usually as you get off
🚍 International coach
Metro Turizm and other Turkish operators run from Batumi deep into Turkey, as far as Istanbul. Worth it if you are combining the visa run with a trip.
- Tickets:
- on the operator's site or at the bus station
✈️ Plane
There are few direct flights from Batumi to Turkish cities and they are seasonal — almost always dearer and slower than the bus. Pointless for a visa run.
- Verdict:
- not an option for a day trip
🚶 How a visa run through Sarpi works
- 1Get to the border by minibus, bus or taxi.
- 2Clear Georgian passport control on the way out.
- 3Clear Turkish control on entry — the stamp goes in there.
- 4Turn around and clear Turkish control on the way out.
- 5Re-enter Georgia — the 365-day count starts again.
- 6Keep the stamps: they prove your stay is legal.
🇦🇲 Armenia
🚌 Direct coach, Batumi — Yerevan
One or two departures a day, leaving around midday and arriving in the evening.
- Journey time:
- about 11 hours
- Cost:
- roughly 100–120 ₾
- Tickets:
- at the bus station or online
🚂 Train via Tbilisi
There is no direct Batumi — Yerevan train. You change in Tbilisi: the fast train to the capital, then the overnight to Yerevan.
- Batumi — Tbilisi:
- 5–6 hours, from 25 ₾
- Tbilisi — Yerevan:
- overnight, about 10 hours
- In total:
- about 16 hours with the change
🚕 Car or transfer
The crossing is Sadakhlo — Bagratashen, open to pedestrians, cars and trains. From Batumi the road goes via Tbilisi.
- Journey time:
- 8–10 hours one way
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
🚂 Train, Tbilisi — Baku
The service resumed in May 2026. You change in Tbilisi. Tickets are sold at the Baku and Tbilisi station counters or on the Azerbaijan Railways site.
- Batumi — Tbilisi:
- 5–6 hours
- Tbilisi — Baku:
- overnight train
🚫 The land borders are closed
A foreigner cannot enter Azerbaijan by car or bus: the land crossings are shut, and the restriction has been extended to 1 October 2026. Only the railway works.
Check the border status before you travel — the deadline keeps being extended.
🛂 Visa
Russian citizens need no visa: up to 90 days in a calendar year. Other passports have their own rules — check in advance.
🔗 Timetables and tickets
- Georgian Railway ↗ — train timetables across Georgia
- tkt.ge ↗ — train and bus tickets online
- Metro Turizm ↗ — coaches across Turkey
- Infobus ↗ — international coaches, Yerevan included
💬 Telegram chats: the borders
Sarpi crossing chat (Georgia — Turkey)
The queue at the border right now: how long cars are waiting, how the pedestrian lanes are moving, which lanes are open. Check before you set off — it changes within the hour.
Verkhny Lars crossing chat
The same for the Russian border: the queue, the weather on the pass and when the road closes for avalanches.