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Tbilisi International Airport

Tbilisi, Georgia

Tbilisi is a small airport run by TAV Georgia: a Departures Terminal and a newer Arrival Terminal joined into one connected building, so there is no bus or train between terminals. On one ticket between two international flights you stay inside, with no passport control, and go through one more security check. Information desks in both halls are open 24 hours but sit before security.

Airport staff speak English at every airport in these guides. Showing the help card, or the title of the step you are on, is enough; you do not need the local language.

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Both flights on ONE ticket

Your bags go through. You only change planes.

  1. Leave the plane with all your hand luggage

    Take every bag you carried on board. The airport says that on a transfer between two international flights your checked bags are sent on to the connecting flight automatically, as long as they were checked through to your final destination. Look at your bag tag receipts: they should name the city you are flying to, not Tbilisi. If you are not sure, ask at the transfer counter.

  2. Do not go to passport control: follow the transfer signs

    The airport says a transfer passenger does not go through passport control, but goes directly through the transit area into the International Departures hall. Do not follow signs for ARRIVALS, BAGGAGE CLAIM or EXIT. The airport's pages speak of the transit area and the transfer counter, but we could not confirm the exact words on the signs. Ask anyone in a uniform and show your boarding pass or ticket if you are unsure.

  3. Go to the transfer counter if you already have your onward boarding card

    The airport's transfers page says: if you hold a valid boarding card for your onward flight and your bags are checked through, go to the transfer counter, which it calls the connecting flights transfer counter, on the second level of the Departures Terminal. Show your passport, ticket and boarding card. Staff will issue your boarding pass for the onward flight and will assist you to the gate. If you do not yet have an onward boarding card, or your bags must be rechecked, the same page says to collect your bags, exit into the arrivals hall through customs and check in again in the Departures Terminal. That means passport control and entering Georgia, so follow the 'Separate tickets' steps below and have your insurance and documents ready. If you are not sure which case is yours, go to the transfer counter first and ask.

  4. Go through the security check again

    The airport says transit passengers must pass the security checks again before going to the boarding gate. Before your turn, take your phone, coins, belt and jacket out and put them in the tray. Take laptops and other electronics out of their bags into a separate tray. Do not cross the red line until the person in front of you is cleared. Tell the staff before screening if you carry gold or money and want a private search.

  5. Find your gate on the screens

    After security, look for your flight number on the departure screens. If you cannot find it, ask staff at the transfer counter or at any gate and show your boarding pass. The airport's information desks are before security, in the check-in and arrival halls, so do not walk back to them. If nobody can help, phone the 24-hour information desk on +995 32 231 03 41. Gates can change, so look at the screens again before you walk to the gate.

  6. Wait near your gate

    The gates are in the International Departures hall, after the security check. The airport places its Primeclass Lounge after security and passport control by Gate 101, so the gates are in that part of the building. No walking times are published, but the airport is small. Sit where you can see a flight screen and check it from time to time. Listen for your flight number.

  7. If you need help at any point

    Ask staff at the transfer counter or at your gate. The airport's wheelchair assistance phone numbers are +995 577 999 183 and +995 322 310 421, and it says assistance is provided throughout your journey as long as you need it. For a medical problem, tell the nearest staff member and ask them to call the airport's medical point, which has doctors 24 hours a day on +995 32 310 467. The medical point is in the middle of the Arrivals and Departures hall, before security, so do not try to walk there on your own.

Flights on SEPARATE tickets

You collect your bags and check in again. Allow much more time.

  1. Follow the ARRIVALS signs to passport control

    On separate tickets your bags are usually not sent through. The airport says a passenger without an onward boarding card, or whose baggage must be rechecked, must collect the baggage, exit into the arrivals hall and go to the check-in counters. That means you enter Georgia. Check the entry rules for your passport at home before you fly, and buy the health and accident insurance that Georgia now asks of every tourist (see 'Passport control' below).

  2. Passport control

    The airport says all international travellers pass through immigration. Show your passport. From 1 January 2026 every tourist entering Georgia must show a valid health and accident insurance policy with cover of at least 30,000 GEL, printed or electronic, in Georgian or English, valid for the whole stay; the Embassy of Georgia in Iran published this rule. Buy it before you fly and keep a printed copy in your hand luggage. Have your onward ticket and your hotel or address ready too, because the Georgian e-visa portal says a border officer may ask for your passport, proof of the purpose of travel, proof of accommodation, insurance and proof of sufficient money. The airport says a Fast Track service is available at immigration, but gives no details.

  3. Collect your bags

    Your bags come to one of 4 carousels in the arrivals area. The screen near the belts shows which belt is for your flight, and each belt has its own screen. Trolleys are free throughout the baggage claim area. If a bag is missing or damaged, go to the Lost and Found office next to the baggage claim area, phone +995 32 2310 263 or +995 32 2310 328, or ask your airline's representative.

  4. Walk out through customs into the Arrival Hall

    The airport says to exit into the arrivals hall through one of the normal customs exits. Customs rules are published by the Georgian Revenue Service at rs.ge, and the airport gives the customs phone number +995 32 2262188. In the Arrival Hall there is an information desk in the middle, open 24 hours (phone +995 32 231 04 21), a meeting point, banks, currency exchange and a medical point.

  5. Go to the Departures Terminal and check in again

    The check-in counters are in the Departures Terminal, which is joined to the Arrival Terminal in one connected building. No airport page describes the way in words, so follow the DEPARTURES or CHECK-IN signs, or ask at the information desk in the middle of the Arrival Hall, which is open 24 hours. In the Departure Hall another information desk in the middle of the hall can show you your airline's check-in desk, and the displays show the check-in row numbers. For international flights the airport says check-in opens 3 hours before departure and closes 60 minutes before. Kiosks print boarding passes only for Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, LOT and Air France, and do not take bags. If you have many hours to wait, the Luggage Office in the Departures Terminal keeps bags 24 hours a day for 20 or 30 GEL per 24 hours, phone +995 322 31 04 54.

  6. Security check, then passport control, then your gate

    After check-in you go through the security check and then passport control to leave Georgia. The airport describes the order as 'after Security and Passport Control'. Have your boarding pass and passport ready. A paid Fast Track is sold at a desk before the security checkpoints. Then find your gate on the screens.

  7. Give yourself plenty of time

    The airport publishes no minimum connection time. It says to be at the airport 120 minutes before a flight, and international check-in closes 60 minutes before departure. On separate tickets you also pass passport control, collect bags, and check in again. As plain advice for an older traveller, plan at least 4 hours between landing and the next flight, and more if the first flight is often late. Nobody has to hold your second plane for you on separate tickets.

  8. If you miss your second flight

    The airport says that if you are late for check-in you should go to your airline's office in the Departures Hall. Go there straight away. On separate tickets the second airline may not have to rebook you, so keep its phone number with you. Georgian Airways' number is +995 322 111 220. The airport's customer relations email is info.tbs@tav.aero.

Passport control

On one ticket between two international flights, the airport says you do not go through passport control: you go through the transit area straight into the International Departures hall. Georgia's e-visa portal says you do not need a visa if you do not leave the international transit area, and Georgia's law on aliens says stopover passengers need no transit visa if they hold a document giving them the right to enter their destination country, and that they may not leave the designated transit area at the airport. If you are on separate tickets, or must collect bags, you enter Georgia and pass passport control. For Iranian citizens with an ordinary passport, the Georgia and Iran agreement published in Georgia's legal register gives the right to stay without a visa for up to 45 days from the first entry. We could not find a current Georgian foreign ministry page that restates this rule, so confirm it with your airline or the Georgian embassy before you fly. The Embassy of Georgia in Iran says that from 1 January 2026 every tourist entering Georgia must hold and show health and accident insurance with cover of at least 30,000 GEL, printed or electronic, in Georgian or English, valid for the whole stay. At the border, officers may also ask for proof of the purpose of travel, proof of accommodation and proof of sufficient money. The airport says to find out before your journey whether you need a transit visa.

Getting around

The Departures Terminal and the Arrival Terminal are joined into one connected building, so there are no buses or trains between terminals. The transfer counter is on the second level of the Departures Terminal, and the gates are after security in the International Departures hall. The airport does not describe its levels in words and publishes no walking times, so ask staff for the way. To leave the airport: taxis wait outside at the curbside of the Arrival Hall, 24 hours a day. The airport lists a fixed fare of 40 GEL to the city centre and 50 GEL to the suburbs, about 20 to 30 minutes, with the airport taxi phone +995 550 506040 and website tbstaxi.ge. City bus 337 stops in front of the Arrival hall and runs to Station Square through the city; a single fare is 1 GEL, paid with a Metro money card (2 GEL to buy) or a bank card, and the airport's timetable shows 06:59 and 22:59. The airport says paying with cash is possible only on buses with a cash register and does not give the 90-minute unlimited ride.

Wheelchair and special help here

Ask your airline, not the airport. The airport says to book assistance in advance with your airline or travel agent, ideally when you book, and at least 48 hours before travel. Georgian Airways says the request must be made 48 hours before departure and that the service is free for all destinations. Tell the airline if you bring your own wheelchair or scooter. Ask for help on every flight of your trip, including the connection. If you could not book in advance, the airport says to go to the information desk or the special assistance stand at the entrance of the Departures Terminal, or ask directly at the check-in counter. The stand has a phone: pick it up to speak to a member of staff. The airport also says free wheelchairs are available throughout the terminal, ask at the nearest information desk, and that it can arrange a personal helper to accompany you at all times through check-in, passport control, security, baggage claim and customs. For wheelchair help at the airport, phone +995 577 999 183 or +995 322 310 421.

The special assistance stand is at the entrance of the Departures Terminal and has a phone to call staff. Information desks are in the middle of the Departure and Arrival terminals and are staffed 24 hours a day. On arrival, the airport says your own wheelchair or mobility aid is delivered to you as you leave the plane, brought to the aircraft door by a lift. If you cannot use stairs or an air bridge, special assistance staff provide an Ambulift vehicle that lifts you from the aircraft door to the ground and takes you to the terminal, with staff accompanying you. For a transfer, the airport says its transfer counter staff will assist you to the boarding gate.

The airport says assistance is provided throughout your journey as long as you need it, and that if you need a carer or companion, staff will make sure they can go with you. Georgian Airways says no medical form is needed if you only need help at the airport and getting on and off the plane, and that a wheelchair, crutches or other mobility aid travels free on top of your baggage allowance. Special assistance passengers get priority at check-in. The medical point in the middle of the Arrivals and Departures hall has doctors 24 hours a day: +995 32 310 467. The airport prints a second number on its current pages as +955 32 310 345, which looks like a misprint of +995 32 310 345. Whether a helper meets you at the aircraft door on a connection is not written on any official page we found.

Where to ask for help

Information desks are in the middle of the Departure and Arrival terminals, before security, staffed 24 hours a day: Departures +995 32 231 03 41, Arrivals +995 32 231 04 21. The connecting flights transfer counter is on the second level of the Departures Terminal; once you are in the transit area, it and the gate staff are your help points. The special assistance stand, with a phone to staff, is at the entrance of the Departures Terminal. The Lost and Found office is next to the baggage claim area in the Arrivals hall (+995 32 2310 263, +995 32 2310 328, tbslostandfound@tav.aero). Signs in the Arrival Hall point to the official meeting point and the information desk. Airline offices are in the Departures Hall. Customer relations email: info.tbs@tav.aero. Georgian Airways: +995 322 111 220. The airport website is in English and Georgian only; whether any staff speak Persian is not stated. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the terminal.

Rest and comfort

The Primeclass Lounge is in the International Terminal after security and passport control, on the right side by Gate 101. It is open 24 hours every day, costs 60 EUR including VAT for up to 3 hours, and can be booked at primeclass.com.tr. TBC Concept Space is a space inside the Primeclass Lounge, with food, drinks and a small library; it is not a separate lounge, and the airport does not state its hours, price or who may enter. Free Wi-Fi works throughout the terminal. The medical point in the middle of the Arrivals and Departures hall, before security, has doctors 24 hours a day (+995 32 310 467). The airport's health page lists a GPC Pharmacy but gives no phone number or hours. Free trolleys are in the baggage claim area. The Luggage Office in the Departures Terminal is open 24 hours (20 GEL per 24 hours for a bag up to 40 x 25 x 65 cm, 30 GEL for a bigger one). Smoking is allowed only in marked smoking areas. Banks, ATMs and currency exchange offices are in both the Arrival and Departure halls: Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank and Liberty Bank, plus a Smart Exchange currency machine in Departures. We found no prayer room, quiet room or free rest area on any official page.

My help card

Print this page, fill in the lines by hand, and keep the card in your pocket.

I am traveling alone. I need help to find my connecting flight. Please show me the way, or call someone who can help me. Thank you.

You can type the details here before printing. They stay on this device only.

Partly checked against official pages.

What we could not confirm (19)
  • We could not confirm the exact wording and colour of the transfer signs. The airport's pages say 'transit area', 'transfer counter' and 'International Departures hall', but no page shows what the signs say.
  • We could not confirm which level the Arrival Hall and Departure Hall are on, or how you walk from one to the other. An old 2021 airport leaflet draws them as separate halls side by side, and the transfers page says only that the transfer counter is on the second level of the Departures Terminal.
  • We could not confirm whether the transfer counter comes before or after the transit security check; no airport page gives the order.
  • We could not confirm what happens at the transfer counter if you have no onward boarding card. The airport's transfers page says you must collect your bags and check in again; its transit guide says a boarding card not issued at your origin is issued at the transit desk of the handling company. The two pages disagree.
  • No official minimum connection time was found for Tbilisi. The 4-hour figure for separate tickets is plain advice, not an official rule.
  • We could not confirm that the 45-day visa-free rule for Iranian ordinary passports is in force today on a current Ministry of Foreign Affairs page. The consular portal's visa pages showed only 'loading' and 'test mode', and the e-visa information page returned a server error. The 2010 agreement is published as in force since 26 January 2011 in Georgia's legal register, but the register entry does not record that Georgia suspended the regime in 2013 and restored it in February 2016, so the register alone does not prove its status today.
  • We could not confirm whether the 30,000 GEL insurance rule also applies to passengers who stay in the transit area; the embassy notice speaks of tourists entering Georgia.
  • We could not confirm whether Iranian bank cards work at the airport. No official page says anything about Iranian cards, so take cash or a foreign card. The airport lists banks, ATMs and currency exchange offices in both halls but not which cards they accept.
  • We could not confirm whether there is a prayer room, quiet room or free rest area. No official page mentions one.
  • We could not confirm whether a helper meets wheelchair users at the aircraft door on a connection, or whether assistance booked with the first airline carries on to the second flight. The airport only says assistance is provided throughout your journey.
  • We could not confirm a liquids rule at security. The airport's security pages do not give a 100 ml rule; they only ban drinks with 70 percent or more alcohol in hand luggage.
  • We could not confirm the details of the arrival Fast Track at immigration (price, where to buy). The Arrivals Hall page only says a Fast Track service is available; the Primeclass page prices the departure Fast Track at 27.50 EUR.
  • We could not confirm how the airport taxi is paid (cash or card). The taxi page gives fares but not payment methods.
  • We could not confirm whether the bus timetable times 06:59 and 22:59 are the first and last buses in each direction.
  • We could not confirm the opening hours of TBC Concept Space, its price or who may enter.
  • We could not confirm whether a train stop is still in use opposite the terminal. The 2021 leaflet lists a public train to the main train station, but the current To & From the Airport pages mention only bus and taxi.
  • We could not confirm whether any staff speak Persian. The airport website is in English and Georgian only.
  • We could not confirm a current phone number for the airport pharmacy. The number +995 32 2 91 19 00 appears only in a 2021 leaflet, and the current health page lists GPC Pharmacy without a phone.
  • We could not confirm the second medical point number. Current airport pages print it as +955 32 310 345, which looks like a misprint of +995 32 310 345; the first number, +995 32 310 467, is printed correctly.

Airports change signs, gates and rules. This guide is general help, not an official instruction. Always follow the staff and the screens, and check with your airline.

Last prepared 5 November 2026.

Where this comes from (26)