Decree 602 buying guide · honest comparison
Quick answerCover and international insurers solve different problems. Cover is purpose-built for Georgia's Decree 602 border check: 30,000 GEL in Lari, English + Georgian bilingual PDF, underwritten by a Georgian insurer the Ministry of Internal Affairs already recognises. International policies (Allianz, SafetyWing, GeoBlue, IMG, World Nomads, AXA) are comprehensive travel insurance covering multi-country trips, cancellation, lost luggage, and delays. Many travellers buy both: an international policy for the trip, a Cover policy for unambiguous border compliance.
For these cases, the major international travel insurers serve travellers well. A policy that explicitly covers Georgia, with at least the 30,000 GEL equivalent, valid for your full stay, and issued in English or Georgian, satisfies Decree 602.
| Feature | Cover (Unison, Decree 602) | International travel insurer |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage geography | Georgia only | Worldwide (most policies) |
| Coverage scope | Medical and accident only | Comprehensive: medical, trip cancellation, lost luggage, delays |
| Coverage limit denomination | 30,000 GEL (Decree 602 minimum, in Lari) | Often USD or EUR; border officers may need to convert |
| Policy PDF languages | English + Georgian (bilingual, side-by-side) | Usually English only |
| Underwriter | JSC Insurance Company Unison (Georgian insurer, ISSSG-regulated) | Foreign insurer (may not be locally known by MIA officers) |
| Border officer recognition | Decree 602-compliant policy from a Georgian insurer | Accepted if it clearly meets the four Decree 602 criteria |
| Price (typical 7-day trip) | About 24.50 USD or 21.00 EUR in total | Tens of USD/EUR depending on age and scope |
| Trip cancellation | Not covered | Usually covered |
| Lost luggage | Not covered | Usually covered |
| Pre-existing conditions | Excluded (Decree 602 rule) | Sometimes included with declaration |
| Adventure sports | Standard medical evacuation included; competitive sports excluded | Usually a paid add-on |
| Claim handling | Unison 24/7 hotline +995 32 2 991 991, Georgian hospitals | Insurer's global assistance network |
A common pattern for travellers who already hold an international policy: keep that policy for the trip itself - cancellation, lost bags, multi-country medical - and add a Cover policy purely to close the border-compliance question. The Cover premium for a short trip is small relative to the price of an international policy, so the marginal cost of removing border ambiguity is low.
Border officers do not check that you only have one policy. They check that you have at least one Decree 602-compliant policy. Two policies on file does not create a problem.
Officers at every Georgian land and air border check four things on the certificate you show:
A Cover-issued PDF presents all four in a fixed layout, in both English and Georgian, with the policy number, Unison's details, and the 30,000 GEL figure printed clearly. An international-insurer certificate works too if it covers the same ground unambiguously.
Possibly. An international policy meets Decree 602 only if it (a) explicitly covers the territory of Georgia, (b) provides at least 30,000 GEL or equivalent of medical and accident cover, (c) is valid for the full duration of your stay, and (d) the certificate is in English or Georgian. Border officers compare the printed values to those four criteria. Policies denominated in EUR or USD are usually accepted if the equivalent clearly exceeds 30,000 GEL; ambiguous documents can trigger questioning.
Cover sells exactly one product: the Unison-underwritten Decree 602 compulsory policy with 30,000 GEL of medical and accident cover inside Georgia. International policies are comprehensive travel insurance - they include trip cancellation, lost luggage, missed connection, multi-country coverage, and adventure-sports add-ons. The price difference reflects the scope difference, not a quality gap.
Many travellers do. A common pattern: keep an international policy for trip cancellation, lost luggage, and any non-Georgia segments of the trip; buy a Cover policy for unambiguous Decree 602 border compliance (GEL-denominated, bilingual PDF, Georgian insurer). The Cover policy is cheap enough that pairing it with an international policy is a low-cost way to remove border ambiguity.
3.50 USD or 3.00 EUR per traveler per day, with no minimum policy or fees
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