Military conscription rules in Georgia
Planned amendments to Georgia’s Defence Code, introduced at the initiative of the ruling team, significantly change the rules for military conscription — particularly affecting citizens temporarily living abroad.
For example, a conscript who has left the country temporarily will be required to return to Georgia and report to a draft commission immediately after receiving notice of conscription. In addition, a draft notice will be considered delivered if it is published on the website of the body responsible for conscription.
The bill, authored by the Ministry of Defence, has already been placed on the parliamentary agenda, and the defence committee has approved it at its first reading.
New obligations for conscripts abroad
One of the key aspects of the changes concerns the duties of conscripts living outside Georgia. Under the draft law, they will be required to return to Georgia within a “reasonable time” immediately after receiving notice of conscription and report to the relevant commission.
Importantly, the draft stipulates that a draft notice will be considered delivered even if it is simply published on the website of the authority responsible for conscription — this applies to conscripts both inside Georgia and abroad.
In other words, if it is not possible to deliver the notice by other means (such as phone, email or post), the authority must publish it online no later than the second working day. In that case, the notice is deemed delivered on the seventh calendar day after publication, and the individual must report to the draft office within ten days.
Rules for delivering notices
The bill sets out in detail how information about conscription must be communicated. Several methods are предусмотрены:
- Personal delivery of the notice to the individual, confirmed by a signed document, or — in case of refusal — by an official act drawn up by an authorised person;
- Delivery via technical or communication means, confirmed by feedback or acknowledgment;
- Publication of the notice in open access on the official website.
A notice may be delivered not only to the conscript but also to an adult member of their family, as defined by a government resolution.
Changes in legal terminology
The amendments also affect related legislation. In particular, the law “On the procedure for Georgian citizens leaving Georgia and entering Georgia” will be updated: the phrase “immediately after receiving proper notification” will be replaced with a stricter formulation — “immediately after delivery of proper notification/draft notice”, creating a clearer legal obligation.
Secondary employment for military personnel
The draft law also regulates secondary employment for military personnel. With prior written approval from the Ministry of Defence, they will be allowed to work temporarily in a range of fields, including:
- Scientific, educational, creative and medical work;
- The information technology sector;
- State-owned enterprises or companies with state participation, including the aviation sector;
- Roles in international organisations במסגרת partnership or peacekeeping operations.
Such employment will be limited to a maximum period of one year and will require ministerial approval — in some cases, with the ministry directly involved in the selection process.
Consequences of terminating a contract
The amendments also affect contract-based military service. If a serviceman terminates their contract early, having served less than one year, they will be transferred to eight months of mandatory military service, unless they qualify for exemption or deferment.
Those who have served for more than one year will be placed in the reserve.
If all these legislative amendments are adopted, the administration of military conscription will become more centralised and formalised — particularly for citizens living abroad.
Military conscription rules in Georgia
