Both neighboring states shut down their borders in March 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic. The Georgian-Armenian border has since remained open for only cargo shipments.
The Armenian government began easing its entry ban for foreigners later in 2020 and lifted it altogether in January this year.
By contrast, Georgia as kept its borders with Armenia as well as neighboring Azerbaijan, Russia and Turkey closed up until this month. The Georgian government announced last week that they will be reopened on June 1 to travelers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have tested negative against the virus up to three days prior to their arrival in the country.
Two of the three main Armenian-Georgian border crossings thus fully resumed their work on Tuesday. Most of the first travelers using them appeared to be Georgian citizens of Armenian descent.
“I have come from Georgia to visit my relatives,” one of them told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service “It’s very good that the borders are open again.”
Armenian customs officials warned people heading for Georgia to have documentary evidence of both their vaccination and negative test results.
Individuals entering Armenia by air or via its land borders are also required to provide such documentation or undergo coronavirus tests upon arrival.
Georgia and especially its Black Sea resorts were a popular travel destination for Armenian holidaymakers before the pandemic. Also, many Armenians traveled to and from Russia via Georgia.
According to official statistics, the number of tourists visiting Armenia and Georgia plummeted by more than 80 percent last year.