Are there public bomb shelters in Georgia?

Short answer. Georgia's Law on Civil Security makes sheltering a core civil-protection measure: metro structures, caves, bunkers, tunnels and suitable basements may be used as shelters, and Emergency Management Service (EMS) territorial units register them ¹. But no official public list, map or count of shelters was found, and the decree that should set shelter characteristics and registration has still not been adopted ¹².

What does Georgian law count as a shelter?

Article 21 of the Law of Georgia on Civil Security (No. 2608-IIს, 27 June 2018) deals with shelters ¹. Under Article 21(3), the following may be used as shelters ¹:

• underground metro structures;
• caves;
• bunkers and tunnels;
• basement floors and rooms of buildings suitable as shelters, including dual-use ones.

Article 3 defines a shelter as a building or structure that can be used for a period to protect people from damaging factors in an emergency or during hostilities. It may be a dual-use, civil or industrial building and/or a special sealed protective structure designed for those factors ¹.

Who registers shelters in Georgia?

Shelters and buildings or rooms suitable as shelters are registered by the relevant EMS territorial units (Art. 21(5)) ¹. The law also requires staff of vital facilities to be protected in a shelter (Art. 21(2)) ¹.

How do you find the nearest public shelter?

There is no official public shelter locator. No public list, map or count was found on es.gov.ge, 112.gov.ge or matsne.gov.ge, and no official figure for the number of shelters is published ¹. The registration rules are themselves incomplete: Article 21(9) leaves shelter characteristics and the registration procedure to a Government decree, and the amendment of 26 June 2025 again tasks the Ministry of Internal Affairs with drafting it ¹².

In an emergency, the National Civil Security Plan says the public is informed through broadcasters, mobile and fixed telephone networks and the internet, and by loudspeaker vehicles if those networks fail ³. Follow those instructions. See our Georgia alerts page.

What can you do without a shelter list?

• Keep the official 72-hour bag ready: see emergency supplies.
• Learn the general principles in our guides shelter or evacuate?, air raid alert and protection factor.
• If you are thinking of a private shelter, read what the law says on building a shelter in Georgia.

Frequently asked questions

Can the Tbilisi metro be used as a shelter?

The law lists underground metro structures among the structures that may be used as shelters ¹. No official list says which stations are designated.

How many shelters does Georgia have?

No official figure is published ¹.

Is there a technical standard for Georgian shelters?

No. The Government decree on shelter characteristics has not been adopted; in 2025 Parliament again asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to draft it ¹².

Who do I ask about shelters near me?

The EMS territorial units register shelters ¹. The EMS can be reached through es.gov.ge; see emergency contacts.

Sources

1. Parliament of Georgia / Legislative Herald (matsne.gov.ge) — Law of Georgia on Civil Security, No. 2608-IIს, consolidated — https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/4243170?publication=16 (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Parliament of Georgia / Legislative Herald — Amendment to the Law on Civil Security, No. 802-IIმს-XIმპ, 26 June 2025 — https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/6542896 (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. Government of Georgia / Legislative Herald — National Civil Security Plan (Government Resolution No. 508, 24 Sept 2015, consolidated 08/06/2022) — https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/2993918 (accessed 2026-10-20)