 The Committee of Permanent Representatives gave its approval in October 2016, and it was approved by the European Parliament in February 2017.On 8 March 2017 the Official EU Journal published a legislation allowing Georgians owning biometric passports to travel to the Schengen Area visa-free.The legislation came into full effect on 28 March 2017, allowing Georgian citizens to travel for short periods to most EU member countries without a visa.