A large street banner has been installed near the Vilnius Airport to warmly greet first guests from Georgia who travel to Lithuania visa-free.

The bilingual banner says in English and Georgian: "Closer than ever.”

The photographs of the banner were shared on Facebook by Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Simasius.

He said the banner was meant to surprise the first Georgian visa-free guests arriving from Kutaisi International Airport in Vilnius.

"Yesterday, Georgia-EU visa-free travel came into force and now Georgians can move freely within the European Union countries. We have prepared a surprise from the first visa-free guests,” he said.

The banner was not the only surprise the first visa-free travellers enjoyed in Vilnius. They were also greeted by the Mayor himself, Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister, as well as by local journalists and the Georgian Ambassador in Lithuania. A special event organised at the airport saw welcoming speeches by the officials and Georgia-Lithuania friendship cupcakes.

Firs Georgian visa-free travelers were warmly greeted at Vilnius airport. Photo: GPB.

The regulation which lifted the visa requirements for Georgian citizens came into effect yesterday. Based on the new regulations, Georgian citizens holding biometric passports can travel to the Schengen Zone for a period of 90 days within any 180-day period for purposes other than working.

The new visa-free countries include 22 EU states, four non-EU countries and four EU membership candidate states.