A criminal complaint begins with facts—not a final article number
Under Articles 100 and 101 of Georgia's Criminal Procedure Code, an investigator or prosecutor notified of the commission of a crime must initiate an investigation. Information may be reported in writing, orally or in another form. The applicant does not have to prove the case or select the final Criminal Code article before reporting it.
Report, investigation, victim status and prosecution are not the same event
Acknowledgement of a report does not itself prove that a particular person has been charged or that the applicant has received formal victim status. Each step should be verified through its own record or decision.
Where and how to submit the report
A suspected crime may be reported to an investigator or prosecutor. In practice, reports are commonly delivered to a police station, the competent investigative authority or the Prosecutor's Office. If the receiving body later determines that another agency has jurisdiction, Article 102 provides for referral after necessary urgent actions.
Signed complaint with attachments
Submit a dated narrative, numbered requests and indexed evidence. Keep an identical copy and proof of delivery.
Recorded by the receiving official
The official prepares a record of an oral report. Read it, require corrections where necessary and retain confirmation of the notification.
Immediate danger or disappearing evidence
Use the police emergency route where somebody is at risk or immediate attendance is necessary. A detailed written complaint can then preserve the full record.
Article 101(2¹) allows the person reporting a crime to request written notice confirming that the notification was made. The receipt, complaint, attachment list and delivery evidence should be kept together.
What a useful criminal complaint should contain
- Applicant and affected personGive reliable contact details and identify the individual, company or other person directly affected.
- ChronologyState dates, places and events in order. Separate what the applicant personally knows from information received from somebody else.
- Individual conductExplain what each named person allegedly did. Avoid treating association, job title or relationship as proof of participation.
- Harm and continuing riskDescribe injury, loss, threats, property movement or other consequences and identify any immediate safety or dissipation concern.
- Evidence and witnessesList documents, communications, payments, devices, recordings, locations and witnesses, including material that may disappear.
- Requested procedural stepsRequest written confirmation, victim status where appropriate, preservation of identified evidence and consideration of any urgent protective or property measure.
Original devices, native electronic files, business records and physical objects should not be edited, reformatted or privately tested in a way that changes metadata or chain of custody. If an original is handed over, request an itemised procedural record or receipt.
Can a complaint be anonymous?
Article 101 permits an investigation to begin from anonymous information, but criminal prosecution cannot be initiated against a person on the basis of anonymous information alone. A person aged 14 or older who reports a crime is warned about responsibility for knowingly false denunciation. That warning does not require a genuine applicant to prove guilt in advance; it addresses deliberate false reporting.
How to verify that an investigation started
Do not rely only on a verbal statement that the matter is “being checked.” Request the procedural information that identifies the file and the responsible authority.
Date and written confirmation of the crime notification
Investigation or case reference number
Investigative agency and responsible department
Assigned investigator and supervising prosecutor
Provisional Criminal Code article or articles
Separate written decision on victim status
The preliminary qualification can change. New testimony, forensic conclusions, financial records, the legally assessed injury or loss, the role of each participant and prosecutorial or judicial review may support another article, part or outcome.
Applying for formal victim status
A person or legal entity directly harmed by the alleged crime should not assume that submission of a complaint automatically grants the procedural rights of a victim. Under Article 56, the prosecutor may issue a decree recognising the person as a victim on their own initiative or following an application.
Victim status can provide rights to specified information, decisions and hearings. Access to some investigation material may be delayed where immediate disclosure would conflict with legitimate investigative interests.
Does every crime have its own investigation deadline?
No fixed completion period applies to every offence
Article 103 requires an investigation to be conducted within a reasonable period and provides that it may not exceed the applicable limitation period for criminal prosecution. A limitation period is an outer legal boundary; it is not permission for unexplained inactivity and it is not a promise that the case will finish by a particular month.
Reasonableness depends on matters such as the volume of evidence, number of participants, forensic work, international requests, witness availability, complexity and conduct affecting progress. A straightforward incident and a multi-jurisdictional fraud cannot be measured by the same practical timetable.
General limitation periods under Article 71
The applicable period follows the maximum punishment under the relevant article and part, not merely the everyday name of the offence. Article 12 classifies crimes as less serious, serious or particularly serious by reference to that maximum imprisonment.
2 years
Maximum imprisonment does not exceed two years
6 years
Other less-serious crime
10 years
Serious crime
15 years
Articles 332–342¹, unless particularly serious
20 years
Articles 137–141, unless particularly serious
30 years
Particularly serious crime
Article 71 generally calculates the period from commission of the crime until formal charges are brought against a person. It is calculated separately for each offence. Statutory suspension rules may apply, including where the alleged offender absconds, and the Code contains important exceptions for specified offences.
An investigation must progress within a reasonable period. The limitation rules determine the outer criminal-liability framework and require article-by-article analysis; they do not create a routine target date for investigators.
When an investigation may be terminated
Article 105 identifies grounds for termination or for not initiating or terminating criminal prosecution, including where the alleged act did not occur, was not unlawful, was decriminalised, is already finally resolved, or the applicable limitation period expired. A prosecutor makes the formal termination decision, and the victim has the review rights provided by Article 106.
How a criminal lawyer can assist the reporting person
Counsel can convert a large document collection into a factual chronology, identify potential but provisional offence provisions, separate criminal issues from civil or regulatory disputes, submit evidence lawfully, apply for victim status, request preservation or investigative action, monitor the formal record and challenge reviewable decisions. Counsel should not promise that a complaint will produce charges, conviction or asset recovery.
Questions about filing and investigation time
Do I have to identify the correct Criminal Code article in my complaint?+
No. A report should describe concrete facts, people, dates, places, harm and available evidence. The investigator and prosecutor determine the provisional legal qualification, which may later be narrowed, expanded or changed as evidence develops.
Can a criminal complaint be submitted orally?+
Yes. Article 101 of the Criminal Procedure Code permits written, oral or other forms of reporting. If the report is oral, the receiving official prepares a record that is signed by the applicant and the official. A written, indexed complaint is usually easier to prove and supplement.
How can I prove that I reported the alleged crime?+
Article 101(2¹) allows the reporting person to request written notice confirming the notification. Keep that notice, the submitted complaint and attachment list, proof of delivery and every later case or investigation reference.
Does a receipt prove that I have been recognised as a victim?+
No. Receipt of information, commencement of an investigation, formal victim status and initiation of criminal prosecution against a person are distinct steps. A directly harmed person or company should request the prosecutor's decree recognising victim status.
What if my victim-status application is not granted?+
Under Article 56, if the prosecutor does not satisfy the application within 48 hours, the applicant may apply once to a superior prosecutor. If that application is rejected, the prosecutor's decision may be challenged before the competent district or city court.
Does every Georgian crime have a fixed investigation deadline?+
No. Article 103 requires investigation within a reasonable period and sets the applicable criminal-prosecution limitation period as the outer limit. The two-, six-, ten-, fifteen-, twenty- or thirty-year periods in Article 71 are limitation rules, not promised completion times.
When does the limitation period normally stop running?+
Article 71 generally calculates the period from commission of the crime until formal charges are brought against a person. Separate crimes are calculated separately, and statutory suspension rules and exceptions may apply.
Can an investigation start under one article and finish under another?+
Yes. The initial qualification is provisional. Witness evidence, expert conclusions, financial records, the legally assessed consequence, individual roles, a defence or victim application, prosecutorial review or a court ruling may support reclassification or termination.
Legislation and official reporting route
Use the current consolidated Georgian text when filing or calculating any period. The official English translation is useful for orientation but may not reflect every later Georgian-language amendment or nuance.
Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia — Articles 56–58 and 100–106↗︎Criminal Code of Georgia — Articles 12 and 71↗︎Ministry of Internal Affairs — official contact and emergency information↗︎