Georgia is one of the easiest countries in the region to explore by car, and one of the few where a rental car changes the trip completely. The monasteries, passes, wine cellars and beaches lie scattered across a country the size of Ireland. Public transport reaches them slowly or not at all. This handbook collects the rules for driving in Georgia and what our customers ask us most often at the handover, from which documents to carry to what a camera fine looks like. We wrote it for people who have booked, or are about to book, a car with us at Tbilisi Airport, Kutaisi Airport, Batumi or in the city. But the rules for driving in Georgia are the same whoever you rent from. Keep it on your phone.
Rules for driving in Georgia: documents and legal requirements
You drive on the right. The minimum you need in the car: your passport (or a copy, with the original at the hotel), your national driving licence and the rental contract. We sign the contract together at pickup. Georgia accepts licences printed in the Latin alphabet (EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, Gulf states and most others) as they are. If your licence uses another script, carry an International Driving Permit next to it. The police may ask for it, and so will the insurer after an accident. We also give you a card with our WhatsApp number and the car registration details. Keep it in the glove box.
The basic rules for driving in Georgia are simple. Seat belts are compulsory on every seat, front and back. Children under 7 must travel in a child seat. We can add one to any booking if you tell us in advance. Using a phone in your hand while driving is an offence. A mount and a cable are the simplest fix, and the navigation apps below work well on a mount. The drink-driving limit is 0.03%, which in practice means zero. One glass of Kakhetian wine at lunch is enough to fail a test, so the driver tastes in the evening at the hotel.
Rules for driving in Georgia: roads and speed limits
The main east-west road from Tbilisi towards Kutaisi and Batumi is a mix of finished motorway and ordinary two-lane highway. The balance improves every year. Roads to Kazbegi, Kakheti, Borjomi, Mtskheta and the coast have tarmac all the way. Gravel starts where the famous mountain roads start: Ushguli, Tusheti, the upper Truso valley and some village tracks. That is why we point families to a 4x4 for those routes and keep the sedans for the rest of the country.
| Where | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Towns and villages | 60 km/h | Some Tbilisi streets are posted at 50; follow the sign |
| Open roads | 90 km/h | Expect tractors, cows and slow lorries on the same road |
| Motorway sections | 110 km/h | Tbilisi to Kutaisi stretches; cameras measure average speed on some parts |
| Mountain passes | As posted | Often 40 to 60; the Gudauri road has hairpins and tunnels |
Local driving is more assertive than in Western Europe. Cars overtake on bends and flash their headlights to say "I am coming through" rather than "after you". Drivers use the horn as a greeting as much as a warning. Keep your distance, follow the rules for driving in Georgia rather than the local habits, and you will be fine. Two things surprise visitors most. The first is animals on the road: cows and pigs wander across highways in Kakheti and Imereti, horses in the mountains. The second is the lack of lighting at night outside towns. Plan the long drives for daylight. The Tbilisi to Batumi drive is six hours in daylight and feels much longer after dark.
Parking in Tbilisi, Batumi and the rest of the country
Central Tbilisi uses zonal paid parking. Blue signs mark the areas around Rustaveli Avenue, the old town, Vera, Vake and Saburtalo. You pay about 1 GEL per hour (more in a few premium streets) through the Tbilisi Parking app, the pay boxes at bank branches or by SMS. Outside the zones, and in most residential streets, parking is free. Do not leave the car on a pavement, in front of a gate or on a yellow kerb. Tow trucks work the centre every day, and recovering the car costs time and money. Most hotels and guesthouses in the city have a space or know a yard nearby. Ask when you book the room.
Batumi has paid parking along the boulevard and in the centre in summer, which you pay at a machine or through the city app. A few streets inland, parking is free. Kutaisi, Telavi, Mestia and the smaller towns are free almost everywhere. At monasteries and viewpoints there is usually a gravel car park with a small fee collected by hand. Keep a few lari coins for it.
Parking tips from our team
- Photograph the car where you leave it the first evening. It helps you find it and proves how you parked it.
- Do not leave bags visible. Car crime is rare in Georgia, but why test it.
- In Tbilisi old town, park at the bottom (Gorgasali Square area) and walk up; the lanes above are too narrow to turn in.
- At ski resorts in winter, park facing downhill where you can and lift the wipers off the glass overnight.
Fuel and supplies
Fuel stations are everywhere in the lowlands, and a handful of brands run them (Wissol, Gulf, SOCAR, Lukoil, Rompetrol and Portal). An attendant fills the tank, and you pay by card or cash at the window. Ask for "Premium" or "Super" for 95 octane petrol, "Regular" for 92, or diesel. Prices move with the market, so check the pump rather than a blog. We hand the cars over with fuel and you return them with the same level. The fuel policy is on the terms page. Fill up before Gudauri, Mestia, Ushguli, Tusheti and Vardzia. There are stations in the valley towns but none above them. Most stations have a shop with water, coffee and a toilet. The bigger ones on the Tbilisi to Batumi road have proper cafés. Cash machines are in every town. Cards work at stations and supermarkets, less often at village cafés and roadside fruit stands.
Navigation and staying connected
Google Maps covers Georgia well, including the mountain roads. Waze is popular with locals for speed-camera warnings. Download the offline map of the country before you leave the city. Mobile data drops out in valleys such as Truso, in Tusheti and on the road to Ushguli. A local SIM is cheap, and every airport arrivals hall and most towns sell one. Magti, Silknet and Cellfie are the three networks; in our experience Magti has the best mountain coverage. Our cars have a USB socket and we can add a phone mount on request. For every route question, including whether a road is open today, you can message us on WhatsApp during your rental.
Police traffic stops and camera fines
Patrol police are visible and professional. If an officer waves you in, pull over, keep your hands visible, and hand over the licence, passport and rental contract. Most stops are document checks that end in a minute. You never pay a fine in cash to an officer. You receive a receipt and pay it later at a bank, a pay box or online. If something does not feel right, call us and hand the phone to the officer. Our team speaks Georgian, Russian and English.
Speed and red-light cameras are everywhere on the main roads and in Tbilisi. The fine goes to the registered owner of the car, which is us. The usual amounts start at 50 GEL for modest speeding and rise with the excess speed. A red light or a phone in hand costs more. We check the police database at the end of your rental and after it. As the contract explains, we pass any fine on to you at its face value with the official reference. The simplest of all rules for driving in Georgia: set the navigation app to warn you, drive at the limit on the motorway, and slow down at every village sign.
Emergency numbers and what to do after an accident
One number, 112, reaches police, ambulance and fire everywhere in Georgia and the operators speak English. For a breakdown or any damage to the car, call or message us first. We arrange roadside help or a replacement car and tell you what the insurer needs. After any collision involving another vehicle, do not move the cars until the patrol police have arrived and written the report. Do this even if the other driver suggests settling on the spot, because the insurer bases everything on that report. Photograph both cars, the plates, the road and the other driver's documents. Pharmacies (look for "Aversi", "PSP" or "GPC") are open late in every town. The main hospitals in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi handle foreign patients routinely.
Insurance, deposit and the handover
All our cars come with insurance and unlimited mileage, and a second driver is free. At pickup we walk around the car together, photograph every panel, note the fuel level and sign the contract. At the same time you pay or block the refundable deposit of about $200, and you get it back at drop-off once we have checked the car. Read the terms and conditions before you travel. They cover what the deposit does and does not cover, off-road use, border crossings and late returns. For the fees, the prices page has the full list. City-centre pickup in Tbilisi is free. An airport or out-of-town handover carries a fixed fee per end, which appears separately from the daily rate, and every booking has a $20 service fee. You pay 15% online to confirm and the rest at the car.
Inspect the car with us
Five minutes at the handover saves arguments later. Check the tyres and the spare, test the lights and the air conditioning, and confirm the child seat is in place if you ordered one. Ask how the 4x4 selector works if you have a Pajero, a Land Cruiser or a Duster. Keep the photos we take; you get a copy on WhatsApp.
Rules for driving in Georgia in winter
From December to March the lowlands stay mild and dry, and the mountains get real snow. The road crews clear the Georgian Military Highway to Gudauri and Kazbegi daily, but it closes for hours in heavy snowfall. The police sometimes allow only 4x4 or chained cars through the Gudauri section. Bakuriani is easier, Mestia is only for experienced drivers in winter, and Tusheti stays shut. Tell us at booking that you are heading to the ski resorts so we prepare the car for snow. Choose a 4x4 from the 4x4 and SUV list for any ski trip. Start early, carry water and a charged phone, and ask us the night before whether the pass is open.
Exploring the country: how far is everything
| From Tbilisi | Distance | Driving time |
|---|---|---|
| Mtskheta | 25 km | 30 min |
| Telavi (Kakheti) | 85 km from the airport | 1 h 45 |
| Gudauri | 120 km | 2 h 15 |
| Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) | 155 km | 3 h |
| Borjomi | 160 km | 2 h 30 |
| Kutaisi | 230 km | 3 h |
| Mestia (Svaneti) | 460 km | 8 h, overnight in Kutaisi or Zugdidi recommended |
| Batumi | 370 km | 5 h 30 to 6 h |
Our driving guides and the ten best places to visit by car go into each route in detail. If you fly into Kutaisi or Batumi instead, the locations page lists the pickup points and the fees. One-way rentals between the three cities are available.
Planning a route that is not in the handbook? Not every trip fits a guide. Message us on WhatsApp (+995 591 89 60 60) and we will plan a custom route with you: the right car for the roads, pickup and drop-off in different cities, and honest advice on driving times.
Language and local customs on the road
Georgian is the language of the signs, with Latin transliteration on all main roads and tourist sites. "Gamarjoba" (hello) and "madloba" (thank you) open every door. Hospitality is serious here: if you stop to ask directions, you may well end up invited for coffee. If you accept a toast at a village feast, remember the rules for driving in Georgia, the 0.03% limit above all, and let someone else drive. Dress modestly in monasteries (the gate usually has scarves and wrap skirts to borrow) and ask before photographing people in the villages.
Before you leave: the one-minute checklist
- Licence, passport, contract and our card in the car.
- Offline map downloaded, local SIM or roaming on, phone mount fitted.
- Fuel level checked and photographed; tank full before any mountain road.
- Child seat fitted and tightened if you travel with small children.
- Route for the day shared with us on WhatsApp if it includes gravel, snow or a border.
- Deposit receipt and handover photos saved.
Still deciding where to start? Pick up at Tbilisi Airport, with a meet and greet at arrivals around the clock. For the west of the country, start at Kutaisi Airport or Batumi. The renting a car in Georgia guide explains the booking steps. Every car in our fleet appears with its real daily rate.