Georgia to Armenia by rental car

01Can you take a Georgian rental car to Armenia?

Yes, with GO Car Rental, as long as you tell us when you book. Armenia is the only country our cars may enter. We have to prepare the cross-border documents in advance, so let us know at least several days before pickup, ideally a week. Taking a car across without this permission is not allowed and voids the insurance.

02Documents at the border

• Your passport and driving licence (an International Driving Permit is strongly recommended in Armenia).
• The car's registration certificate (tech passport), which stays in the car.
• The rental agreement.
• A notarised power of attorney from GO Car Rental, the registered owner, allowing you to drive the car abroad. We arrange this.
• Armenian compulsory third-party insurance, bought at the border post. Travelers report paying roughly $10 to $20 for a short trip.

Ask us what the car's own insurance covers outside Georgia before you go, and keep all papers together in the glovebox.

03Which border crossing from Georgia to Armenia?

• Sadakhlo to Bagratashen: open 24/7 and on the direct Tbilisi to Yerevan road. Expect 20 to 40 minutes on weekday mornings and up to 2 or 3 hours on summer weekends.
• Guguti to Gogavan: quieter, but the last stretch on the Georgian side is a rough track.
• Ninotsminda to Bavra: handy if you come from Akhalkalaki or Vardzia in southern Georgia.

04Distances and drive times

• Tbilisi to Dilijan: about 180 km through the Debed canyon (monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin on the way). The canyon road is paved but has potholes, so expect 40 to 60 km/h.
• Dilijan to Lake Sevan: a short drive over the pass, with Sevanavank monastery on the peninsula.
• Dilijan to Goris: about 270 km (roughly 4.5 hours) via Lake Sevan and the Selim pass, which can be icy in winter.
• Goris to Tatev: about 15 km to the Wings of Tatev cable car, one of the longest in the world.

05Looking for Gori, not Goris?

Many people searching for a car in "Goris" actually mean Gori in Georgia, the town of Stalin's museum and the Uplistsikhe cave city. Gori is about 85 km (roughly an hour) west of Tbilisi on the highway to Kutaisi and Batumi, so it is an easy stop on any road trip; pick up in Tbilisi with no delivery fee.

06Tips for driving from Georgia to Armenia by car

• Cross early in the morning to avoid queues.
• Have some Armenian dram or US dollars for the insurance and fuel right after the border.
• Mobile data from Georgian SIM cards roams expensively: buy a local SIM or use offline maps.
• Fill up in Georgia before the border and remember the full-to-full rule: return the car with a full tank.