Driving in Georgia: rental insurance, road rules, police stops, fuel and mountain roads explained

Driving in Georgia is legal for most foreign visitors on a valid national licence, straightforward on the main highways, and genuinely useful if your trip includes Kakheti, Kazbegi or Kutaisi, where public transport runs on its own schedule. The short answer: rent from an agency that documents its insurance and deposit in writing, carry your licence and passport at all times, expect speed cameras rather than roadside radar guns, treat the 0.00–0.02% drink-driving limit as zero, and swap to a 4×4 (or a driver) for Tusheti, Svaneti‘s back roads and any mountain pass between November and April.

This guide sets out what a full-coverage policy should actually cover, how local and international rental agencies differ in practice, how fines reach you by SMS, what happens at a police stop, which fuel brands are reliable, how the Rikoti tunnels and the Jvari Pass work in winter, which roads need a real 4×4, and the exact steps after a collision. Rules, prices and seasonal closures change; we flag where to check the current, official version before you drive, and we review this page periodically with our in-house public-health and safety adviser.

Licence, documents and who can drive

A driving licence issued in Latin script (EU, UK, US, most of the Gulf) is accepted in Georgia for the length of your visa-free stay; an International Driving Permit is not legally required but is sensible if your home licence uses a non-Latin script or has no photo, since Georgian traffic police may ask for one. Carry the physical licence, your passport, the rental agreement and the insurance certificate in the car at all times; a phone photo is not accepted at a checkpoint. For the current list of recognised licences and any change to this rule, check the Public Service Hall pages on gov.ge before you fly, and see our nationality-specific entry notes on gtour.ge/travellers-from for visa and document basics alongside the driving rules.

Local versus international rental agencies: insurance and deposits

Both local Georgian agencies and the familiar international brands operate from Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi airports; the difference is in what “full coverage” actually excludes. Read the contract for the deductible (excess) on the Collision Damage Waiver, whether tyres, windscreen, undercarriage and the fuel tank are covered, and whether driving on gravel or unpaved mountain roads voids the policy outright, which is common with budget sedans.

If the paperwork is unclear, or if your route includes Tusheti, Khevsureti or the back roads around Ushguli, a car with a driver removes the insurance question entirely: our Car with Driver by the Day (sedan, minivan or 4×4) starts at €240 for one traveller and €128 each for four to six, with fuel, tolls and the driver’s meals included, and a 4×4 with driver is the only sensible choice on roads most rental contracts exclude. Travellers who want to drive themselves but with the planning done can use Georgia Self-Drive 7 Days or Self-Drive Georgia in 10 Days, both built around booked hotels and a checked route.

Road rules, speed cameras and fines by SMS

Georgia enforces speed limits mainly through fixed and mobile cameras rather than roadside stops; a violation generates a fine sent by SMS to the mobile number linked to the vehicle, which for a rental car is usually the agency’s number, with the agency then charging your card and forwarding the notice. Ask your rental agency, in writing, how fines are relayed to you and within what timeframe, since appeal and payment windows are short. General limits are 60 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h on open roads and 110 km/h on the motorway sections of the East-West Highway unless signed otherwise; seatbelts are compulsory in all seats, and using a handheld phone while driving is an offence. For the current text of the Traffic Code and penalty schedule, the Legislative Herald of Georgia publishes the law at matsne.gov.ge, and the Road Department posts live road-condition and enforcement notices at georoad.gov.ge.

Police stops and drink-driving: zero tolerance

Georgian Patrol Police are generally professional, speak some English in tourist areas, and will ask for licence, registration and insurance; stay in the car unless asked to step out, and a polite, calm response resolves the great majority of stops quickly. The legal blood alcohol limit for drivers is effectively zero tolerance, set at 0.00% for a first reading with a very narrow margin for calibration error, and enforcement includes random breath tests at checkpoints, especially around Tbilisi, on the Georgian Military Highway and near Batumi on weekend evenings. Penalties range from significant fines to licence suspension and, for repeat offences, criminal liability; see the Administrative Offences Code via matsne.gov.ge, and recent reporting on enforcement campaigns at civil.ge and agenda.ge. If you plan to drink at a supra or a Kakheti cellar, book a car with driver or a licensed guide for the day rather than self-drive; our Kakheti Classic and Chacha and Qvevri day trips both include the driver.

Fuel brands and prices

Fuel stations are frequent on all main roads, scarcer in Tusheti, Khevsureti and the high Svaneti valleys, where you should fill up in Mestia, Omalo or the last town before the pass. The main brands are Wissol, Rompetrol, Socar, Gulf and Lukoil, all accepting card and cash; regular (A95) petrol and diesel are the standard grades sold, with premium grades available from Rompetrol and Gulf in larger towns. Pump prices move with the lari and global oil prices and should always be checked against the pump display rather than this guide; Geostat publishes periodic consumer price data including fuel at geostat.ge. As a rough planning figure in November 2026, expect petrol to sit in the range of GEL 2.90–3.15 per litre (roughly €1.00–1.09 at the National Bank’s rate of GEL 2.90 per euro), with diesel usually a little cheaper; confirm on the day, since Georgia has no fixed retail price control.

The Rikoti tunnels and the Jvari Pass in winter

The Rikoti Pass on the main east-west road (the E60/S1 corridor between Khashuri and Zestafoni) has been progressively replaced by a series of tunnels and bypasses that cut both distance and the risk of snow and fog delays; most of the route is now tunnel and dual carriageway, though short older sections remain in places, so slow down at tunnel portals and dim your lights where instructed. Current works, detours and any temporary closures are posted by the Road Department at georoad.gov.ge, and it is worth checking this before a Tbilisi–Kutaisi or Tbilisi–Batumi drive. The Jvari Pass, the high point of the Georgian Military Highway between Gudauri and Kobi on the way to Kazbegi, closes to traffic without winter tyres or chains from roughly November to April, and is closed outright during heavy snowfall or avalanche risk; the Road Department’s live road-condition page is the only reliable source on the day, since the pass can close for hours with little notice. Our Georgian Military Highway day trip and the Tbilisi to Gudauri Transfer are both run with 4×4 vehicles and winter-experienced drivers through this period.

4×4-only roads: Tusheti, Ushguli and beyond

Several of Georgia’s best-known destinations sit at the end of roads that rental-car insurance will not cover, and in some cases the road itself is only open seasonally.

• Tusheti: reached via the Abano Pass, a narrow, unpaved mountain road above 2,900 metres with no guardrails on long stretches, open only from roughly late May to early October depending on snow; the road lies within protected landscape managed by the Agency of Protected Areas, whose access notes are at apa.gov.ge. Self-drive here is not recommended even with a rented 4×4 unless you have serious experience of this terrain; our 4×4 Expedition to Tusheti, Khevsureti and Kazbegi and the shorter Tusheti by 4×4 in 3 Days are both driven by local specialists.
• Ushguli: the road from Mestia, within the Upper Svaneti UNESCO World Heritage area, is mostly paved now but still crosses unpaved, exposed sections that wash out after heavy rain and ice over in winter; see the UNESCO listing for Upper Svaneti at whc.unesco.org. Mestia and Ushguli in 3 Days covers this route with an experienced driver.
• Shatili, Mutso and the Khevsureti valleys: unpaved, high-clearance roads, closed by snow for much of the year; our Shatili and Mutso 4×4 day trip and Khevsureti and Tusheti by 4×4 in 5 Days run these roads on a fixed schedule with local knowledge of current conditions.

What to do after an accident

• Stop, switch on hazard lights, and check for injuries first; call 112 for police and ambulance in a genuine emergency.
• For any collision involving another vehicle, do not move the cars until police have recorded the scene, even for minor damage, since Georgian procedure relies on the police report for any insurance claim.
• Photograph both vehicles, the road position, registration plates and any damage before anything is moved, and note the time and location.
• Exchange names, phone numbers and insurance details with the other driver; write down the police officer’s name and report number.
• Call your rental agency’s emergency line immediately, before authorising any repair, and ask in writing what documentation they need for the claim.
• Keep every document (police report, photos, agency correspondence) until the deposit is released and the claim closed.

Practical summary

• Carry licence, passport, rental agreement and insurance certificate at every stop; an IDP is useful but not mandatory for Latin-script licences.
• Get the rental insurance exclusions in writing, especially for unpaved and mountain roads, before you sign.
• Expect fines by SMS from speed cameras; confirm with your agency how these reach you and the payment deadline.
• Treat the drink-driving limit as zero; book a driver for wine-region and supra days instead of self-driving.
• Fill up before Tusheti, Khevsureti or high Svaneti; fuel points are scarce beyond the last town.
• Check georoad.gov.ge on the morning you plan to cross the Jvari Pass, Rikoti route or any high pass between November and April.
• Use a 4×4 with a local driver, not a self-drive rental, for Tusheti’s Abano Pass and Ushguli’s unpaved sections.
• After any accident, call 112, do not move the vehicles, photograph everything, and notify the rental agency before agreeing to repairs.

Sources

• Traffic and administrative offences code
• Public Service Hall driving licence information
• Georgian national tourism administration
• Official travel information, Georgia
• Tusheti Protected Landscape access notes
• Upper Svaneti World Heritage listing
• Reporting on road-safety enforcement
• Reporting on drink-driving enforcement
• Consumer price statistics including fuel