Can you pay in euros or dollars in Georgia?

No. Under Georgian law the lari (GEL) is the only legal tender for cash payments inside Georgia, and this has not changed for 2026. Shops, restaurants, taxis and state fees must be priced and settled in GEL; euros, dollars and other foreign notes are not legal tender for domestic transactions, a rule the National Bank of Georgia restates on its official pages.

The nuance is that this is a rule about the currency of settlement, not a ban on foreign cash existing in the country. You can walk into almost any bank branch or licensed exchange office in Tbilisi, Batumi or Kutaisi and change euros or dollars into lari in minutes, often with no commission on the headline rate. Cards are widely accepted in cities and large towns, with the terminal charging you in GEL regardless of what currency your home account holds, which usually gives a fairer rate than handing over foreign notes at a shop counter.

What the law actually requires

Georgia’s currency law makes the lari the sole unit of account and payment for transactions carried out inside the country, a position the National Bank of Georgia confirms as part of its mandate over monetary policy and the currency in circulation. In practice this means printed menus, taxi meters, museum tickets and marshutka fares are denominated in GEL, and a trader is not obliged to accept euros or dollars even if willing to estimate an exchange rate on the spot. Some hotels, car-hire firms and private tour operators quote prices in EUR or USD for the convenience of international clients, but the invoice or card charge is still processed through GEL at settlement. Our own tour and service prices, shown at gtour.ge/data/, work the same way: quoted in euros for clarity, paid in practice through card or bank transfer converted at the prevailing rate.

Where to exchange currency

Exchange bureaus are common in central Tbilisi (Rustaveli Avenue, Freedom Square, near the Dry Bridge) and in Batumi’s Old Town, usually open long hours with no appointment needed. Commercial banks offer exchange during business hours and sometimes slightly better rates for larger amounts. Airports have exchange counters, though rates there are typically less favourable than in town, so changing a small amount on arrival for a taxi or snack and the rest later is the common approach.

These are National Bank reference rates for the date checked; street exchange offices move a little above or below this midpoint, and the rate changes daily, so confirm the current figure at gtour.ge/data/ or directly with the National Bank of Georgia before converting a large sum.

Card acceptance

Visa and Mastercard are accepted at most hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and fuel stations in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and other sizeable towns, and contactless payment is standard in city centres. Acceptance thins out in villages, mountain guesthouses and small family-run wineries, and disappears almost entirely in remote areas such as Tusheti or the furthest reaches of Svaneti, where our Tusheti expedition and Mestia and Ushguli routes both recommend carrying lari in cash. American Express is accepted far less widely than Visa or Mastercard.

What to carry, practically

• Small GEL notes (5, 10, 20) for markets, marshutka fares, church donation boxes and village guesthouses.
• A card for hotels, car rental deposits and city restaurants, where GEL settlement protects you from a shop guessing a foreign-currency rate.
• A modest cash reserve for day trips into Kakheti, Racha, Tusheti or Svaneti, where our drivers and guides routinely advise keeping 100 to 200 GEL on hand for rural stops.
• Euros or dollars only as a currency to exchange on arrival, not as a payment currency once you are outside the airport.

Where this comes from

This answer draws on the currency mandate published by the National Bank of Georgia, cross-checked against the lari reference rates used on gtour.ge/data/ for 27 October 2026, and on standard practice described by Georgia’s own tourism and business press for card acceptance outside major cities. Rules and commission practices at individual exchange bureaus can change without notice, so confirm the day’s rate and any local conditions directly with the National Bank of Georgia before changing a significant sum.

Sources

• National Bank of Georgia – monetary policy and currency
• Georgia Today – practical money advice for visitors
• Agenda.ge – business and tourism news