Travellers planning to explore Georgia with their own vehicle should be aware of the rules regarding the length of stay permitted for foreign vehicles. This guide aims to provide clear, straightforward information to help overlanders navigate these regulations, avoiding unexpected fines.
Duration of Stay
For the majority of vehicles, the allowed period within Georgian borders is 90 days. This is applicable for all light vehicles, which include vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tons, as well as motorcycles.
For anything above 3.5t the official rule is that these can only stay for a duration of 60 days maximum. 60 days is the default period, and there is an exception for light vehicles. It sometimes happens that truck-campers are categorised as ‘light vehicle’ and can stay 90 days nevertheless. If you’re traveling in a big rig, our advise would be to ask when entering the country how long you can stay. The customs officer will give you the answer based on how they categorised you.
The days are counted as days, not as months, so 90 days means 90 days, and not ‘3 months of 31 days’ or other creative interpretations of what a day is.
Overstay Penalties
Should a vehicle remain in Georgia beyond the timeframe mentioned above, a fine is imposed by the customs authority. This fine is set at 50 GEL per day, with a maximum limit of 1000 GEL. It’s important for travellers to monitor their stay duration to avoid these charges. The fine is the same for both light vehicles, motorcycles and trucks.
The fine will be charged when you try to exit the country, and you will need to pay on the spot at the bank office on the border post (we advise to bring cash to avoid transaction fees, card payments are not always possible)
A common misconception is that the period of stay for a vehicle is tied to that of the driver (in most cases 1 year), this is not correct.
Leaving Georgia in between
It is totally possible to exit Georgia (by plane or other means of transport) and leave your vehicle behind. Of course, the above mentioned timeframe still applies and the days will just count on. As of now there is no check on (police) fines when leaving the country, only when coming back this might be checked. The fine for overstaying of the vehicle will only be issued when the vehicle leaves the country, so it won’t be visible in their system yet.
Extending the Stay
Travellers needing more time in Georgia have the option to request an extension of up to 30 days, at a cost of 5 GEL per day. Alternatively, a common practice among overlanders is to leave and immediately re-enter Georgia, effectively resetting the permitted duration of their stay with another 60/90 days. This method is often simpler than navigating the extension procedure. A border hop can be done without much hassle, you can immediately return to Georgia, but keep in mind you may have to pay a small import fee in Armenia or Turkey. You can do this trick an indefinite amount of times, you won’t be the only one.
Another way to extend your vehicle’s stay is to do a ‘temporary import’ for up to 3 years. This way you will swap your foreign plates with Georgian license plates. When you want to exit the country, you will get your foreign plates back. This option comes with the necessary paperwork and it will also mean you have to go through technical inspection, amongst other regulations for regular local cars. The option for a temporary import is suitable for people who want to live in Georgia for an extended time. Also note that the customs authority may ask for a bank guarantee. In this case, the costs will be significant.
Armenia
Those seeking to leave their vehicles for extended time in the region, for example in winter time, might also consider to leave the vehicle in Armenia, where the timeframes are generally longer. We will leave the details for a future article, but the folks at 3 GS Camping offer a wonderful option for this and know everything about the pros and cons.
References
For those who prefer legal lingo, or have trust issues:
Stay Duration: The Revenue Service of Georgia outlines the permitted stay durations for vehicles, providing specific terms for light vehicles and motorcycles versus other vehicle types. General guidelines for foreign drivers can be found on their website as well.
Fines: Details regarding penalties for overstaying are documented in Georgian law, specifically in Chapter XXX – Article 165.
Extensions: For those considering an extension of their vehicle’s stay, the Revenue Service’s procedures offer guidance on the process and associated costs.
This article outlines the status quo as per February 2024, we will keep this up to date if anything changes, but of course everything here could change any time without much notice.
