Car Rental in Georgia: Requirements and Documents for Foreigners

The checklist

Bring these to the handover and there is nothing else to arrange:

• Passport for foreign nationals, or an ID card for Georgian citizens.
• A national driving licence held for at least 2 years - longer for higher categories, see the table below.
• An International Driving Permit only if your licence is not printed in the Latin alphabet.
• A card, or cash, for the deposit. The deposit is blocked, not charged.
• Companies: an extract from the register, a power of attorney and the company stamp.

Nothing is paid in advance. A booking is confirmed by phone or email, payment is made at pickup, and the rental agreement is drawn up in Georgian, English or Russian.

Licence and IDP

Licences from the EU, the USA, the United Kingdom, Israel and the CIS countries are valid in Georgia as they are. If your national licence is in another script - Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, or a Georgian licence used abroad - bring an IDP alongside it. The IDP is a translation, not a substitute, so the national licence still comes too.

Age and driving experience by category

There is no upper age limit. Additional drivers cost 20 ₾ per day, up to two. Each must meet the same age and experience requirements and sign the agreement, because damage caused by a driver who is not named in the agreement is not covered.

Deposit and its release

On a card the deposit is blocked, not charged, and released within 3 business days of the return, provided there is no damage or fine. Paying in cash, the deposit is taken in cash and returned on the spot. There is no deposit-free option on any category.

What the insurance covers, and the excess

The rate includes CDW (damage to the car above the excess) and TPL (third-party liability). The excess is the figure in the table above, and it applies whenever the car is damaged. SCDW, at 25-45 ₾ per day depending on category, lowers the excess; on the off-road 4x4 an excess of 300 ₾ remains even with SCDW.

Not covered, whatever you add: driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs; a driver not named in the agreement; damage on gravel or unpaved roads unless the car is in the 4x4 category; tyres, wheels, the underbody, mirrors and the interior (a replacement tyre is 120-400 ₾); lost keys (400-1,200 ₾ by model); misfuelling; and any commercial use - taxi, courier, haulage - without prior written consent. The Tusheti road over the Abano Pass needs prior written agreement and carries an additional excess of 500 ₾; the gravel stretch to Ushguli is permitted in the 4x4 category alone.

Fuel, mileage and fines

• Full to full. If the tank comes back short you pay the fuel plus a 20 ₾ service fee. Hybrids run on petrol alone and are never plugged in.
• Mileage is unlimited inside Georgia. Cross-border trips carry a 300 km/day limit at 0.5 ₾ per extra kilometre.
• Traffic fines are yours and can arrive up to 30 days after the rental: the fine plus 20 ₾ processing.
• At handover we photograph all four sides, the interior, the odometer and the fuel level, and repeat it on return. Keep your own copies.

Cross-border, as the terms write it

Ask at least 48 hours ahead, because an international insurance policy and a power of attorney have to be prepared. Crossing without permission is a breach of the agreement and forfeits the entire deposit.

Booking, cancellation, extension, help on the road

• No prepayment. Confirmation by phone or email; pay at pickup in lari, or in cash in US dollars or euros at the National Bank rate. Visa, Mastercard and American Express are accepted.
• Cancellation: free more than 48 hours ahead; one day's rate at 24-48 hours; two days' rate under 24 hours or for a no-show. Changing the dates is free if the car is available. An early return refunds the unused days at the rate for the actual length.
• Extension: the terms publish no separate extension tariff, so phone us before the return time and the extra days are agreed as rental days. An unagreed late return is free up to 2 hours, then one third of the daily rate for every 3 hours, and over 8 hours counts as a full day.
• 24/7 roadside assistance. After an accident call 112, then our hotline, and stay at the scene until the report is drawn up. If a technical fault not caused by you stops the car, a replacement arrives within 6 hours at no charge.
• Child seats are 10 ₾ per day, and Georgian law requires one for children under 12.

Everything above is taken from the rental terms and the FAQ, which are the pages that change when the policy does. If this guide and those pages ever disagree, the terms page wins, and the signed agreement wins over both. Choose the category at car rental; if you are staying a month or longer, the monthly rental page shows how the rate falls with length, and if your plan includes mountain roads, read do I need a 4x4 before you pick.

Economy class — Price from 75 ₾/day