A foreign driving licence works in Georgia for a limited time. What you do after that depends on whether you exchange it or sit the Georgian exams, and the exam rules tightened in May 2025. This guide sets out what Georgian official sources state, and marks the points where you should confirm with the Service Agency before you act.
Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that a foreign driving licence can be used in Georgia for 365 calendar days. Practitioner guides describe the year as running from your last entry into the country, and say that a residence permit does not extend it.
The licence must still be valid in its own right. If it expires within the year, you can drive only until that date. Rental companies set their own rules, and some ask for an International Driving Permit even where the law does not.
A foreign-registered vehicle can stay in Georgia without customs clearance for 60 days only. After that, it must be cleared through customs; the Revenue Service (rs.ge) is the authority to ask.
Georgia's foreign ministry guidance lists these documents for the border checkpoint:
Foreign documents other than the passport should be translated into English or Georgian and legalised or apostilled by the issuing country's authorities.
Exchange is handled by the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. No driving test is required. The documents listed in Georgian foreign-ministry guidance are:
Georgian guidance says the new licence is issued within minutes. Practitioner guides confirm that your foreign licence is kept by the agency, so do not exchange it if you need it for travel elsewhere.
Under Ministry of Internal Affairs Order No. 40 of 27 May 2025, foreign citizens and stateless persons must hold a residence permit or show at least 185 calendar days of lawful presence in Georgia within the preceding 12 months. The requirement applies to both the theory and the practical exam. Visitors can no longer simply arrive and sit the test.
Sources differ on whether the same 185-day or residence-permit condition applies to an exchange. Confirm this with the Service Agency for your situation before you plan around it.
Since August 2024 the Service Agency has issued International Driving Permits in person. A one-year permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention is valid in Geneva Convention member states, and a three-year permit under the 1968 Vienna Convention is valid in Vienna Convention member states. You present an ID document and your national licence. The fee for the one-year permit was reported at 109 GEL; confirm the current amount.
Rules and fees change. This guide was checked on 13 October 2026.
Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that a foreign driving licence can be used in Georgia for 365 calendar days. Practitioner guides describe the year as running from your last entry into the country. If the licence itself expires sooner, it stops being usable on that date.
Yes, a valid foreign licence can be exchanged at the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs without sitting the exams. You need a confirmation from the issuing authority, apostilled or legalised and no older than 90 days, a health certificate and a 15 GEL fee. The foreign licence is surrendered.
Under Ministry of Internal Affairs Order No. 40 of 27 May 2025, foreign citizens must hold a residence permit or prove at least 185 calendar days of lawful presence in Georgia within the preceding 12 months before they can sit the theory and practical exams.
Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that a foreign-registered vehicle can stay in Georgia without customs clearance for 60 days only.
Yes. The Service Agency began issuing them in 2024: a one-year permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention and a three-year permit under the 1968 Vienna Convention, in person, on presentation of an ID document and your national licence. They are valid outside Georgia in member states of the relevant convention.
Georgia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consular guidance (china.mfa.gov.ge); Ministry of Internal Affairs Order No. 40 of 27 May 2025, as summarised by Georgian driving-exam resources; Service Agency announcement on International Driving Permits, August 2024 (1tv.ge).
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