Driving in Georgia feels familiar if you come from Europe or North America, but a handful of local rules, habits and enforcement details are worth knowing before you turn the key. This guide covers everything a tourist actually needs on the first day behind the wheel — from speed limits and alcohol laws to the unwritten road etiquette that makes Georgian traffic flow the way it does.
Side of the road and documents to carry
Traffic drives on the right. You must carry your driver's licence, the rental contract, the car's registration certificate and the insurance papers at all times; merent places all of them in the glovebox clipped together so nothing is missed. Police checks are rare but routine near city entrances, tunnels, major interchanges and at mountain-pass entry points. Officers speak basic English or Russian, the check itself takes two minutes, and there is no paperwork for the driver to fill in if the documents are in order.
Speed limits and how they are enforced
Unless signs indicate otherwise, the default limits are 50 km/h in towns and residential areas, 90 km/h on rural roads outside cities, and 110 km/h on the E60 (Tbilisi–Poti) and other motorways. Some upgraded sections are signposted for 130 km/h. Fines for speeding start at 50 GEL for minor excesses up to 15 km/h over, rise to 100 GEL for 15–40 km/h over, and jump to 300 GEL above that. Cameras are the main enforcement method — the ticket arrives at the rental company first, which forwards it to you by email within a few days. Radar guns are less common but do exist, especially on downhill stretches approaching villages.
Headlights must be on at all times
Dipped headlights must be on at all times while driving, day and night, on all roads. This rule surprises many first-time visitors from countries where daytime running lights are optional. Modern rental cars have automatic headlights that take care of this, but check before you leave the lot — the fine for driving without headlights is 30 GEL and is nearly always written up on the spot. It is the single most common ticket tourists receive in Georgia simply because they forget.
Alcohol — zero tolerance in practice
The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.03 %, effectively zero for foreigners accustomed to 0.05 % in most of Europe. One beer puts the average driver over the line. Fines for exceeding the limit start at 200 GEL and come with a six-month licence suspension; more serious violations carry larger fines and potential criminal charges for repeat offenders. Ride-hailing apps Bolt and Yandex Go work everywhere in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi — use them after dinner and pick up the car the next morning. Police checks are more frequent on weekend nights on routes leading out of popular restaurant districts.
Seat belts, phones and child seats
Seat belts are mandatory in all seats, front and rear, and the driver is legally responsible if any passenger is unbelted. Using a phone without a hands-free kit is fined at 50 GEL. Children under 12 must sit in the back and children under 3 require a proper child seat — merent provides one free of charge on request at booking, so do not arrive assuming rental prices include it automatically. Booster seats for older children aged 4–10 are also available at no cost and fit every car in the fleet.
Overtaking on two-lane roads
Most roads outside the motorway are two-lane, one in each direction. Overtaking on a solid line is illegal and fined; on a dashed line it is allowed but only with clear sight ahead. Georgian drivers overtake freely and confidently, sometimes in places where foreign drivers would not. Do not feel pressured to match that style — hold your speed, stay to the right and let locals pass. Mountain roads have frequent blind bends where overtaking is genuinely dangerous; wait for a marked passing zone even if the driver behind is impatient.
Roundabouts and intersections without signs
Roundabouts give priority to vehicles already inside the circle, same as in continental Europe. Intersections without signs default to priority from the right — a detail worth remembering in old Tbilisi streets where signage is sometimes missing or covered by parked cars. Trams exist only in Batumi, where the single line has absolute priority along its embedded track. In the capital and other cities, cyclists and scooters share normal traffic lanes; give them a metre of lateral space when overtaking.
Parking in Tbilisi and other cities
Tbilisi's centre is divided into paid parking zones managed by CT Park. Parking in a blue zone without payment results in an 80 GEL fine — cars are not clamped but the ticket is registered against the licence plate and forwarded to the rental company. Pay via the CT Park app, by SMS or at one of the self-service machines found every few blocks. Residential streets outside the paid zones are free but often crowded after 18:00. Batumi uses a similar system along the boulevard, Kutaisi is mostly free, and every other town is effectively free parking.
Mountain driving etiquette
In mountain areas, give way to traffic coming uphill — it is the universal rule across the Caucasus and Georgian drivers follow it strictly. Unfenced livestock including cows, sheep, horses and the occasional donkey often wander onto roads in summer pastures; slow down and wait for them to move rather than honking. Avoid driving mountain roads after sunset: the combination of low light, tight switchbacks and occasional animals makes evening driving genuinely harder than elsewhere in Europe, even for experienced drivers.
If you are pulled over
Police in Georgia are professional and corruption-free. The traffic police were rebuilt from scratch after 2004 and are now one of the most trusted public services in the country. If you are pulled over, pull to the right, turn off the engine and keep your hands visible on the steering wheel. Present your licence, registration and insurance when asked. Never offer cash; if there is a real violation the officer will print a formal ticket with a bank reference that you pay later at any bank or online.
Emergency numbers worth saving
- 112 — all emergency services (fire, ambulance, police)
- merent 24/7 roadside assistance — printed on the key fob and in the glovebox
- 032 241 91 19 — traffic police non-emergency hotline
- 032 299 99 99 — tourist information and assistance in English