Driving in Georgia: rules, mountain roads and parking in Tbilisi

Your licence

A foreign driving licence is generally accepted in Georgia for up to a year from the date of entry, with no need to exchange it. If your licence is written in neither Latin nor Cyrillic letters, carry an International Driving Permit or a notarised translation: Georgia is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Keep your passport and licence with you whenever you drive.

Speed limits and the main rules

• 60 km/h in towns and 20 km/h in residential zones.
• 90 km/h outside towns and 110 km/h on motorways (Law of Georgia on Road Traffic, article 33).
• The driver and front passengers must wear seat belts.
• A phone may only be used hands-free.
• Children under three travel in the back in a restraint that fits their height and weight, and children under six must never be left alone in a parked car.
• The blood alcohol limit is 0.3 per mille; the only safe choice is not to drink at all before driving.

Mountain roads and winter

The Georgian Military Road (S3) runs 139 km from Mtskheta through Ananuri and Gudauri to Stepantsminda at the Russian border. Its highest point is the Jvari Pass at 2,379 m, and the upper sections can close for snow or avalanche risk, so check the road before you go. Gudauri is usually 2 to 2.5 hours from Tbilisi, and its ski season runs from early December to mid-April.

Winter tyres are required from 1 December to 1 March, and in zones set by the government chains on at least the front wheels may be required in bad weather. By road from Freedom Square it is 26 km to Mtskheta, 121 km to Gudauri, 153 km to Stepantsminda, 109 km to Sighnaghi, 160 km to Borjomi and 223 km to Kutaisi.

Free roads, fuel and parking in Tbilisi

Georgia's international and domestic roads are free of charge, with no vignettes or transponders; the Roads Department confirmed in June 2026 that no tolls are planned. The new Rikoti section of the east–west highway, 52 km with 51 tunnels, opened in December 2025 and is free as well. On 21 September 2026 petrol cost about 4.06 GEL a litre and diesel about 4.76 GEL.

Street parking in Tbilisi is zonal: from 1 GEL an hour after the first 15 free minutes, paid in the Tbilisi Parking app, at terminals or on parking.tbilisi.gov.ge. Unpaid parking is fined 50 GEL, and towing costs 150 GEL plus 20 GEL for each day at the pound. Underground car parks in the centre, such as those under Freedom Square and Orbeliani Square, are the simplest option for a longer stop.