Rules for overlanding in Georgia

A licence issued abroad is valid in Georgia for one year from the date its holder entered the country, after which it has to be swapped for a Georgian licence. An International Driving Permit is recommended. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

Insurance for foreign-registered cars has been compulsory since 1 March 2018. You can take out a policy locally with the national or international insurers operating in the country, or buy one at the border crossings, including for short periods.

Given the state of the road surface, especially outside built-up areas, and the general standard of driving, maximum care is advised at the wheel.

Public road transport runs on yellow minibuses of up to 20 seats, the marshrutka, generally the only public link between Georgian towns. Poor vehicle maintenance, road conditions and driving habits mean extreme caution, and the ministry suggests preferring taxis, private vehicles or the train where there is one.

Bribing a public official is an offence that Georgia punishes severely and in practice.

Under Georgian narcotics law, possessing certain substances found in medicines sold freely in Italy is strictly prohibited even with a prescription, among them codeine, dihydrocodeine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, methadone, tramadol and pregabalin. Offenders face arrest and heavy fines. Check the full list before leaving, and for any medicine you carry bring the prescription in English or translated into Georgian, apostilled or notarised, with the medicine in its original labelled packaging.

Since 1 January 2026 you need valid health and accident insurance to enter Georgia, for at least 30,000 GEL, issued by a Georgian or foreign company. It can be shown on paper or on screen, must be written in English or Georgian and must cover the whole stay, arrival and departure dates included.

Enter and leave Georgia on the same travel document. There have been refusals at the border where someone entered on an identity card and left on a passport or the reverse, and cases where identity cards were not accepted at all, so the ministry advises using a passport.

Italian citizens can enter without a visa for up to one year, 365 days; check what applies to the passport you hold. Since 1 March 2026 employed and self-employed work, business activity and remote work included, is only allowed to foreigners holding a Georgian work permit.

At the border, the driver of a foreign-registered vehicle must present a driving licence, the vehicle's registration document and proof of legal ownership, unless the registration document already confirms it; no Carnet de Passages en Douane is asked for. (Georgia Revenue Service — What must We Know when Crossing the Custom Border of Georgia)

A vehicle registered in a foreign country must be insured for civil liability for the whole of your stay in Georgia. Policies are sold in four fixed lengths: 15 days, 30 days, 90 days or 1 year. (Legislative Herald of Georgia (Matsne) — Law of Georgia on Compulsory Civil Liability Insurance of an Owner of a Motor Vehicle Registered in a Foreign Country Driven in the Territory of Georgia)

A drone must be registered with the Civil Aviation Agency (GCAA) once its maximum take-off mass reaches 250 g. Registration is done online and is free; to fly in the open category you also need to pass GCAA's online competence test with at least 75%, and the resulting certificate stays valid for 5 years. (Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia (GCAA) — Agency launches online platform for registration of unmanned aircraft and drone operators)

High-frequency radio-electronic devices and other means of communication are on the Revenue Service's list of goods that need an extra permit or certificate to cross the Georgian border, alongside weapons, radioactive material and controlled medicines — check with Georgian customs before you travel with one. (Georgia Revenue Service — What must We Know when Crossing the Custom Border of Georgia)

Georgia's National Communications Commission (GNCC) states that it issued an authorisation to Starlink in July 2022, and that, based on the terms of the authorisation, SpaceX will use its Starlink satellite network to provide broadband internet services in Georgia. (Georgian National Communications Commission — Elon Musk: Starlink Now Available in Georgia!)