Renting: what the contract decides
Georgia's Law on Road Traffic (Article 21) says what a driver must carry and show to police:
- a licence valid in Georgia for the vehicle category
- a certified translation if the licence is not in Georgian or Latin letters
- a document showing the right to use the car, which for a renter is the rental agreement
The detailed rules on recognising foreign licences are set by ministerial order. The rental companies publish the version that matters at the desk:
| Company terms | Age and experience | Licence | Deposit | Roads not allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cars 4 Rent | 21+, 1 year | International format, readable in English, Georgian or Russian, category B shown | None for standard cars | Abkhazia and South Ossetia for all cars; Tusheti, Khevsureti and Vashlovani only in their hardest-terrain off-road class |
| CarEx | 21+, 2 years | Latin or Cyrillic licence accepted for one year after arrival | None | Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Omalo, Juta, Tusheti, Goderdzi, Ushguli |
| Georgia On Wheels | 21+, 2 years | Not specified | None | Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Mestia–Ushguli–Lentekhi, Goderdzi Pass, Sairme–Abastumani, Truso, Juta, Vashlovani, Tusheti, Omalo, Shatili |
All three include comprehensive cover, but not every loss is covered. Tyres are the common exclusion: Cars 4 Rent charges EUR 60–150 a tyre and Georgia On Wheels EUR 60. CarEx's basic cover leaves out wheels, windscreen, windows and underbody unless you add its super cover. Driving a banned road can cancel the cover altogether. Cars 4 Rent adds a EUR 500 penalty for taking a car on a high-difficulty road without permission.
How much are speed camera fines in Georgia?
For cars (category B), the Law on Road Traffic sets these limits:
- 60 km/h in built-up areas
- 20 km/h in residential zones
- 90 km/h on other roads
- 110 km/h on motorways
Signs can raise the limit on sections through towns. The fines are in Article 125 of the Code of Administrative Offences, consolidated version checked in September 2026:
| Over the limit | Fine |
|---|---|
| Up to 15 km/h | No fine in Article 125 |
| More than 15, up to 30 km/h | GEL 50 |
| More than 30, up to 50 km/h | GEL 100 |
| More than 50 km/h | GEL 300 |
| Any of the above, causing an emergency situation | GEL 400 |
| Any of the above, causing minor injury or damage | GEL 600 |
Note 10 of the same article counts average speed between two cameras as speeding. Average-speed sections therefore fine you even if you slow down at each camera.
How the fine travels to a renter
Article 290-1 of the code places a camera fine on the person the car's registration certificate was last issued to. For a rental car, that is the company. Under Article 268-1, the Interior Ministry sends a text message where it has contact details and publishes the receipt on its website. The fine must be paid within 30 days of delivery. If it is not, the ministry adds a surcharge equal to the fine. If fine and surcharge stay unpaid another 30 days, enforcement follows against the registered holder.
Every rental contract above makes the renter liable for traffic and parking fines during the rental. Cars 4 Rent adds a 22% charge when fines are paid by card. The company holds your card and passport details, so an unpaid fine still reaches you. What changes is when it arrives and how much it has grown.
Worked example: a camera on the road to Kazbegi
You are recorded at 95 km/h in a 60 km/h village zone on the way north: 35 km/h over.
| When it is paid | Fine | With Cars 4 Rent's 22% card charge |
|---|---|---|
| Within 10 calendar days of the text or web notice (20% off) | GEL 80 | GEL 97.60 |
| Within 30 days of delivery | GEL 100 | GEL 122 |
| After 30 days: surcharge equal to the fine | GEL 200 | GEL 244 |
A company that pays fines quickly on your behalf keeps the cost at the low end. One that waits for the paper trail or for your return can end up with the doubled amount. Ask at pickup how fines are handled and whether you can pay them yourself.
Are Georgia's mountain roads open in winter?
Article 16-1 of the Law on Road Traffic makes winter tyres on all wheels compulsory from 1 December to 1 March on road sections the government designates. The Interior Minister can move those dates in exceptional weather. Police can also order chains on at least two driving wheels. Article 12 of the same law bans driving on such a section without the required winter tyres, or without chains where they have been ordered. The companies listed above do not state in their terms that winter tyres are fitted. For a December to March trip north of Tbilisi, confirm it in writing when you book.
Whether the road is open matters even more than tyres. The Georgian Roads Department closes sections when snow and visibility make them unsafe. On 27 February 2026, 1TV reported that the department had fully closed several roads in a blizzard:
- the Gudauri (Post Office)–Kobi section of the Mtskheta–Stepantsminda–Larsi road, which crosses the Jvari Pass
- the Paravani Pass
- the Goderdzi Resort–Utkisubani section of the Batumi–Akhaltsikhe road
- the Kala–Ushguli and Mele–Lasdili sections
Trailers were banned on other routes.
| Your plan | What to check | Switch plan when |
|---|---|---|
| Tbilisi to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) day trip in winter | Roads Department notices that morning; written confirmation of winter tyres | Gudauri–Kobi is announced closed, which means you cannot get through |
| Tbilisi to Batumi via Goderdzi | The rental contract; CarEx and Georgia On Wheels ban Goderdzi | Use the main lowland highway instead |
| Mestia to Ushguli | The rental contract; banned by CarEx and Georgia On Wheels | Book a local 4x4 transfer from Mestia |
| Crossing into Armenia | Notarised permission and border insurance | Your company does not issue permission |
For routes without a car, including the train to Batumi, see Tbilisi airport, marshrutkas and trains to Batumi.
Can you take a Georgian rental car to Armenia or Azerbaijan?
A Georgian rental car can leave the country only with the company's notarised permission. Cars 4 Rent allows Armenia and Azerbaijan at EUR 89 per country, needs one full working day to issue it, and estimates the border insurance at about US$20–30. CarEx charges US$50–70 for Armenia and asks for three days' notice. Georgia On Wheels does not allow cross-border rentals.
Going the other way, the 2017 law on compulsory insurance, in force since 1 March 2018, applies to foreign-registered cars. Anyone driving such a car into Georgia must buy Georgian third-party cover from the moment of entry. Policies are sold for 15 days, 30 days, 90 days or a year. The Compulsory Insurance Center says they are sold at its centre, in banks, through agents and brokers, and at payment terminals. Staying in Georgia without it brings a GEL 100–200 fine.