What Article 174¹⁷ of the Administrative Offences Code covers
Article 174¹⁷ of the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia establishes administrative liability for using an electronic map depicting a breach of the principle of Georgia's territorial integrity or its printed edition, as well as for using, importing into Georgia, transporting or exporting from Georgia any other object containing such an image. The norm protects the principle of the state's territorial integrity and is aimed against the circulation of materials depicting its violation.
The article combines several acts in a single sentence: use, import, transportation and export. Liability is therefore not tied only to the physical movement of a map — it also extends to the use of such a map or of an object containing such an image.
Which objects are covered
The article contemplates three forms: an electronic map, its printed edition, and any other object containing such an image. The essential feature is the same in each case: the image depicts a breach of the principle of Georgia's territorial integrity. An object not containing such an image does not fall under the norm. The form of the object — digital or material — is not decisive; the content is.
The fine and confiscation
The sanction is differentiated by the type of person: a physical person is fined 150 GEL and a legal person 300 GEL. In addition, the article provides for the confiscation of the object of the offence — the map or the object containing the image is taken away from the violator. The practical consequence is thus the loss of the object alongside the fine.
The article contains no separate harsher sanction for a repeated commission — a single tier is established for physical and legal persons.
What must be established in the case
The central question in the case is factual: whether the object in fact contained an image depicting a breach of territorial integrity. This assessment is often the disputed point of the case, since the interpretation of images can be subjective. In addition, the fact of the act is established — whether the person used, imported, transported or exported the object. A correct description of these two factual circumstances in the protocol frequently decides the outcome.
How we can help
The lawyers of legal.ge will assess the content of the object and the qualification of the act, verify the case materials, defend you before the reviewing authority and prepare an appeal. For a consultation, bring the fine decision, the description of the object, and your identity or registration documents.
Who is at risk and how to reduce it
The practical reach of the norm is broad: it concerns not only someone who physically brings a map across the border, but also anyone who uses such a map — for instance in a presentation, at an exhibition, in a publication or on an electronic resource. For companies this is particularly relevant: an incorrect image used in marketing materials, on websites or in printed editions of maps can become the ground of a case against a legal person — with a 300 GEL fine and confiscation of the object.
The risk can be reduced by a simple rule: any map to be published or used should be checked in advance — whether it depicts Georgia's territorial integrity in accordance with the principles established by legislation. This check matters especially when relying on foreign sources, where an image may reflect another state's position.
How a lawyer conducts such a case
The defence strategy unfolds along several lines. The first is factual: what image the object contained and whether it genuinely depicted a breach of territorial integrity. The second concerns the act: whether the person in fact used, imported, transported or exported the object, and how that is proved documentarily. The third is procedural: whether the general rules were observed when the record was drawn up. Each line is a separate possible point of attack, and organising them correctly often changes the outcome of the case.
If a fine has already been imposed, do not lose time: the appeal periods are set by the Code and are often short. A consultation at an early stage opens both the revision of the qualification and the reduction of the sanction. Finally, remember that confiscation is a separate question — the value of the object sometimes exceeds the fine itself.
The legal.ge team is ready to handle cases of this category through the full cycle — from assessing the qualification to the court stage where that becomes necessary.