Logistics as a field of activity is not covered in Georgian legislation by a single stand-alone "logistics license": the permit catalogue ties regulation to specific operations — international road freight transport. On this page you will find which permits a carrier needs for cross-border transport, what specifically applies to foreign carriers, how these permits are issued electronically, and how to prepare the application so that the different permit types are not confused.
The Permit Catalogue and the Place of Logistics in It
The system of activity licenses and permits is built on a single catalogue of permit types: the law separately names the actions for which a permit is mandatory. This means that regulation does not extend to "logistics activity" as a whole — it is directed at the specific operations listed in the catalogue, and a carrier must know exactly whether this or that operation touches its activity.
From the transport and logistics field the catalogue includes the international road freight transport permit and the above-quota one-time transport permit. At the same time, the catalogue contains permits connected with the movement of goods from other spheres as well — for example, permits for the transit and import of products subject to veterinary control, for the import of plant products subject to phytosanitary control, and for the activity of free trade points and customs warehouses. These permits regulate a different subject, and confusing them with the freight transport permit is a source of error when preparing an application.
The International Road Freight Transport Permit
The international road freight transport permit is a separate type in the catalogue. Its practical significance is that the right to carry out international transport from or across the territory of the country is acquired by a separate administrative decision — a permit. Two characteristics of the transport are decisive for the carrier: its international character and the fact of carriage of goods by road freight transport.
This permit type also differs from the others by its addressee: it concerns services performed by road freight transport and creates a regime of advance permission precisely in that segment. For services that do not match the operations listed in the catalogue, the catalogue does not define a separate permit: the object of regulation is only the listed actions, and the carrier's remaining activity stays outside the catalogue's scope.
One-Time Transport Above the Quota by a Foreign Carrier
The catalogue singles out as a separate type the permit for a one-time international road freight transport carried out by a foreign carrier from the territory of Georgia above the established quota. This norm protects the established quota: if a foreign carrier exceeds the quota, each such one-time transport from the territory of Georgia requires a separate permit.
This distinction matters for planning: the ordinary international freight transport permit and the one-time above-quota transport permit are two different administrative acts. A foreign carrier must verify before each transport whether it falls within the established quota: a transport performed above the quota means a different application and a different permit type, and confusing them may become a ground for rejection.
The one-time nature of this permit type is also important: it covers a single, specific transport and is not designed for an extended period. A carrier working regularly above the quota plans a separate application for each new transport.
Electronic Issuance and Unified Automatic Management Means
The license or permit issuing authority is entitled, for the purposes of case handling and information accessibility connected with the issuance of a license or permit, to use software and unified automatic management means. This means that accepting the application, examining it, and issuing the decision can be done entirely electronically — through unified automatic management means.
The issuing authority is entitled to receive, issue, or grant any information or document connected with a license or permit — including the license or permit certificate and its duplicate — through the use of unified automatic management means. The departmental license or permit registry may likewise be maintained electronically: data on issued permits are kept in digital form and are accessible.
The issuing authority is entitled to store and issue, in the form of an electronic copy, any document created or kept by it — including the permit certificate, its duplicate, and a copy of the departmental registry. Data in issued or granted documents and in the registry may be entered by mechanical or electronic means. In practice this means that a carrier can receive the permit certificate in electronic form and, if it is lost, restore the duplicate through the same channel.
The use of electronic means removes the necessity of paper availability: receiving information, issuing documents, and maintaining the registry take place in one and the same technical environment. For a carrier this means faster communication with the issuing authority and simpler restoration of documents.
What a Carrier Should Know Before Applying
As the first step in planning international transport you should determine the exact type of the transport: whether it is an ordinary international road freight transport, or it is performed by a foreign carrier above the established quota — this determines the permit type indicated in the application.
The second step is identifying the issuing authority: the permit is issued by the authority competent for the relevant permit type, and the application is addressed precisely to it. The third step is preparing the documentation: the application is written and must be accompanied by a list of attached documents, while the issuance timelines and the permit fee are set by the relevant legislation. Since case handling may be electronic, it is useful for a carrier to familiarize itself in advance with the capabilities of the issuing authority's electronic system — this saves time and reduces intermediate communication.
Keep in mind when planning that in the above-quota case the permit is one-time: each new transport requires a new application. A correctly arranged calendar — which transport rests on which permit — is the only way to avoid gaps in the transport schedule.