The Scope of the Law and Who It Covers
The law on road traffic defines the legal bases of the organisation and safety of road traffic in Georgia and the general requirements for granting the driving right and for the registration of vehicles. It applies to a citizen of Georgia and equally to a citizen of a foreign state and to a stateless person who participate in road traffic on the territory of Georgia.
An international treaty or agreement of Georgia may provide otherwise, which is why in a resident case the first thing we check is the existing international obligations. For the purposes of the law, movement on a road temporarily closed for a sporting or mass event, or on territory permanently closed for vehicle sport events, is not road traffic.
The law also defines the principal directions of state policy in road traffic safety, the rights and duties of state power organs, road signs and road markings, and the rights and duties of traffic participants. For a resident this means that together with the driving right he becomes a full participant of this system — with all of its requirements and all of its guarantees.
Granting the Driving Right and the Licence
The conduct of examinations, the granting and annulment of the driving right, the restoration of a suspended or revoked right, and the issuance and replacement of the licence are carried out, within its competence, by the Service Agency. A licence counts as issued from its production and the reflection of the records in the issuance registry — before issuance, a person is treated as having no driving right.
Where the registry records and the entries in the licence diverge, the registry prevails. Preparing an application therefore always begins with checking the registry data: it is the source on which every subsequent decision is built. The date on which the driving right of a category is granted is considered the date of issuance of the licence for that category, and the overall validity of a licence must correspond to the maximum term of the categories entered in it — a detail that matters where one licence unites several categories whose terms do not coincide.
The Validity of the Licence and the Exchange Procedure
The validity of a licence issued in Georgia is tied to categories: for the „AM“, „A“, „B“, „BE“, „T“, „S“ categories and „A1“, „A2“, „B1“ subcategories — 15 years; for „C“, „CE“, „D“, „DE“ and their subcategories — 5 years. With a health-based restriction the term is set by the re-examination period, but not more than 5 or 3 years.
The procedure and conditions for the exchange and recognition of a document issued by a foreign state are defined by this law and by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs. We stress: validity is resolved precisely by these rules — no other terms follow from these provisions, and the renewal procedure, too, is set by a ministerial act.
The Points System for a Resident
A licence issued by a foreign state receives 100 points once, on the territory of Georgia — from the day its legal force arises there. Upon exhaustion of the points, the holder is prohibited from driving a mechanical vehicle, and restoration takes place under the procedure set by a ministerial order.
A licence issued in Georgia has its 100 points renewed on 1 January of every calendar year; exhaustion leads to a 1-year suspension of the right to drive vehicles of every category the holder has. A warning is sent when the points fall to 50 and then to 20; video- or photo-recorded violations do not reduce the points.
Equivalence and Our Role
The equivalence rights of categories extend to the holder of a foreign licence only where the legislation of the issuing country provides for it. Where a health certificate carries a corresponding recommendation, a person may be denied or restricted in the right to drive a vehicle of an equivalent category. We map the equivalences of your licence, check the registry and the points status, prepare the exchange application and challenge a refusal — through the procedure established by the legislation.
Experience says: in resident cases most delays are caused not by a legal dispute but by incomplete documents and registry mismatches. That is why our first step is always a full audit of the data, and only after it comes the plan of the application or the appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the questions residents most often ask about the driving right in Georgia.
Who does the law apply to?
To citizens of Georgia, citizens of foreign states and stateless persons who participate in road traffic in Georgia.
What validity does the licence have?
15 years for the „B“ family of categories, 5 years for the „C“/„D“ family; with a health restriction — a shorter term.
How many points does a foreign licence receive?
100 points once, from the day its legal force arises; upon exhaustion, driving is prohibited.
Can a refusal be appealed?
Yes — through the administrative remedies established by the legislation; the registry data provides the foundation.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The lawyers of Legal.ge run a resident driving-right case from registration to appeal: checking the registry and the equivalences, the exchange application, control over the points status and the challenge of a refusal. Contact us — we will build a precise plan on the documents of your situation on Legal.ge.