When and for How Long the Driving Right Is Suspended
A citizen driving right may be suspended for up to 3 years for a gross or systematic violation of the rules of its use, and the suspension period cannot be shorter than 15 days. A person who uses a vehicle because of a disability status cannot have the driving right suspended — except where that person drives a vehicle in a state of alcoholic intoxication. The road-traffic legislation adds a separate suspension ground connected with the exhaustion of the points on a driving licence; that is a distinct regime requiring its own line of appeal.
Alcohol-related suspensions are precisely graded: where the ethanol concentration in the driver blood exceeds 0.3 but does not exceed 0.7 per mille, the driving right is suspended for 6 months; where it exceeds 0.7 per mille, or the driver evades the check — for 1 year. Leaving the scene of a road traffic accident carries a fine of 250 GEL together with a 6-month suspension, and failure to obey a police order to stop carries a fine of 500 GEL.
Exculpatory Circumstances in Alcohol Cases
A state of alcoholic intoxication means an ethanol concentration in the blood above 0.3 per mille. Where intoxication was detected by testing, the driver has the right, within 2 hours of the test, to approach a medical or forensic institution for a clinical-laboratory examination. If that examination does not confirm intoxication, the person is released from administrative liability and may also claim compensation for the damage caused.
The organ examining the case assesses blood-analysis results against the data of alcohol toxicokinetics — the concentration of alcohol in the human organism decreases by 0.15 per mille every 1 hour. This technical detail often changes the assessment of a case: reconstructing the exact times of the stop and of the blood draw shows how far the recorded figure corresponds to the moment of driving.
Appeal to the Superior Organ and to the Court
A decision may be appealed by the person against whom it was issued, by the victim and by the author of the protocol. Decisions on replacing one administrative sanction with another and on imposing a surcharge are first appealed to a superior organ, whose decision is then challenged in court. The complaint is filed with the issuing organ and forwarded within 3 days to the organ competent to examine it; no state duty is charged.
The appeal period is 10 days from delivery of the decision; a period missed for a valid reason may be restored. The appellate court checks admissibility within 10 days of receipt, does not re-examine the facts, and the burden of proving unlawfulness rests on the appellant — so the quality of the complaint decides the outcome.
Execution, Counting and Reduction of the Suspension
A suspension decision is executed by officials of the internal affairs bodies and counts as executed from the day it enters into legal force. A person whose driving right is suspended has the driving licence taken away. The suspension period runs from the delivery of the decision — so the delivery date is contested as fiercely as the lawfulness of the decision itself.
Where a person committed for the first time an offence carrying a temporary suspension, the sanctioning organ may reduce the period in view of the personality and the family situation of that person; the reduction is admissible only after at least half of the appointed term has elapsed. The rules on suspension, reduction, restoration and the return of the licence are defined by the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Escalation Risks and the Defense Strategy
An unmanaged suspension escalates: driving again during the suspension period carries a 2000 GEL fine, administrative arrest from 5 to 15 days and a 1-year extension of the suspension; with light damage inflicted — a 2000 GEL fine and a 3-year suspension. Leaving the scene accompanied by an emergency situation or traffic disruption carries 1500 GEL and a 1-year suspension, and with light damage — 2000 GEL and a 3-year suspension. Breaking these parts down precisely and contesting each of them separately is exactly the lawyer task.
We open the case along two axes: the unlawfulness of the decision (delivery, classification, evidence, the testing procedure) and the mitigating circumstances that ground a reduction of the term. Non-payment of the underlying fine additionally triggers a 500 GEL surcharge — which is another reason to start managing the case early.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the core questions about driving-right suspensions.
For how long is the right suspended in alcohol cases?
For an ethanol content of 0.3 to 0.7 per mille — 6 months; above 0.7 per mille or for evading the check — 1 year.
Can the breath test be re-checked?
Yes — within 2 hours of the test, by a clinical-laboratory examination at a medical or forensic institution; if intoxication is not confirmed, liability is released.
Within what period is a suspension decision appealed?
Within 10 days of delivery, first to the superior organ; its decision can then be challenged in court.
Can the suspension term be reduced?
Yes — for a first offence, in view of the personality and family situation, after at least half of the appointed term has elapsed.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The lawyers of Legal.ge open a suspension case from the protocol to the court: we check the lawfulness of the decision and of its delivery, draft the complaint to the superior organ and to the court, and assess the prospects of reducing the term and restoring the right. Contact us — we will review your case at the level of documents and set a precise plan from the start on Legal.ge.