Recognition and Category Equivalence
The equivalence rights of categories and subcategories extend to the holder of a licence issued by a foreign state only where the legislation of the issuing country provides for it. Under the Georgian law, the holder of an „A“, „B“, „C“ or „D“ category may also drive vehicles of the „A1“, „A2“, „B1“, „C1“ or „D1“ subcategories established within those categories, and the trailer combinations follow a parallel ladder.
Beyond this basic equivalence, other equivalences may be established by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs. Two practical examples: the „B“ category covers a tracked agricultural tractor within defined mass limits, and a „C“ category licence allows, under conditions, the carriage of passengers in the body of a truck — with the number of passengers not exceeding 8; part of these equivalences operate only on the territory of Georgia.
The Agency and the Rules of Issuance, Exchange and Restoration
The conduct of examinations, the granting and the annulment of the driving right, the restoration of a suspended or revoked right, and the issuance, replacement and restoration of the driving licence are carried out, within its competence, by the Service Agency. A licence counts as issued from its production and the entry of the records in the issuance registry — before issuance, the person is treated as having no driving right.
The procedure and conditions for the exchange and recognition of a foreign document confirming the right to drive are defined by the law and by an order of the Minister of Internal Affairs. Where the registry records and the entries in the licence diverge, the registry prevails — which is why the verification of the registry data becomes the foundation of any exchange application.
The Validity Period of the Licence
The validity of a licence issued in Georgia is tied to categories: for the „AM“, „A“, „B“, „BE“, „T“, „S“ categories and the „A1“, „A2“, „B1“ subcategories it is 15 years; for „C“, „CE“, „D“, „DE“ and „C1“, „C1E“, „D1“, „D1E“ — 5 years. Where a health certificate recommends a restricted-term licence, the term is set by the period needed for re-examination, but not more than 5 or, correspondingly, 3 years.
It must be stressed: the validity of a foreign licence is resolved precisely by these rules and by the recognition procedure — no other term follows from these provisions. Renewal and reduction procedures are likewise set by a ministerial order, and the overall validity of a licence must correspond to the maximum term of the categories entered in it.