Georgia is a straightforward place to hold a driving licence — you can either sit the local exams for a new one, or, in many cases, simply exchange the foreign licence you already have. Here is how each route works, who qualifies, and one thing you should never do.

Who can get a Georgian licence

You do not have to be a citizen, and the requirement depends on the route. If you are sitting the exams for a new licence, you generally need a real link to the country — either a Georgian residence permit (temporary or permanent) or at least 185 days of legal residence in the previous 12 months; if you are only visiting short-term, that is the first thing to sort out (start with our guide to the Georgian residence permit). If you already hold a valid foreign licence and want to exchange it, a residence permit is not required — what matters is the documents, covered below.

Getting a new licence: the exams

If you do not have a licence to exchange, you take the standard exams. There are three parts:

1. Theory (the “tickets”). A computer test on the traffic rules. This is the part people mean when they talk about “learning the tickets” — the question bank is published, so it is a matter of studying and practising the tests.
2. Practical on a closed course (autodrome). Basic manoeuvres in a controlled area.
3. Practical in the city. Driving in real traffic with an examiner.

The theory test can usually be taken in several languages, which makes it accessible to foreign applicants. Pass all three and the licence is issued.

Exchanging a foreign licence (Russian, Ukrainian and others)

If you already hold a valid foreign licence, you can often exchange it for a Georgian one without taking the exams and without a residence permit — this is the popular route for relocators from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and elsewhere. The one hard condition: the licence must be valid — a current licence can be exchanged, an expired or revoked one cannot. What the process really turns on is the paperwork — you will usually need:

• The foreign licence itself — the physical card or document.
• An official certificate from the country that issued the licence, confirming it was genuinely issued and is valid, bearing that authority’s stamp. If that country is not in the Minsk Convention — which includes the Baltic states and all non-post-Soviet countries — the certificate must be apostilled; certificates from Minsk Convention countries (the other post-Soviet states) are accepted with their stamp, without an apostille.
• A notarised translation of the foreign documents into Georgian.
• Identification (your passport), a medical certificate, and the completed application.

Note that a residence permit is not part of this — the exchange is document-based. Requirements can change, so confirm the current list before you go.

Do not try to “buy” a driving licence

A word of caution. You will find people online offering to “sell” you a Georgian licence “without exams”. Do not do it. There is no legal way to buy a driving licence in Georgia — a genuine licence is only ever issued by passing the exams or by a lawful exchange. Anything else is a forged document: it will not survive a police check, it can be cancelled, and using a fake licence exposes you to fines and criminal liability, in Georgia and abroad. The legal routes above are quick and accessible enough that there is simply no reason to risk it.

Using your Georgian licence abroad

Once you hold a Georgian licence and later move to another country, the local authority may ask for official confirmation that it was genuinely issued before they will exchange or accept it. That is a separate document — see how we obtain a certificate confirming your Georgian driving licence, with translation and apostille for use abroad.

Frequently Asked Questions: Driving Licence in Georgia

Can a foreigner get a Georgian driving licence?

Yes. For the exams (a new licence) you need a Georgian residence permit or at least 185 days of legal residence in the past 12 months. If you already hold a valid foreign licence, you can exchange it — and the exchange needs no residence permit, only the right documents.

Do I need to take an exam to exchange my Russian or Ukrainian licence?

Generally no. Eligible residents can exchange a valid foreign licence for a Georgian one without exams. The licence must be current — expired or revoked licences cannot be exchanged.

What does the exam involve if I take one?

A theory test on the traffic rules (the “tickets”, from a published question bank, available in several languages), then practical driving on a closed course and in the city.

Can I buy a Georgian driving licence?

No. There is no legal way to buy a licence — a genuine one comes only from passing the exams or a lawful exchange. Anything sold as a licence “without exams” is a forgery that carries fines and criminal liability. Use the legal routes.