Georgia on an Indian Licence — IDP Recommended + the Side Switch

First, the disambiguation that saves a wasted search: this is Georgia the country — the Caucasus republic with Tbilisi as its capital, mountain switchbacks up to Kazbegi and Black Sea coast at Batumi — not the US state. For Indian travellers it has quietly become a favourite self-drive destination, and the paperwork is the simple part.

Can you drive in Georgia on an Indian licence?

Yes. Your Indian licence is accepted, and an International Driving Permit is recommended to go with it — rental desks and police prefer to see the IDP as a certified translation alongside your licence and passport. Sort the IDP in India before you travel. There is no obstacle to renting a car here as an Indian visitor; the friction is on the road, not at the counter.

The real adjustment: India drives left, Georgia drives right

This is the thing that genuinely catches Indian drivers, and it has nothing to do with documents. India keeps left; Georgia keeps right. The danger window is your first day — pulling out of a fuel station, taking a roundabout that now flows the opposite way, or glancing the wrong direction at a junction. Spend your first hour on quiet roads outside Tbilisi and be deliberate at every turn until right-hand traffic stops feeling backwards. Georgian mountain roads add their own demand: tight bends, sheer drops with little guardrail, and weather that turns quickly at altitude.

Speeds and a low alcohol limit

Town limits are 50 km/h, rural roads 80, and motorways run up to 120 km/h. Drive to the road rather than the sign on rural stretches, where surface quality and overtaking habits are unpredictable. On alcohol, Georgia runs a strict 0.03 BAC for general drivers and zero for novices — the same tight level India applies, so the safe rule is none at all before driving. The emergency number is 112.

There isn’t reliable published data on the exact roadside speeding fine here, so I won’t put a figure on it — carry a card or cash and expect on-the-spot payment if you are stopped. Check the country detail on our Georgia driving guide, confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker, and read up on how penalties work across borders in who pays driving fines abroad.