Can a Brit Drive in Georgia? — Yes with an IDP, and You Switch to the Right

Georgia — the Caucasus country, not the US state — has quietly become a road-trip favourite for British travellers, and the licence question is the first thing most of them look up. The good news is your UK licence works. The two things to actually prepare for are the side of the road and the alcohol limit.

The verdict for British licence holders

A British licence holder can drive in Georgia, and an International Driving Permit is recommended to carry alongside it. The law does not always insist on one, but rental desks and roadside police expect non-resident drivers to have an IDP, and producing it with your UK licence and passport keeps any stop straightforward. Sort the IDP before you fly; you cannot arrange it once you are there. Your home licence covers a normal visit comfortably.

Switching to the right is the main adjustment

The UK drives on the left; Georgia drives on the right. That reversal is the thing most likely to trip you up, and the danger window is your first day — pulling out of a fuel station, taking a roundabout that now flows the other way, or glancing the wrong direction at a junction. Spend your first hour on quiet roads rather than central Tbilisi, and check deliberately at every turn until right-hand driving stops feeling backwards.

A 0.03 limit, and roads that vary fast

Georgia’s drink-drive limit is 0.03 — and zero for novice drivers — far below the British 0.08. Do not assume the relaxed margin you might at home; if you are driving, do not drink. On speeds, towns are 50 km/h, rural roads 80 and motorways 120 km/h, a touch higher on the motorway than the UK’s 70 mph. The bigger variable is condition: the main highways are good, but mountain and rural roads can turn rough, narrow and unlit quickly, and you will meet livestock and slow trucks. Fuel sits around $1.00 a litre, and 112 is the emergency number.

Confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker, read the full rules on the Georgia driving guide, and if you are weighing a speeding penalty, check it against the Speeding Fine Calculator.