From Russia to Armenia by car through Georgia

The route

The usual overland route goes through Georgia:

1. the Russian checkpoint Upper Lars and the Georgian checkpoint Dariali (Kazbegi);
2. the road across Georgia;
3. the Georgia–Armenia border: Sadakhlo and Bagratashen, Guguti and Gogavan, or Ninotsminda and Bavra.

The Russian Upper Lars checkpoint is open around the clock. The mountain pass road can be closed due to weather, so check the road status before you set off.

Do not enter Georgia through Abkhazia or South Ossetia. Under Georgia’s Law on Occupied Territories this is a criminal offence punishable by a fine or imprisonment. The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that people who left Georgia this way were later prosecuted when they entered Georgia again.

Documents

• International passport. Georgia requires an international passport; the internal Russian passport is not accepted there. Armenia is also entered by land with the international passport: according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the internal passport is accepted only for air travel. No visa is needed: you can stay up to one year in Georgia and up to 180 days a year in Armenia.
• Driving licence. A Russian licence is enough; an International Driving Permit is not required. In Georgia a foreign licence is valid for no more than one year from your last entry. If your licence or vehicle registration certificate has no data in Latin letters, Georgian law requires a certified translation.
• Vehicle registration certificate. It is checked at both borders.
• If the car is not yours. Carry a document that proves your right to use the car, for example a power of attorney from the owner. Georgia requires it at the border if the owner is not in the car. Armenian law has no such requirement.
• Two policies. Georgian and Armenian, see below.

Entering Georgia

At Dariali (Kazbegi) the driver shows the licence, the registration certificate and the document on the right to the car. A sticker and a stamp are put in the passport.

A car with foreign plates may stay in Georgia for up to 90 days. After that it must leave the country or be customs-cleared.

Georgian insurance is compulsory from the moment you enter and for the whole stay, even in transit. The shortest policy is 15 days. You do not need a paper policy: the electronic one has the same legal force. Driving without a policy can lead to a fine of GEL 100 to 200.

If you will also drive back through Georgia, the policy must cover the return transit too. Choose a period that covers both trips, or arrange a new policy before you return.

• Car insurance for Georgia: arrange it in advance and choose the start date.
• Entering Georgia by car: documents, insurance and road rules

The border with Armenia

The main road checkpoints are:

• Sadakhlo and Bagratashen, south of Tbilisi;
• Guguti and Gogavan;
• Ninotsminda and Bavra.

According to the Armenian Embassy in Georgia, the Sadakhlo and Bagratashen and the Ninotsminda and Bavra checkpoints have been open around the clock since December 2021.

Entering Armenia

• The car. A car registered in Russia or another EAEU country is not declared at the Armenian border.
• Environmental tax. It is paid on every entry of a car not registered in Armenia. For a passenger car with up to 10 seats it is AMD 3,750, or AMD 7,500 if emissions exceed the norms (Armenian State Revenue Committee, 2024).
• Armenian insurance. The law requires a policy for vehicles entering the country under their own power. Armenia is not part of the Green Card system.

• Car insurance for Armenia: arrange the policy online in advance for 10 to 365 days and pay by Visa or Mastercard.

Two policies on the route

• Car insurance for Georgia
• Car insurance for Armenia
• Car accident in Georgia or Armenia with foreign plates: what to do

Before you go

• Passport, driving licence and registration certificate with you.
• If the car is not yours, a document proving your right to use it.
• Georgian policy arranged for the whole time in Georgia.
• Armenian policy arranged for the right dates.
• Upper Lars road status checked.

Frequently asked questions