Import guide · Georgia
How to Import Cars from China to Georgia
Georgia is the Caucasus re-export hub — cars land at Poti and Batumi and move on to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia as well as into the domestic market. For a supplier of left-hand-drive Chinese vehicles, two rules in the current tax code matter more than anything else.
The first: excise on right-hand-drive cars is charged at three times the normal rate. The second: from April 2026 the excise on vehicles older than six years jumped to roughly three times the rate applied to newer ones. Both push the market straight at new, left-hand-drive stock.
Sino Gear is a vehicle exporter, not a customs broker or a tax adviser. The duty, tax and age figures on this page were collected from the sources listed at the foot of the page and last checked in August 2026. They are set by Georgia's authorities and change without notice — several were revised during 2026 alone. Figures we could not confirm against a primary government source are listed explicitly below. Nothing here is legal, tax or customs advice: confirm the current position with a licensed customs broker in Georgia before you commit money to a shipment.
What the landed cost is made of
| Cost block | Indicative level |
|---|---|
| Vehicle (FOB China) | Model-dependent — see the catalog and used stock |
| Ocean freight + insurance | Roughly US$1,500–2,500 per car as a container share to Poti or Batumi |
| Customs duty | 5% of CIF value |
| Excise — up to 6 years old | Charged per cm³ of engine capacity at the standard rate (around 1.5 GEL/cm³ since April 2026) |
| Excise — over 6 years old | Roughly three times the standard rate (around 4.5 GEL/cm³) — the change that reshaped this market |
| Left-hand-drive hybrids | Preferential rate — the basic excise reduced by 60% |
| Electric vehicles | Flat excise of 3,000 GEL, not a per-cm³ charge |
| Right-hand-drive surcharge | Excise charged at 3× the basic rate for reverse-drive vehicles |
| VAT & clearance | 18% VAT plus customs clearance and registration fees |
The April 2026 structure comes from law N1477-VMS-XIMP, passed on 1 April 2026 and effective from 2 April; it does not apply to vehicles already imported or already in transit before that date. Rates are set in Georgian lari, so the US-dollar equivalent moves with the exchange rate. Georgian tax legislation changes frequently — confirm with your customs broker before you buy. Figures on this page are indicative as of August 2026 and are set by Georgia’s authorities, not by us — your customs broker confirms the exact charge for a specific VIN on the day of entry.
No age ban — but a six-year cliff in the excise
Georgia declined to ban older cars outright and instead priced them out. Under the law passed on 1 April 2026 and effective from 2 April, excise runs at 1.5 GEL per cm³ for vehicles up to six years old and 4.5 GEL per cm³ beyond that — three times the rate, per cubic centimetre. On a mid-size engine that difference runs to thousands of dollars.
The right-hand-drive rule compounds it: reverse-drive vehicles are charged excise at three times the basic rate. A car that is both old and right-hand drive is effectively excluded on cost alone.
The same law runs the other way for the stock we ship. A left-hand-drive hybrid gets the basic excise reduced by 60%, and a battery-electric car is charged a flat 3,000 GEL rather than anything per cubic centimetre. New, left-hand drive and electrified is the exact profile the 2026 rules reward — which is the entire commercial case for this market.
Poti, Batumi and the re-export trade
Poti is the primary vehicle port and Batumi handles overflow and some RoRo traffic. Both are used not only for Georgian domestic sales but as the entry point for onward movement into Armenia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia — if you are re-exporting, tell us at quotation stage, because it changes how the documents should be drawn.
The clearance set is the Bill of Lading, Commercial Invoice, Packing List and Certificate of Origin. Georgia's customs regime is relatively light on paperwork by regional standards; the cost is concentrated in excise, not in fees.
The process, step by step
- 1Quote & spec
Send the model, condition (new or used), quantity and your port — Poti (or Batumi). You get a CIF quote with the vehicle price, ocean freight and documentation listed as separate lines, plus confirmation that the unit clears Georgia's age and compliance rules before you commit.
- 2Deposit & inspection
Standard terms are a 30% T/T deposit with the 70% balance against the Bill of Lading. Before shipment you receive the VIN, a photo and video condition report, and — for EV and plug-in hybrid units — a battery state-of-health check.
- 3Shipping
Container loading (typically 3 cars per 40′ HC), with rail an option on time-critical batches out of Shanghai, Ningbo or Shenzhen, then roughly 35–45 days to Poti (or Batumi). Container-loading photos and the container number go to you before the vessel sails, followed by the Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Bill of Lading and Certificate of Origin.
- 4Clearance & registration
Your Georgian customs broker clears the unit (5% duty, excise by engine capacity and 18% VAT) and registers it. We supply whatever document set the clearance needs — including the Certificate of Origin and full commercial document set — and reissue anything customs queries.
Routing to Poti (or Batumi)
The sea route runs via Suez to the Black Sea and takes 35–45 days. Where speed matters more than cost, the same rail corridor that serves Baku can reach Georgia overland in roughly half the time — worth pricing on a re-order when a model is selling.
What sells in Georgia
Both of Georgia's excise penalties — the six-year cliff and the 3× right-hand-drive rate — miss new Chinese cars entirely. That is a structural cost advantage over the region's dominant used-import supply.
Browse the full catalogA BEV pays a flat 3,000 GEL excise instead of a per-cm³ charge, and a left-hand-drive hybrid gets the basic rate cut by 60%. Against 4.5 GEL/cm³ on an older petrol car, that is not a discount — it is a different business.
See electric & hybrid stockPoti is the gateway to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia. SUVs move well onward, and a container consolidated for two destinations lowers the per-unit freight.
See SUV catalogFrequently asked questions
A 5% customs duty on the CIF value, 18% VAT, and excise charged per cubic centimetre of engine capacity. Under the law effective 2 April 2026 the excise is 1.5 GEL/cm³ for vehicles up to six years old and 4.5 GEL/cm³ beyond that. Right-hand-drive vehicles are charged three times the basic rate; left-hand-drive hybrids get the basic rate reduced by 60%; battery-electric cars pay a flat 3,000 GEL. Rates are in lari, so confirm the current dollar equivalent with your broker.
There is no outright ban. Georgia replaced a proposed six-year import ban with a much higher excise instead: past six years the per-cubic-centimetre rate roughly triples. Older cars remain legal to import but are materially more expensive to clear, which is why new stock has become the sensible choice.
Because excise on right-hand-drive (reverse-drive) vehicles is charged at three times the standard rate. Chinese-market cars are factory left-hand drive, so they avoid that surcharge entirely — a structural advantage over the right-hand-drive used imports that have historically supplied this region.
Roughly 35–45 days by container via Suez to Poti or Batumi, plus 5–10 working days of document preparation and booking before departure. On time-critical re-orders, the overland rail corridor can cut that to roughly half — ask us to price both.
Sources & verification
Figures on this page were last checked in August 2026 against the sources below.
- Parliament of Georgia — approved amendments to passenger-vehicle excise rules (law N1477-VMS-XIMP)
- Kreston Georgia — analysis of the March/April 2026 tax legislation changes
- Nothing material on the excise structure — it is set out in the April 2026 law. Note the rates are denominated in Georgian lari, so the US-dollar equivalent moves with the exchange rate.
- Ocean freight ranges to Poti and Batumi, and rail pricing, are our own commercial estimates.
We publish this list rather than presenting every number as settled. If any of it decides your purchase, have a licensed customs broker in Georgia confirm it in writing first — and tell us what they say, so we can correct the page.
Get a CIF Poti (or Batumi) quote
Send the model, condition and quantity — you get the full cost build-up, VIN photos and the shipping schedule before any payment. Minimum order is one unit.
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