𧳠What Can You Bring Into and Take Out of Georgia: Customs Limits
In short
Exact limits are in the tables below, checked against Georgian Revenue Service brochures.
For a tourist, Georgian customs usually takes about a minute: if you carry only personal belongings, you walk through the green channel. But every checkpoint has its quirks, from Tbilisi airport to the customs at Sarpi, and the questions are almost always the same. How much wine can you take home, what happens to the medicines in your bag, can you take a stone from the beach. I have gone through it in order: first what you can bring in, then what you can take out, then the situations where documents are needed.
π¬ What Can You Bring Into Georgia Duty-Free
The Georgian Revenue Service sets limits by how you enter the country. You may bring more by air, because goods are easier to check at an airport. By post the limits are lower still. The table below puts everything in one place so you can check your luggage quickly.
| What | By air | By land and sea | By post |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal goods | up to GEL 3,000 and 30 kg | up to GEL 500 and 30 kg, once per 30 days | up to GEL 300 and 30 kg |
| Food products | up to GEL 500 and 30 kg per day | no data | |
| Cigarettes | 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 50 cigarillos, or 250 g of tobacco | ||
| E-cigarette liquid | 50 ml | no data | |
| Spirits (22% and above) | 1 l | up to 4 l of alcohol | |
| Alcohol below 22% | 2 l | ||
| Wine | 4 l | ||
| Beer | 16 l | ||
The allowance on alcohol and tobacco applies from the age of 18. Anything above the norms must be declared and duty paid, otherwise the goods can be confiscated. If you are bringing goods to sell rather than for personal use, that counts as business activity, and you must declare them in any case, even if the amount is small.
A word on the things that raise the most questions. A laptop, phone, camera and jewellery for personal use go through without trouble and do not need to be declared. New items with tags in a quantity that looks like a batch can be treated by a customs officer as goods for resale.
π· How Much Alcohol and How Many Cigarettes Can You Bring Into Georgia
The alcohol norms are listed in the brochure as separate lines. If you are bringing a bottle of whisky, wine and beer at once, it is better to ask the customs officer in advance whether they add up, rather than rely on luck. For a passenger with one bottle of wine there is no problem at all.
Cigarettes are simpler: do not bring more packs than the table allows, and vape liquid is counted separately. Cigarettes in Georgia are cheaper than in many neighbouring countries, so carrying them from home usually makes no sense.
π΅ How Much Cash Can You Bring In and Take Out Without Declaring It
You must declare more than GEL 30,000 or the equivalent in another currency. The threshold is the same for entering and leaving, and it is counted together: cash, cheques and securities add up. If the sum is lower, no declaration is needed and nobody asks questions.
If you carry more, choose the red channel and fill in the declaration in advance. Undeclared money above the threshold can be seized, and such cases at the border do happen. Do not forget the country you are flying to: it has its own threshold, which may be lower than Georgia's.
π Which Medicines Are Banned in Georgia
Ordinary medicines for colds, pain, allergies and stomach trouble can be brought in for personal use, up to 10 standard packages without documents. Problems start with drugs that Georgia treats as controlled. What decides it is not the brand name but the active substance, dose and form.
- Opioids and codeine-based drugs, tramadol, fentanyl, methadone, buprenorphine
- Pregabalin, tianeptine, methylphenidate
- Benzodiazepines and sleeping pills: alprazolam, flunitrazepam
- Ephedrine, norephedrine and pseudoephedrine, including in combined cold remedies
For such medicines you need a supply of no more than 31 days, a prescription and a doctor's certificate in English, certified in the country of departure.
Note pseudoephedrine: it appears in ordinary cold and blocked-nose remedies, and it is the substance on which tourists most often get into trouble. If you take any medication regularly, get the prescription and certificate in advance and keep them with the medicines in your hand luggage. Georgia's attitude to narcotic substances is covered in detail in our guide to the drug law in Georgia. Bringing in or taking out these substances without documents is a criminal offence.
π« What Is Banned From Entering Georgia
Besides drugs, the following need a permit:
- weapons and explosives;
- poisons and some medicines;
- antiques and works of art;
- plants, animals, their parts and derivatives.
Animals are a separate story: you need a chip, vaccinations and a certificate, as we explain in the rules for bringing pets. For the general rules on entering the country, see our guide to entry rules for tourists.
πΎ How Much Wine and Chacha Can You Take Out of Georgia
This is the most common question on our site, and the answer may surprise you: in the Georgian customs brochures I did not find a limit on taking out wine for personal use. The restriction is set by the country you are returning to, so look at the rules of the country you fly to.
| Where you fly | Duty-free alcohol | Tobacco | Goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | up to 3 l in total, any strength | 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 250 g | by air up to EUR 10,000 and 50 kg, by land up to EUR 500 and 25 kg |
| EU countries | 4 l of wine and 16 l of beer, plus 1 l of spirits or 2 l of fortified or sparkling wine | 200 cigarettes, or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250 g | by air or sea up to EUR 430, otherwise up to EUR 300 |
An important detail for Russia: the 3-litre limit is a total per person, not per bottle, so two 1.5-litre bottles of wine are already the full allowance. Larger amounts can be brought in with duty paid. The EU norms are more generous, but in some countries the tobacco allowance is lower, so check the customs website of the country you arrive in.
To get wine home in one piece, pack bottles in checked luggage, wrapped in clothes or in the special packaging sold by wine shops. Liquids over 100 ml do not pass in hand luggage, which is why bottles from Duty Free at Sarpi and airport shops come in sealed bags that must stay unopened until the end of your journey.
Can You Take Stones, Shells and Plants Out of Georgia
I looked for beach pebbles, shells and stones in the official sources separately, because there are so many searches on this. In the Revenue Service brochures I did not find a direct ban on taking out a few stones or a handful of empty shells. At the same time, the list of goods that need a permit includes "plants and animals, their parts and derivatives", and shells, corals and starfish can formally fall into that category, especially if the species is rare or protected.
The practical conclusion: a couple of ordinary pebbles and empty shells as a keepsake are unlikely to raise questions, but coral, dried marine animals, large shells and stones by the kilogram are better left behind. The same goes for plants: seedlings, seeds and live flowers need permits, and before taking them out it is better to check with the National Food Agency.
πΊ How to Take Out Antiques, Icons and Carpets
Cultural valuables can be taken out only with a permit from the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation. They include objects linked to archaeology, history, art and literature, and furniture older than 100 years. Taking them out without a permit carries criminal liability.
New carpets, modern paintings, souvenir metalwork and copies of icons cause no problems. If you buy something old, ask the seller for a document, and arrange the permit in advance, not at the airport. It takes time and photographs of the item.
π How to Take Animals Across the Border
The rules for taking pets out and bringing them in depend on the destination country, so everything is set out separately: see the rules for transporting animals.
π§Ύ How to Get a VAT Refund With Tax Free
Foreign citizens can reclaim VAT on purchases if they were made in shops authorised by the Revenue Service and issued on special receipts. The refund is processed before you cross Georgia's economic border, that is, before departure, and customs stamps the receipt. Once you have a stamped receipt, passing the goods to a third party inside Georgia is not allowed: it is an offence and the refund will be refused. Check the minimum amount and deadlines on the Revenue Service website and at the airport, because they change.
βοΈ What to Do If You Have a Problem at Customs
Do not panic and do not argue. A passenger has rights:
- you may ask for any information about the procedure;
- you may refuse to sign a violation report, and the customs officer must record that;
- a customs violation can be appealed within 30 days, an administrative one within 10 days, by written or electronic complaint to the Revenue Service or the Tbilisi City Court.
Customs may interview you, inspect your luggage, and use X-ray and a body scanner. A personal search is carried out by an officer of the same sex in a separate room, and before an inspection you must be offered the chance to hand over prohibited items voluntarily. So if you are carrying something questionable by mistake, it is better to say so right away.
If you have dealt with customs in Georgia and your experience differs from what is described here, tell us on Madloba. Stories like yours help us to correct the rules and update the article.
Up to date: the information was checked in October 2026 against materials from the Georgian Revenue Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and legislation. Limits and lists of medicines change, so check the official customs website before you travel.
β Frequently Asked Questions
π¬ Without a permit you cannot take out narcotic and psychotropic substances, weapons, cultural valuables (antiques, old furniture, archaeological finds) and protected plants and animals. Everything else for personal use is usually not restricted.
π¬ Georgia does not limit taking out wine for personal use, but Russia's duty-free limit is 3 litres of alcohol per person. You can bring more by paying duty.
π¬ I found no direct ban on a few stones and empty shells. Coral, dried marine animals, rare shells and large quantities of stone are better left, because they may be treated as animal parts or natural resources.
π¬ You must declare more than GEL 30,000 or the equivalent in another currency. Cheques and securities are included.
π¬ Duty-free: 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 50 cigarillos, or 250 g of tobacco. Vape liquid up to 50 ml. From age 18 only.
π¬ Without documents you cannot bring in codeine-based drugs, tramadol, pregabalin, alprazolam, methadone, buprenorphine, methylphenidate and pseudoephedrine. You need a 31-day supply, a prescription and a doctor's certificate in English, certified in the country of departure.
π¬ Yes, food products enter duty-free up to GEL 500 and 30 kg per day. Meat and dairy, and raw plants and animals may need permits, so check in advance.
π¬ No, personal items in ordinary quantities need no declaration. New items in packaging in a batch-like quantity may be treated as goods for sale.
π¬ Plants and their parts are on the list of goods that need a permit. For seedlings and seeds, check the requirements in advance with the National Food Agency.
π¬ The excess must be declared and duty paid, otherwise it can be confiscated. If you are written up for a violation, you may refuse to sign the report and appeal within 30 days (customs violation) or 10 days (administrative violation).
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