What is the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers in Georgia?
The 0.3 promille threshold and the penalties under the Code of Administrative Offences.
Short answer
Drivers in Georgia must not have more than 0.3 promille of alcohol in their blood, and liability starts above that value. At more than 0.3 and up to 0.7 promille the right to drive is suspended for 6 months. Above 0.7 promille, or for refusing the test, the suspension is 1 year.
Why
- Driving under the influence of alcohol is prohibited by the Law of Georgia on Road Traffic.
- The threshold and penalties are set out in Article 116 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
- Alcoholic intoxication means more than 0.3 promille of ethanol in the driver's blood.
- Refusing the test is punished as strictly as a result above 0.7 promille.
Details
A driver must take a sobriety test at the request of an authorised Ministry of Internal Affairs officer when there are grounds to suspect intoxication. If the preliminary test shows intoxication, the driver may request a clinical laboratory examination within two hours.
For a repeat offence during a suspension, Article 116 provides a 2,000 GEL fine, 5 to 15 days of administrative detention and a further one-year extension of the suspension. The same 2,000 GEL fine applies to a driver with no licence or with a licence suspended for another offence. Ordinary fines and speed limits are covered in How do you check and pay a fine in Georgia? and How far over the speed limit can you go in Georgia?. Whether a foreign licence is valid is explained in Can you drive in Georgia with a Russian driving licence?.
Tip
If you plan to drink, leave the car and take a taxi. There is no safe amount of alcohol before driving, and the law looks at the test result, not at the number of glasses.
What may differ
The Code of Administrative Offences is amended from time to time: for example, the notes to Article 116 were changed in December 2025. Check the current version on matsne.gov.ge before you travel.
Common misconception
If you refuse the alcohol test, nothing happens.
What actually happens
Evading the legally established test is treated like the most serious case: the right to drive is suspended for 1 year (Article 116, paragraph 2 of the Code of Administrative Offences).
People also ask
- What is the legal alcohol limit for drivers in Georgia?
- What happens if you refuse an alcohol test in Georgia?
Sources
18+. Drink-driving is dangerous and punishable. This answer is for reference only, rules change, so check matsne.gov.ge.
Car rental and transfers in TbilisiRelated questions
-
How much does it cost to clear a car through customs in Georgia?
Excise on a passenger car cleared in Georgia depends on the engine volume and on the age of the car, either up to 6 years inclusive or older.
-
How does the driver penalty points system work in Georgia?
Each driving licence in Georgia gets 100 points for the calendar year, offences deduct points, and when they run out the right to drive is suspended for 1 year.
-
How can you check a car before buying it in Georgia?
Before buying a car in Georgia you can order a legal status certificate from the MIA Service Agency, which shows the registration data, attachment, pledge, tax pledge and wanted status.
-
How do you register a car or transfer ownership in Georgia?
Cars in Georgia are registered and transferred at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Service Agency, in its service centers or online, with an inspection act and the owner's documents.