Can you pay in US dollars or euros in Georgia?
The lari, prices and the legal exceptions.
Short answer
In Georgia the only legal tender is the lari and businesses must show prices for goods and services in lari only, so dollars and euros are normally exchanged first. The law makes exceptions for free industrial zones, duty free shops and cases defined by the National Bank. Foreign currency is exchanged at banks and registered exchange offices.
Why
- Article 34 of the Organic Law on the National Bank of Georgia makes the lari the only legal tender on the territory of the country.
- The same article (paragraph 2¹) requires entrepreneurs to show the price only in lari when offering or advertising goods and services.
- Exceptions: free industrial zones, duty free shops and cases defined by the National Bank.
Details
Article 34 of the Organic Law on the National Bank of Georgia says the lari is the only legal tender on the territory of Georgia, except for free industrial zones, duty free shops and cases defined by the National Bank. Paragraph 2¹ of the same article requires an entrepreneur to indicate the price only in lari, and paragraph 2² lets the National Bank set a different rule by its own act.
Currency is exchanged at banks and registered exchange offices. An office must display its rates and commission in a visible place, and a transaction can be cancelled with the receipt within 30 minutes if it is up to 5,000 lari. More on currency: What currency does Georgia use, and what money should you bring, and on old dollar bills: Are old US dollar bills accepted in Georgia.
Tip
Exchange money in advance at a bank or an office that displays its rates and commission, and keep the receipt: it lets you cancel the transaction within 30 minutes.
What may differ
The law allows exceptions (free zones, duty free) and different rules set by the National Bank, and the text of the law itself is amended. Check the current text on matsne.gov.ge.
Common misconception
You can pay in dollars or euros everywhere in Georgia, as in some other countries.
What actually happens
Under Article 34 of the National Bank law the only legal tender in the country is the lari, and prices are shown in lari. Dollars and euros are exchanged first.
People also ask
- Can you pay in dollars in Georgia?
- Are euros accepted in Georgia?
Sources
Rules may change, check the law on matsne.gov.ge.
How to pay in Georgia: cards, cash and taxisRelated questions
-
How do you receive a transfer from abroad to a Georgian account?
You can receive money from abroad by bank transfer to your IBAN, through a system such as Western Union, or via Visa+ by phone number to a TBC card.
-
What is a Georgian IBAN and where do you find it?
A Georgian IBAN has 22 characters: the country code GE, two check digits, two letters of the bank code and 16 digits of the account identifier assigned by the bank.
-
How can you top up a card or pay a bill at a terminal in Georgia?
Utilities, mobile, internet, television and state services in Georgia are paid at payment terminals: the TBC Pay network has more than 4,000 terminals and over 1,000 services.
-
Where can you exchange damaged or old lari banknotes?
Worn and damaged lari banknotes and coins are replaced free at face value at the National Bank of Georgia and commercial banks if they still meet the fitness criteria.