Georgia requires foreign visitors to carry health and accident insurance for the entire stay, including arrival and departure dates. Since January 1, 2026, the policy must be in Georgian or English and provide at least GEL 30,000 of cover, subject to the legal exemptions. Keep the document offline and available at check-in and the border. Georgia uses the lari. Cards are common in cities, but carry lari and a physical backup card for marshrutkas, markets, rural guesthouses, mountain areas and payment failures. Tbilisi has its own transport system: use Tbilisi Transport, validate every journey and keep MetroMoney as a predictable fallback. Book mainline trains through TRE or Georgian Railway and enter passenger identification exactly. For airport rides, order in the official Bolt or Yandex Go app, match the plate and ignore terminal solicitors. Do not let a general map route a rental car onto an unverified mountain road. Check GeoRoad restrictions, weather, the rental contract and local advice, and hire an experienced local driver where the route demands it. Avoid Abkhazia, South Ossetia and the generally unmarked administrative boundary lines. Call 112 for an emergency. The 112 Georgia app adds English chat and Silent SOS, but visitors should register and test it before relying on it. Follow official National Environment Agency warnings and keep critical documents, routes and contacts offline.
Georgia uses the Georgian lari, GEL, and it is the only legal tender for ordinary domestic payment.
Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted at hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, attractions and other formal businesses in Tbilisi, Batumi and larger cities. A short-stay visitor does not need a Georgian bank app. Bank of Georgia and TBC mobile banking require a suitable local banking relationship, while Revolut or Wise is useful only if the traveler already has an eligible account and favorable terms. Bring a physical card with its PIN, plus a second card from another issuer kept separately.
Phone wallets can work but are not a complete substitute because an ATM, older terminal or verification step may need the physical card. Carry modest lari for markets, small vendors, marshrutkas, rural guesthouses and mountain areas. Obtain cash from a recognizable bank ATM or a registered exchange office. ATM operator fees and withdrawal terms change, so read the on-screen charge rather than following a fixed bank recommendation.
Bank of Georgia introduced or changed fees for some foreign-card withdrawals in 2026, which is another reason to compare the live screen. If an ATM or terminal offers conversion to the card's home currency, choose GEL and decline dynamic currency conversion unless the traveler has independently confirmed it is better. Keep the receipt from an exchange office. Georgia's official travel guidance notes a right to reverse eligible currency exchanges under GEL 5,000 within 30 minutes when the receipt and original currency are presented.
Never hand a card to an unofficial exchanger or approve an unexpected phone prompt.
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How to Pay in Georgia