How to Import a Used Car from Korea to Georgia (2026 Guide)
Published Aug 27, 2026 · 5 min read
Illustrative opening - a composite scenario, not a real named buyer or transaction.
Nika didn't go looking for a Korean car - he went looking for a car, and Rustavi is where everyone in Tbilisi ends up looking. What surprised him wasn't that Korean cars were there; Georgia has been re-exporting used cars from Korea and Japan across the Caucasus for years. What surprised him was realizing that the exact same listing he could see on a local reseller's lot was also sitting, untouched, on Encar's own site - in Korean, at a lower number, if he'd known how to read it.
That's the gap EncarExport exists to close.
Direct answer
Georgia has no statutory age limit on importing a car, but it generally needs to meet the Euro 5 emissions standard to be registered and plated - in practice this makes roughly pre-2013 vehicles hard to register. Unlike most of its neighbors, Georgia permits both left- and right-hand-drive vehicles, so Korean left-hand-drive stock is fully accepted. Cars arrive via the Black Sea ports of Poti (primary) or Batumi (secondary). Expect 5% import duty on the vehicle's CIF value, 18% VAT, and an excise tax per engine cc that rose sharply on 2 April 2026 - confirm the current rate with us before committing to a specific car, since it varies by age and changes.
Key facts
Updated August 2026- Age limit: none at import - a proposed ban on cars older than 6 years was walked back and replaced with a steep age-scaled excise instead (see below).
- Emissions/registration: Euro 5 required to register and plate a car - not to import it. This makes roughly pre-2013 vehicles difficult to register in practice.
- Steering: Georgia is unusual regionally in permitting both left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive vehicles. All Korean stock is left-hand-drive, which is fully accepted. (Right-hand-drive hybrids/EVs don't get the excise incentive discounts left-hand-drive vehicles get.)
- Route: Black Sea - Port of Poti (primary) or Port of Batumi (secondary), RoRo or container, roughly 25-35 days transit via the Suez Canal.
- Duty/tax: 5% import duty on CIF value + 18% VAT, plus an excise per engine cc that jumped on 2 April 2026 - as of that date, roughly 1.5 GEL/cc for cars 6 years old or newer and about 4.5 GEL/cc for cars older than 6 years (classic cars 30+ years old pay a flat, lower rate). (These figures change - confirm the current rate with us before committing to a purchase.)
Why Georgia is the Caucasus's Korea-import hub
This isn't a market we're introducing - Georgia has run an established Korea/Japan used-car re-export business for years, centered on the Rustavi market near Tbilisi. What's usually missing for an individual buyer is direct access to the source: local resellers buy a lot and mark it up, so you're choosing from what they happened to stock. EncarExport gives Georgian buyers direct, self-serve access to Encar's actual live catalogue, with every listing carrying its official Korean inspection record - the same one a buyer in Korea would see.
The route: Poti or Batumi
Georgia has real Black Sea ports, unlike several of its neighbors - Poti is the primary gateway, with Batumi used as a secondary or alternative route. Both handle RoRo and container shipments arriving via the Suez Canal, with transit typically running 25-35 days from Korea.
The 2026 excise change - what actually changed and why it matters
For a while, Georgia was considering an outright ban on importing cars older than 6 years. That ban was walked back - instead, as of 2 April 2026, older cars pay a much steeper engine-size-based excise (roughly 4.5 GEL per cc versus 1.5 GEL per cc for newer cars, a jump of about 5.6x). Practically, this means the barrier for an older, larger-engine car isn't a hard "no" anymore - it's a real cost that needs to be calculated before you commit, not after. Because this is a recent, fast-moving figure, treat any number here (including this guide's) as a starting point to confirm, not a final quote.
The one thing that makes Georgia different: steering
Nearly every other market in this region requires left-hand drive. Georgia doesn't - both LHD and RHD vehicles are legal and registrable, which is part of why it functions as a regional re-export hub for buyers across the Caucasus and beyond. For Korean stock specifically this doesn't matter either way, since it's all left-hand-drive already - but if you're comparing Georgia to a stricter neighboring market, this flexibility is a real, distinct fact about the country, not a minor footnote.
What to check before you commit
Beyond Georgia's own rules, the same buyer-side checks apply here as anywhere: verify the car's real condition against its official inspection record rather than photos alone, confirm the car meets Euro 5 if you want it registered without complications, and get the excise/duty breakdown in writing for your specific car and engine size before you commit.
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FAQ
Is there an age limit on importing a car to Georgia?
No age limit on import itself, but a car generally needs to meet Euro 5 emissions to be registered - which in practice rules out most pre-2013 vehicles for road use.
How much will I actually pay in duty and tax?
5% import duty + 18% VAT + an excise per engine cc that depends heavily on the car's age (roughly 1.5 GEL/cc for 6 years or newer, about 4.5 GEL/cc for older, as of April 2026). Message us with the specific car and we'll confirm the current, exact figure.
Can I import a right-hand-drive car to Georgia?
Yes - Georgia is unusual in permitting both. It doesn't affect Korean stock either way, since Korean domestic cars are all left-hand-drive.
How does the car get from Korea to Tbilisi?
By sea to the Port of Poti or Batumi on Georgia's Black Sea coast (roughly 25-35 days via the Suez Canal), then overland to Tbilisi or the Rustavi market.
Found a car you're considering importing to Georgia? Message us on WhatsApp - we'll confirm current pricing, the car's inspection record, and the exact duty, VAT and excise total for that specific engine size and age.
See it for yourself, on a real car
Every listing on our site includes Korea's official inspection record, reproduced unaltered.
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