Georgia shares borders with Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Whatever your opinion on the international status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, to get there you will need to cross border checkpoints, so we discuss the goings-on there as well on this page.
Finally, there are also the Black Sea ferry ports of Poti and Batumi, a valid entry and exit point for foreigners. For an exact location of these and all other border crossings on the Silk Road, see the border crossing map.
EU citizens do not need a passport to enter Georgia, their national ID is enough. We do recommend taking your passport if you have one, as some people have had trouble getting in because the border guards did not know the rule. You will also need a passport if you intend to travel onwards to Armenia.
If travelling with only an ID Card, a printout of the official info in Georgian (at the bottom of the list) stating that EU ID Cards are accepted might come in handy.
Georgia – Turkey border crossings
Posof – Vale: The backdoor option, best done with your own transport. It’s a beautiful drive. The road on the Georgian side is reasonable but not great. There are money changing facilities at the border. Posof-Vale crossing reports collected here.
TR -> GEO: By public transport, from Turkey you can take a minibus from the minibus station in Kars (Eski Otogari: 40.610295, 43.096717) to Posof (2,5 hrs) or Ardahan (1,5h), then a taxi (location: 41.114859, 42.700788 -buses are unlikely) to the border (30 minutes) or directly to Akhaltsikhe. If stuck on the border, traffic is sparse, but with patience you can get a taxi or hitch a ride to Akhaltsikhe. From Akhaltsikhe it’s easy to get to Tbilisi by minibus.
VIPTurizm in Kars (tel 05454118090) operates a twice-weekly coach service from Kars to Tbilisi (perhaps daily in summer) but might be pricier then the hop-on hop-off DIY option.
GEO -> TR: If you are eligible to travel on an ID card to Turkey, the Turkish border guards might not accept it and want to stamp your passport instead. From Borjomi marshrutkas go to Akhaltsikhe. From there, a taxi to Vale border.
On the Turkish side, a restaurant just up the road and to the right exchanges money and sells sim cards. You can get a taxi to Posof here (there are ATMs in Posof). From Posof there might be a bus to Kars, but it’s far easier to board a bus to Ardahan and then get a minibus to Kars from Ardahan.
Hopa – Sarp: A busy but otherwise easy border crossing for most, the road edging beautifully along the Black Sea coast through the land of the Laz. Plenty of public transport going between Trabzon/Rize and Batumi, going across the border. From the border you can also take a bus to the center of Batumi for a few pennies.
Corruption can be an issue here: self-drivers and people with weaker passports have reported trouble here. Crossing reports collected here.
Self-drivers can find insurance at the border (not green card), there is now an ATM.
Cildir/Aktas-Kartsakhi: Reopened in October 2015 after having been closed since 1995. There are minibuses from Çıldır to the border. On the Georgian side there is a bank. Even though there are bus stops on the Georgian side no (mini)buses were sighted and only 1 taxi.
This might get better when the re-opening becomes more known. Plenty of locals though so it shouldn’t be to difficult to hitch a ride to Akhalkalaki. Reports collected in this forum thread.
Georgia – Russia border crossings
Zemo Larsi / Verkhnij Lars / Chertov Most: Between Kazbegi and Vladikavkaz. Has been open for international travelers post-pandemic and post-Ukraine invasion, but do check (and add to) the latest updates. Some report an easy time on the Russian side, whereas others have reported serious delays due to long questioning.
The Georgian side is friendly and offers free wifi. You cannot cross it on foot; you must hitch a ride if you are not in a car or bus. You can cycle across, though. Snow is possible from October, a definite by November.
Georgia -> Russia
A bus departs every day at 5 am from Tbilisi to Vladikavkaz at Didube terminal. Taxis go the same way until 5 pm (4 hr, 50 lari).
Russia -> Georgia
From Vladikavkaz, buses and marshrutkas leave from bus station 1 on Arkhonskoye Highway in Vladikavkaz: 700-900 rubles. Buses fill up quickly though so book in advance or get there early. Taxis traveling to Tbilisi gather here as well. Expect to pay 1500 rubles for a seat to Tbilisi, or 1200 to Kazbegi.
Georgia – Azerbaijan border crossings
Azerbaijan has kept its land and sea borders closed for entry since the pandemic. You can fly into Azerbaijan without restrictions, and exit via land or sea. But you cannot enter via a land or sea border. It is unlikely this will change anytime soon. Maybe there is a way in with a special permit: see Azerbaijan border crossings.
At the Azeri border, it is NOT a problem to have an Armenian border stamp in your passport. It IS a problem to have a Nagorno-Karabakh stamp in your passport; you will be denied access to Azerbaijan. For this reason, NKR stamps are issued on a separate paper.
In the past, there were cases of travelers holding a Georgian e-visa being sent back at the Azeri-Georgian border. They were told they could only fly in to Georgia. This no longer seems to be the case. Your reports regarding this subject are welcome in this forum topic.
Matsimi / Lagodekhi / Balakan: Connecting Telavi and Zaqatala. Quiet and easy-going. A beautiful drive. It pays to start early if on public transport, as marshrutka services fade out in the afternoon. The Georgian side has a duty-free shop and money exchange, but exchange rates are much better in Lagodekhi town. On the Azeri side there is nothing.
GEO -> AZ: Infrequent minibuses run directly from Telavi to Lagodekhi (1,5h, 10 lari). Otherwise, take the minibus to Tsnori and a second one to Lagodekhi. From Lagodekhi, the border is 4km away (4 lari by taxi).
Minibuses (0.50 manat) and taxis (5 manat) go between the border and Balakan.
Updates welcome in the Matsimi border crossing topic.
Tsiteli/Red Bridge – Shikhli/Sixli: This border crossing is open 24/7, connecting Rustavi (GEO) with Qazax (AZ). Public transport is available on both sides of the border, there are some shops and exchange places as well. The road from Tbilisi to Tsiteli is good.
On the Azeri side: watch out for the speed traps. To avoid these, take a minor road to the south or north. Barda is worth a visit if doing this.
Updates welcome in this forum topic.
Georgia – Armenia border crossings
Bagratashen – Sadakhlo: Main road between Tbilisi and Yerevan. There is lots of transport between these 2 cities. Easy-breezy-beautiful.
Gogavan – Guguti: Border is open for international travelers. Very easy. The final 13 kilometres in Georgia goes through a beautiful beech forest, but it is a mud track.
Bavra – Ninotsminda: Border is open for international travelers. Hassle-free. Updates gathered in this forum thread.
Georgia – Abkhazia border crossings
Abkhazia has been closed for all non-Russians (maybe some CIS nationals are still allowed in) since the pandemic and the Ukraine war, and remains closed until further notice.
We gather the latest updates at the Inguri forum thread. All info below FYI, but the above still holds: borders are closed.
Before visiting Abkhazia, you must obtain a clearance letter from the Abkhaz authorities. Be sure to read Abkhazia visa and Abkhazia border crossings for important entry and exit information. In recent years, we have not heard of anyone encountering danger on this trip, but for now, we’ll not remove the warnings you will find below yet.
Inguri: Delays and questioning by the police is definitely a possibility. No need to fear, you are not doing anything illegal. Do keep in mind the Russian border guards are known to ask you to unlock your phone.
Zugdidi to Sukhumi or reverse takes minimum 5 hours, so make an early start. Border opens at 8am, closes at 7 pm. Don’t forget to exchange lari into rubles before you enter Abkhazia from the Georgian side, or to have dollars on hand, there are few if any options to exchange lari once in Abkhazia.
GEO -> ABK: From Zugdidi to the border, a taxi costs 10 lari, a marshrutka is 3 lari. Marshrutkas from the border straight to Sukhumi are available and leave when full. Otherwise, marshrutkas to Gal (50 rubles) are also possible, from where you can take another transport to Sukhumi (200 rubles).
ABK -> GEO: Your visa is not stuck into your passport – when leaving Abkhazia, take it out of your passport if the Russian border guards didn’t do it for you; the Georgians are not happy to see it. A taxi from Sukhumi to the border might cost 2000 rubles. Buses at the border go to Zugdidi (1 GEL) or straight to Tbilisi (15 GEL).
Some more good info collected from blogs no longer online: It is well known that the area immediately surrounding the ‘line of occupation’ is a dangerous one with Abkhaz troops and various bandits extracting bribes from visitors to the territory with relative impunity. The LonelyPlanet forums are full of examples of cases where tourists have faced threats and violence at the border.
Gali is now the only truly multi-ethnic part of Abkhazia and is home to the majority of the 40,000 (out of 250,000) Georgians who have returned to their homes since the end of fighting. The town is also dirt poor and entirely overlooked by the ethnic Abkhaz administration; full of shattered and bombed-out buildings and riven with organised crime.
Georgians in Zugdidi claim muggings and hold-ups in Inguri are at their lowest in the morning, increasing steadily until the Abkhaz close the ‘line of occupation’ at 19:00. You are apparently most likely to find a direct service to Sukhumi if you are there when the border opens at 08:00.
Given that even a direct service from Inguri to Sukhumi takes at least 2 hours, we have also been advised that those returning to the Georgian side make an early start so as to avoid potential hold-ups such as bogus document checks in Gali that could see you stranded in the dangerous border area after 19:00.
The drive to Sukhumi is beautiful and depressing in equal measure. Updates collected in the Inguri forum topic.
Georgia – South Ossetia border crossings
Artsevi: South Ossetia is only to be visited from Russia. See South Ossetia border crossings for more on the way in from Russia.