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Smart VIN Check

Importing a used car from the US to Georgia

A US car on sale in Georgia may have been written off by an American insurer, sold at Copart or IAAI, shipped to Poti and repaired, then sold locally or driven on to a neighbouring country. Georgian plates don’t carry the US title brand, so the buyer has to look it up.

Updated October 2026

What a clean-looking car can hide

US insurers write off cars after floods, crashes and fires, and the auctions sell them with a salvage or similar brand on the title. A skilled body shop can make that car look new. What it can’t remove is the record: the brand in the state title database, the total-loss report and the photos taken at the sale.

This page is about Georgia the country. For the US state, see our Georgia state page.

Poti: where the cars arrive

APM Terminals runs Poti Sea Port, which it calls the largest port in Georgia, handling about 80% of the country’s container traffic. It lists ro-ro handling and stripping vehicles out of containers among its services. US cars shipped in containers are unloaded there.

Before departure, US Customs and Border Protection needs the car and its title, original or certified copy, at least 72 hours ahead of export. Buy a lot without the title in hand and it stays in the US until the title turns up.

Excise by engine size and age

The Revenue Service collects excise on passenger cars at import under article 188 of the Tax Code, which was rewritten on 1 April 2026. The rate is per cubic centimetre of engine displacement:

Age is the year the customs declaration is registered minus the production year.
CarExcise per cm³Example: 2,000 cm³ engine
0 to 6 years oldGEL 1.5GEL 3,000
More than 6 years oldGEL 4.5GEL 9,000
Left-hand-drive hybrid, 0 to 6 years oldGEL 1.5 less 60%GEL 1,200
Right-hand drive or converted steering3 times the rate aboveGEL 9,000 or 27,000

The jump after six years is steep: in 2026 a 2020 car counts as 6 years old and a 2019 car as 7. A right-hand-drive electric car pays GEL 3,000. The amending law has transitional provisions, so confirm the rate for your declaration date with a customs broker before you bid.

Registration with the MIA Service Agency

Cars are registered by the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, not the Public Service Development Agency, which handles civil documents. A car brought in from abroad for registration in Georgia must be registered within 60 days. When it crosses the border it gets an internal transit plate valid for up to 90 days.

  • An application, filled in at the service centre.
  • Your identity document.
  • Proof that you own the car.
  • An inspection report from the agency.
  • Receipts for the plate and registration certificate fees.

A re-export hub

APM Terminals presents Poti as a European gateway for trade in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and a possible hub for Central Asia. The Service Agency issues transit plates for cars leaving Georgian customs territory for export or re-export. So the repaired car you look at in a Tbilisi yard may be bound for Yerevan, Baku or Almaty, and a car sold in those cities may have passed through here.

If you’re buying in one of those countries, the same check applies: the VIN leads back to the US auction, wherever the car was repaired.

Checklist before you buy

  1. Read the VIN on the car and decode it with the VIN decoder: production year and engine size set the excise.
  2. Pull the Copart or IAAI auction report: photos before the repair, damage type, title and odometer at sale.
  3. Run a CARFAX or AutoCheck report for flood and fire events, earlier brands and mileage. See odometer rollback checks.
  4. Check whether the car is left- or right-hand drive: right-hand drive triples the excise.
  5. If the car is already in Georgia, ask whether it was cleared for local use or is in transit for re-export.
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Letters and numbers, no I, O or Q. It’s on the dashboard by the windshield, on the driver’s door frame, and on the title.

What our reports cover

CARFAX and AutoCheck reports are built from US and Canadian records: title brands in every state, insurance total losses, auctions and odometer readings. The auction report shows how a Copart or IAAI lot looked and was described when it sold: photos, primary and secondary damage, title and odometer. We don’t handle Georgian customs, excise, transit plates or registration.

Questions

How much is the excise on a used car in Georgia?

Under article 188 of the Tax Code as amended on 1 April 2026: GEL 1.5 per cm³ for cars up to 6 years old and GEL 4.5 per cm³ for older cars. Right-hand-drive cars pay three times as much, and left-hand-drive hybrids up to 6 years old get a 60% reduction.

Who registers cars in Georgia?

The Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A car brought in for registration must be registered within 60 days.

Which port do US cars use?

Mostly Poti on the Black Sea, run by APM Terminals, which handles containers and ro-ro cargo.

I’m buying a car in Armenia or Azerbaijan that came through Georgia. Does a US report still work?

Yes, if the car has a US or Canadian past. The report follows the VIN, not the country it’s registered in now.

Related

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