The Georgian government walked back its planned ban on passenger cars older than six years and replaced it with a 5.6x excise tax. The new rates took effect April 2, 2026, and they reshape the math for anyone who ships cars to Poti. For re-exporters routing into Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Central Asia, the question is no longer "can the car enter the country" but "where does the container get unloaded."
We covered what was on the table back in February in our Georgia 2026 proposed import limits article. Here's what actually passed.
From Ban to Excise Tax
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced in mid-March that the ban on M1 passenger vehicles older than six years was off the table. Parliament passed Law N1477-VMS-XIMP on April 1, 2026, and the new excise rates took effect April 2.
Two-tier structure, based on age at the year of the customs declaration:
- 0 to 6 years old: 1.5 GEL per cubic centimetre of engine capacity
- Older than 6 years: 4.5 GEL per cubic centimetre of engine capacity
- Right-hand drive vehicles: 3x the base rate in either bracket
- Electric vehicles: exempt from the engine-displacement excise
The headline is the jump in the over-6 bracket. Cars in the 6 to 9 year range moved from roughly 0.8 GEL/cm³ to 4.5 GEL/cm³, a 5.6-fold increase per Civil Georgia.
What This Costs in Practice
Government figures by engine displacement, for cars older than six years:
- 1.5L (e.g., VW Jetta): excise jumps from 1,200 GEL to 6,750 GEL
- 1.6L (e.g., Ford Fusion): from 1,280 GEL to 7,200 GEL
- 2.0L (e.g., Ford Fusion Hybrid): from 1,600 GEL to 8,000 GEL
- 2.5L (e.g., Toyota Camry, Subaru Forester): from 2,000 GEL to 11,250 GEL
These are excise figures alone. The standard 5% customs duty and 18% VAT still apply on top of the CIF value.
Who Feels the Increase at Poti
Three groups read this update differently.
Buyers importing for Georgian registration. A 7- to 10-year-old American sedan that used to clear Tbilisi for a few thousand dollars in customs cost is now a meaningfully different deal. Expect Georgia-based clients to lean toward 0 to 6 year old units, EVs, or lower-displacement hybrids.
Re-exporters moving cars through Poti to Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Central Asia. The original ban threatened to lock older units out of Georgian customs territory entirely. The replacement excise is a tax on entry, not a wall. Whether you pay it depends on how the cargo is handled at the port.
EV importers. The exemption holds. Electric vehicles continue to enter without the engine-displacement excise, extending the hybrid and EV trend already accelerating in the Azerbaijan corridor.
What Still Works When You Ship Cars to Poti
The Poti routing logic we've built our Caucasus lane around does not change. What changes is how you structure the customs leg.
If a container is transshipped directly to a third country without being unloaded in Georgia, the new excise does not apply. Cars staying inside the Poti Free Industrial Zone for onward movement to Azerbaijan or Armenia also stay outside the Georgian excise base, since transit and re-export remain exempt.
If a container is unloaded in Poti and the vehicles are cleared into Georgia first, the new rates govern. For an older-than-6 unit headed onward to Bishkek or Yerevan, that adds thousands of GEL per car. Re-exporters who used to clear in Poti for convenience now have a real reason to keep the cargo in transit status.
The grandfather clause: vehicles already in transit before April 2, 2026, with a bill of lading, CMR, or other transport document predating the cutoff, are taxed under the old rates. So are vehicles whose Georgian registration process had already begun before that date.
How We'd Plan a Poti Shipment Today
For Georgian-destination buyers, source within the 0 to 6 year window or move toward EVs. A 2020 or newer 2.0L sedan now pencils out far better than a 2017 of the same model.
For re-exporters, structure the bill of lading and cargo handling so the Georgian customs entry is the exception, not the default. The Poti FIZ and direct transshipment paths exist for exactly this kind of moment.
Customs treatment hinges on documentation timing and how the container is manifested. Our team handles this end to end out of our California, Florida, and New York / New Jersey warehouses, with our agents in Poti on the customs leg.
Ready to Run the New Math on Your Poti Shipment?
Confirm your new rates to ship cars to Poti, Georgia and the neighboring countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Editorial note: This article summarizes publicly available information as of June 2026. Verify the current excise rates, exemptions, and grandfather criteria with Georgian customs or a licensed local broker before booking.
Sources:
- Civil Georgia: GD Authorities Replace Six-Year-Older Car Import Ban with Up to Fivefold Excise Tax
- Georgia Today: Georgia replaces planned import ban with higher excise tax on older cars
- Kreston Georgia: Changes to Georgian Tax Legislation during March and April 2026
- West Coast Shipping: Georgia's Proposed 2026 Limits on Older Car Imports Explained
Georgia’s Proposed 2026 Limits on Older Car Imports Explained
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