In Georgia, legal intoxication starts at more than 0.3 per mille of alcohol in the blood. From 0.3 to 0.7 per mille, your licence is suspended for 6 months; above 0.7, for 1 year. That’s the core rule, and everything else is built around it.
This article is based on Article 116 of the Code of Administrative Offences as of autumn 2026 (the sources are in Georgian). Laws change, so the official text on matsne.gov.ge always has the final word. The rules apply to anyone driving in Georgia, visitors included.
What is the legal alcohol limit in Georgia?
Under Article 116, a driver counts as intoxicated with more than 0.3 per mille of ethanol in the blood. The Law on Road Traffic itself simply bans driving while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or psychotropic substances.
Many people read this as “one glass is fine”. The trouble is that the same glass affects different people differently. Your weight, whether you’ve eaten, how fast you drank and what you drank all matter. You can’t work out exactly what the device will show. The only guaranteed option is zero.
What is the penalty for drink driving?
For a first offence, the penalty is a licence suspension: 6 months for 0.3-0.7 per mille, 1 year above 0.7. Fines, detention and longer suspensions come in for repeat offences, driving without a licence, or an accident.
| Situation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 0.3-0.7 per mille | Licence suspended for 6 months |
| More than 0.7 per mille | Licence suspended for 1 year |
| Refusing or avoiding the test | Licence suspended for 1 year |
| Drunk again while your licence is already suspended for this | 2,000 GEL, 5-15 days’ detention, suspension extended by 1 year |
| Drunk and no driving licence at all | 2,000 GEL |
| The same, repeated | 3,000 GEL, 10-15 days’ detention |
| Drunk and a minor accident (damage to a car or property, or a minor injury) | 2,000 GEL, licence suspended for 3 years |
The table simplifies the wording of the code. All the parts and notes are in the full text of the article.
What happens if you refuse the breath test?
The same as driving with more than 0.7 per mille: your licence is suspended for 1 year. In the code, avoiding the test sits in the same part as heavy intoxication.
So refusing gains you nothing. If you’re in the 0.3-0.7 range, refusing turns 6 months into a year. On top of that, the Law on Road Traffic requires drivers to take the test when police ask and there are grounds for it.
Can you challenge the breathalyser result?
Yes. The code gives the driver 2 hours from the test to request a clinical laboratory examination. If the laboratory doesn’t confirm intoxication, the driver is released from the penalty.
The same note says that the alcohol level in the blood falls by about 0.15 per mille per hour. That figure is useful for understanding how long alcohol takes to “wear off”. We have a separate article on it: How long does alcohol stay in your blood.
What if your licence is already suspended and you drive anyway?
This is where fines and detention come in. If your licence is suspended for drink driving and you’re stopped drunk again during the suspension, the fine is 2,000 GEL, detention is 5 to 15 days, and the suspension is extended by another year.
For an offence like this, the code also takes away the right to carry a firearm for up to 3 years. Few people know that.
Is the person who lends the car to a drunk friend punished?
Yes. If you know your friend has been drinking and still let them drive your car, the fine is 1,500 GEL, or 2,500 GEL for a repeat. That’s in Article 115¹ of the code.
At a supra, “I’ve only had a little, you can barely stand, give me the keys” is a bad solution. That way you’ll both be punished.
What happens if there’s an accident?
If a drunk driver causes minor damage to a car, property or a person, the fine is 2,000 GEL and the licence is suspended for 3 years. For a driver without a licence, it’s 3,000 GEL plus detention.
If the accident has serious consequences, it’s no longer an administrative matter. Such cases fall under the Criminal Code, and then it’s about imprisonment.
What does it really cost?
The fine itself is often not the main thing. Six months or a year without a car means daily taxis, being late, depending on others. For some people it even means losing their job, if the job involves driving.
Compared with all that, one call and a sober driver who takes you home in your own car is a very small price. The number is +995 597 333 200, 24/7.