Recognition of Georgia’s driving license in EU

Georgia’s Interior Ministry claims they are actively engaged in effort to achieve the recognition of Georgia’s driving license by European countries, which will be a benefit for those travelling or staying in EU states.

“We have to actively work on the recognition of our driving license, especially in EU countries,” Deputy Interior Minister Shalva Khutsishvili told journalists within an ambassadorial reception in Tbilisi on July 19.

"We are actively involved in international cooperation. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is one of the agencies which have signed most of the international documents, memorandums and agreements over the past three years,” Khutsishvili stated.

The Deputy Minister stressed that they officially started a dialogue with several countries and now need to move this process to a more active phase.

“We think that after the exams to receive a driving license will be more complicated and will include driving the vehicle in the traffic. The process of recognizing our driving license in the EU member states will become easier as standards of driving improve," Khutsishvili said, and added that they are trying to achieve the recognition of driving licenses in the EU.

There are many drivers in Georgia who took their licenses when it was easier to pass the national driving test.

It is uncertain at this time whether the EU will let such drivers or only those who would pass more complicated exam on their streets.

Georgian drivers still need to obey the rules and this is very obvious for the diplomatic corps’ representatives stationed in Georgia; former British Ambassador Alexandra Hall Hall criticized standards of Georgian driving. The diplomats play a decisive role in every aspect of Georgia’s integration process.

If the Ministry takes all relevant steps and ensures the proper enforcement of most of the strict regulations they initiated, getting Georgian driving license in the EU will be easier. The will to ensure relevant measures in this direction is quite obvious and clear from the Georgian side.

Though it is not clear whether it will be achieved in the near future, but the recognition of Georgian driving licenses is crucial considering the fact that mainly those Georgian citizens leave the country frequently who have business or job-related tasks abroad and know the importance of obeying the rules of the road.