At a bank branch

The most reliable method. There are different banks operating in Georgia. Branches of Bank of Georgia (National Bank of Georgia) and TBC Bank will be more common. The exchange rate for dollars, euros and rubles to lari is good (although not the most profitable).

To make an exchange, you will need a passport.

Banks are usually open from 9.00 to 18.00, Saturday and Sunday are days off. There are bank branches in Tbilisi and Batumi that are open on Saturdays.

In the exchanger

Surprisingly, in Georgia the exchange rate at the exchange office is often more favorable than at the bank.

Exchange offices are found quite often on the streets of large and “medium-sized” cities, near transport hubs (airport, train station), shopping and entertainment centers.

They usually work from 08.00 to 20.00, but there are exchangers working around the clock.

It happens that exchange offices look unpresentable. Appearance doesn’t really matter; look not at the sign, but at the course. Tourists are advised to visit 5-7 points before changing currency; the difference can be up to 40 tetri, and when exchanging large amounts this is serious.

A trick that many travelers fall into. For example, you change $100 to lari. For you – sale, for the exchanger – purchase. The rate for selling and buying is different. The one that seemed so attractive is not important in this case, look at the second one, and it is probably worse.

Do not rush to use the exchanger because you saw the inscription no commission. In Georgia, they all work under such conditions; the inscription is not the advantage of this particular point, but the advantage of Georgia.

It happens that you need lari right at the airport, and there is an exchange office. It is better to change a small part here. The difference in the exchange rate with the city is at least small, but still there.

Photo: Lina_mo/Depositphotos.com

What currency should I take with me?

Do I need to first change my money into euros or dollars and take it to Georgia? It is not worth specifically exchanging your currency for dollars, taking them, and then exchanging them in Georgia for lari - the losses on double conversion may be greater than the imaginary benefits. Another question - if you already have euros or dollars (left over, for example, from your last trip), then, of course, feel free to take them - the lari exchange rate fluctuates and is always in favor of foreign currency - you can even win a little on the difference. It is better to change money in Tbilisi or other large cities (Kutaisi, Gori, Telavi), since the exchange rate is more favorable. In tourist places (at ski resorts, for example), the rate is worse, sometimes quite noticeably.

Russian rubles, Ukrainian hryvnia, Belarusian rubles, Armenian drams, Azerbaijani manats, etc. are accepted for exchange in large cities without any problems.

Card or cash?

In all major cities, as well as at gas stations, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels, Visa and Master Card bank cards are accepted. In almost all popular resorts (both sea and ski), there will also be no problems with the map. In remote rural areas and small non-tourist towns, cafes and home-type hotels, cash payments are predominantly accepted.
When traveling, you need cash in any case - to buy fruits and vegetables (of course, not in supermarkets), souvenirs, pay in public transport or taxis, etc.

In Georgia, you can use any bank card - Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, etc. Not only for non-cash payments, but also to withdraw money from any ATM without any problems. In this case, your balance will be displayed in local currency; you can withdraw lari or dollars, regardless of the currency of your account. It is worth remembering the bank commission for cash withdrawals. It is set by your bank. It is better to calculate the required amount for the trip and cash out 1-3 times per trip.
The ideal option, of course, would be a dollar card - both withdrawing money and paying with such a card is most profitable.

Georgia is becoming one of the most popular destinations among tourists. Therefore, when going there, you need to know what currency to go to Georgia with in 2019, how much money you will need or whether credit cards will be enough. Such questions are natural, and before the trip, you need to look at the exchange rates, get acquainted with the features of the national unit, in which places it is best to change money and whether there is a commission.

In this sunny country, since 1995, money called lari (inheritance or property), consisting of 100 tetri, has been put into circulation. Banknotes are issued in denominations such as 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200.

The last three denominations appeared in circulation only in 2016, and have a higher degree of protection; they can be used by people who have poor vision. It is worth remembering that the 500 lari banknote is not in circulation and can only be found in museums.

The coins are called tetri (translated from Georgian as white), and have denominations from 5 to 50 tetri. Coins – 1, 2, 10 – are also in use.

Euro or dollar

To know what currency to travel to Georgia with in 2019, you need to consider several factors:

• View the current exchange rates in the country against the euro and dollar. Other types of currencies - hryvnia or ruble - will be much more difficult to exchange.
• Make an approximate cost estimate.
• See the places where currency exchange is carried out and whether there is a commission for this.
• Write down the work schedule of banking institutions, find branches in a particular city located near the hostel or hotel. If these are resort cities, are there exchange points there?
• Is it possible to pay for services with bank cards?
• Do you need a passport for exchange transactions?

The current exchange rates of the country's monetary unit to the euro and dollar are:

• For one American dollar you can get 2.64 Georgian lari ($100 will be a little more than 264 lari).
• For 1 euro they give 2.79 lari (100 euros equals 279 Georgian lari).

Thus, the euro exchange rate to the Georgian currency is slightly higher than to the US dollar. But it is necessary to check currency indicators before the trip. It is better to have both dollars and euros with you.

In some places you can pay in rubles, but the exchange rate to the Russian ruble cannot be called favorable. 100 rubles will be 4.47 lari.

You can import foreign currency into Georgia, and if the amount is more than 2 thousand conventional units, then you need to fill out a declaration at customs. The maximum amount of imported amount should not exceed 25 thousand lari. You can export no more than 3 thousand lari.

Gift: 2100 rubles for housing!

When you register using the link in AirBnB, you will receive 2100 rubles to your account.

For this money you can rent a good apartment for 1 day abroad or in Russia. The bonus only works for new accounts.

Is it possible to pay with bank cards?

When going to Georgia, it is worth stocking up on cash - euros, dollars, rubles, which are exchanged for lari in one of the cities. You can take a bank card, but in most cases it will be useless unless you withdraw money from ATMs.

Payment is carried out only in national currency and mainly in cash. In eating places - cafes or restaurants, bars, taxis, shops, everywhere you need to pay for purchases and services in cash. You will need small change on the beaches or while walking around the city, when you want to buy treats for yourself or your children, or purchase a souvenir. In public transport, payment is also made in lari.

If you don’t have enough cash on hand, then you can use a card to withdraw money. Tourists who have visited Georgia several times are advised to have several credit cards with them and check them before leaving abroad so that they are not blocked. If you can’t withdraw from one card, then you can use another.

It’s interesting that there are a lot of terminals that accept cards, but they don’t work everywhere. In some shopping centers, often large ones, bank cards can be accepted for payment. You can pay with a card in hotels or hostels, but you should still have cash with you.

Where to exchange

A special feature of Georgia is that there are many exchange offices in big cities. This applies to both banks and exchangers. This factor should be taken into account by those who are planning to visit remote places where there will be no opportunity to exchange foreign currency for lari. Money changes in places such as:

• Banks.
• Exchangers.
• Terminals.

No exchanges by hand to avoid becoming victims of scammers.

Banks are located in most Georgian cities, with the largest number in Tbilisi. Sometimes banking institutions ask to show your passport.

The system of exchange offices is more extensive:

• Stations.
• Airports.
• Metro in Tbilisi.
• Shopping and entertainment centers.
• Supermarkets.

The exchange rate between banks and exchangers does not make much difference, usually it is 2 or more lari. The advantage of Georgia is that there is no exchange fee.

Among banks, preference should be given to:

• Bank of Georgia.
• TVS jar.
• ProCredit Bank Georgia.
• Liberty Bank Georgia.
• KartuBank Georgia.

The working day in institutions begins at 9 am and lasts until 18 pm, except Saturday and Sunday. In this they lose to exchangers that are open around the clock.

You can also withdraw money from the terminal, but here you will have to pay a commission, the size of which is equal to 2% of the transaction. There are most exchangers and ATMs in Batumi, Kutaisi, and Tbilisi. Exchange rates are unfavorable in border regions.

When we were planning an independent trip, we had a question: “What currency should I take to Georgia and is it profitable to cash out the card at an ATM?” I didn’t want to lose my honestly earned money on an exchange, so we conducted a small experiment, during which we determined the most profitable method for ourselves. I hope that our experience will help you figure out what money to bring to Georgia.

The paper currency of Georgia is called lari, kopecks are called tetri.

How much money to go to Georgia with?

• Bring rubles and exchange them for lari upon arrival
• Travel with hryvnias and exchange for lari upon arrival
• Take euro/dollar and change it to lari upon arrival
• Cash out your card at an ATM

Yes, yes, we had all this currency with us. We receive our income in rubles; we bought dollars before the trip, but hryvnia and euros were left over from the summer.

I want to say right away that there is no point in going to Georgia with hryvnia. There are very few exchangers that accept Ukrainian currency, and they exchange it at an unrealistically low rate. Things are the same with dollars and euros, so I will write using dollars as an example. In this article we will look at only 3 options in detail:

• Carry dollars and buy Georgian currency on the spot
• Travel to Georgia with rubles
• Cash out your card at a local ATM

Dollars

In Vladikavkaz, we bought $100 at the rate of 59.6, respectively, for the operation we paid 5,960 rubles. In Tbilisi they exchanged dollars at the rate of 2.40, it came out to 240 lari. There are a lot of exchange offices, especially in big cities, so buying Georgian currency will not be difficult. True, the exchange rate is slightly different, you need to go through a couple of banks and exchange money where the best offer is for the current day.

Rubles

On the same day we exchanged 6,000 rubles. at the rate of 0.0402 and received 241 lari. To be fair, it’s worth subtracting 2 lari from the amount, since when buying dollars we spent 5,960 rubles, and here it’s 6,000 rubles. It turns out that if you spend the same amount in rubles, you get almost the same money. There are a lot of exchange offices where rubles are bought in Georgia. There will be no problems in tourist cities; almost every bank exchanges rubles for the Georgian currency.

Cash out via ATM

I don’t know what commission the ATM and the issuing bank charged for cashing out, so I’m counting everything together. For 500 lari, 13,458 rubles were debited from the card, it turns out that the operation took place at the rate of 0.037 (including commissions and other surcharges). And this is no longer so pleasant if you change the same rubles at an exchange office. Then we are from 13,458 rubles. would have received 541 lari.

What currency to take to Georgia. Conclusion

In my opinion, cashing out money from a card that supports the national currency: rubles, hryvnia and others is categorically unprofitable. Depending on the payment system, the conversion takes place through the dollar or euro, and in the end you will receive much less money than you could.

What currency to take to Georgia is an individual matter, but personally, I prefer to go to Georgia with dollars/euros and exchange for lari upon arrival. To make the picture clearer, you can check the current GEL exchange rate on the day of your trip. Here is a list of the most popular banks in Georgia:

• Bank of Georgia
• Procredit Bank Georgia
• LibertyBank Georgia
• CartuBank Georgia