What to Expect for Georgian-Plated Cars Starting January 1

According to a government decision, starting January 1, 2024, all vehicles registered in Georgia and operating in Armenia will be subject to all legally prescribed fees, including customs duties, value-added tax, environmental tax, and property tax. When returning to Georgia, owners of vehicles operating in Armenia under temporary import procedures will receive refunds for all their payments made.

The decision includes certain privileges for owners of Georgian-plated vehicles already operating in Armenia. The state has committed to subsidizing up to December 4 for customs duties on temporarily imported vehicles and up to December 30 for vehicles that have been customs cleared, with a 40% subsidy for vehicles up to 5 years old and a 70% subsidy for older vehicles.

The government’s adopted solution allowing Georgian-plated vehicles to operate in Armenia is a compromise and has been accepted following negotiations and concessions between vehicle owners and the State Revenue Committee.

Tigran Melkonyan, a member of the Telegram group named 'Georgian Plates Against the State Revenue Committee,' told Sputnik Armenia that members of the group have been trying to find advantageous solutions since summer, even meeting with representatives of the State Revenue Committee before the government meeting. He stated, 'One could say that the proposed solution will satisfy 50% of the people, and not the other 50%.'

Regarding the regulations effective from January 1, Melkonyan is confident that the number of Georgian-plated vehicles on Armenian roads will decrease by 90% within the next year. This is because the temporary import procedure can only be applicable for a year. After that, a driver of a non-customs cleared vehicle will have to provide an amount equal to the entire customs clearance cost as a deposit at the customs office.