Accident involving a foreign-registered car: compulsory insurance: what to do under Georgian law

What to do

1. Who pays: the Compulsory Insurance Centre (სავალდებულო დაზღვევის ცენტრი) pays — both under a policy and for an uninsured foreign-registered vehicle (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 9). If the at-fault party left or had no policy — the same Centre pays, if the vehicle is identified (plate number, protocol).
2. Deadline first: a written claim with documents to the Centre — no later than 60 calendar days from the date of the accident (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 8); the period is suspended while court proceedings, an investigation or an expert assessment are under way (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 8); if it is missed, the Centre is released from payment (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 8). At the scene: report to “112” and to the Centre, and wait for the police at the scene (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 8).
3. Payment: a decision — no later than 30 days from receipt of the documents (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 9); payment — within 15 days after agreement on the amount, refusal — within 10 working days (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 9); penalty for delay — 0.1% per day (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 9). Limits: health — 30,000 GEL per injured person (300,000 per event) (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 6); treatment — up to 15,000 GEL (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 6); property — 25,000 GEL per injured person (50,000 per event) (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 7). Do not repair before the assessment without the Centre’s written consent (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 7); a dispute over the amount is resolved by an independent expert assessment, then by court (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 7).
4. Remainder: above the limit — directly from the responsible person (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 9); the vehicle owner is liable for harm from its operation (Civil Code Art. 999); the limitation period for a lawsuit is 3 years from when you learned of the damage or of the liable person (Civil Code Art. 1008).
5. If you are a driver with foreign plates: on entry, a policy for the whole period of stay in Georgia is mandatory (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 3); for passenger cars: 15 days — 30 GEL, 30 days — 50 GEL, 90 days — 90 GEL, 1 year — 295 GEL (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 5); without a policy (passenger car) — a fine of 100 GEL and two days to rectify (Code of Administrative Offences Art. 191¹); without a policy, the Centre will recover the payment from the driver of the uninsured vehicle (recourse) (Law on Compulsory Insurance of Foreign Vehicles Art. 10).
6. Where to apply: Compulsory Insurance Centre; “112” or patrol police; district (city) court.
7. Evidence: plate number and photo of the at-fault vehicle, police protocol, witnesses; the application to the Centre with the date, photos before repair, medical documents, estimate.
8. Pitfalls: looking for a “green card” or an insurer in the at-fault party’s country; missing the deadline for the written claim; repairing before the assessment without the Centre’s consent; believing there is no payment without a policy.

Be sure to check

• the payment is made by the Compulsory Insurance Centre, including for an uninsured foreign vehicle
• 60 days for the written claim to the Centre, otherwise refusal
• payment limits and recovery of the excess from the at-fault party; deadlines for the decision and for payment
• the relocant’s duty to buy a policy for the whole period of stay, and the fine for not having one