Safety in Tbilisi

• Airport/street Taxi 'Meter' Overcharge

  How It Works

  Unlicensed drivers crowd arriving passengers inside and outside the Tbilisi airport arrivals hall (and less often around tourist zones like Old Tbilisi and Rustaveli Avenue), offering a ride and claiming it will be charged 'by the meter' or at a 'standard rate.' The 'meter' is often just an app on the driver's phone programmed to inflate the fare. Tourists have reported being charged roughly 200-380 GEL for a ride that should cost about 20-35 GEL, with drivers sometimes becoming aggressive or intimidating if the passenger refuses to pay. Accomplices at airport kiosks or currency desks sometimes back up the driver's false claim that 'all taxi prices are the same.'

  How To Avoid

  Never follow a driver who approaches you inside the terminal or arrivals area. Book through the Bolt or Yandex apps (download and register before you arrive, since SMS verification can be unreliable once in Georgia), pre-arrange a hotel transfer, or take the airport bus. If you must use a street taxi, agree on an exact price in cash before getting in, and check what the Bolt app would quote for the same route as a benchmark.

• Fake Counterfeit-banknote Taxi Trick

  How It Works

  After agreeing a cash fare and arriving at the destination, the driver examines the lari note handed over, claims it is counterfeit, and hands it back demanding a different note. This can repeat with a second note, pressuring the passenger to hand over more cash or switch to euros/dollars, even though the original notes were genuine.

  How To Avoid

  Pay with exact change where possible, use ride-hailing apps (Bolt/Yandex) that charge to a linked card so cash never changes hands, and if a driver disputes a banknote, insist on involving a third party (hotel staff, police) rather than handing over more money on the spot.

• Bar/club Bait-and-switch Bill Scam

  How It Works

  A friendly local (sometimes met via a dating app, sometimes approaching in a tourist area) invites a visitor to a 'great local bar.' Drinks are ordered without discussing prices, and the bill turns out to be far higher than expected, sometimes running into hundreds of GEL for only a couple of drinks, using an inflated or fabricated menu. In more serious documented cases, tourists have been pressured or intimidated by bouncers/security staff inside clubs (particularly around Old Tbilisi's Kote Afkhazi Street) into paying inflated bills, with at least one detailed account describing physical intimidation until payment was made.

  How To Avoid

  Be cautious of new acquaintances (in person or via dating apps) steering you toward a specific unfamiliar bar or club, especially if they are insistent. Check the venue on Google Maps first; scam venues often have no online presence or very few reviews. Always ask to see a menu with prices before ordering, and if a bill seems inflated or a venue turns hostile, involve the police (112) rather than confronting staff directly or paying under duress.

• Street Touts Offering 'Girls'/strip Clubs with Forced Payment

  How It Works

  Men approach tourists in tourist areas (documented around the Bridge of Peace/Old Tbilisi area) offering a tour, taxi, or introductions to women, quoting a small entrance fee. Once inside the venue, the bill escalates dramatically and security staff use intimidation, threats, or physical force to extract a much larger payment before allowing the customer to leave.

  How To Avoid

  Decline unsolicited offers from street touts for clubs, 'girls,' or informal tours — legitimate businesses do not need to hustle tourists on the street. If already inside such a venue and pressured to pay an inflated amount, prioritize personal safety, comply as needed to leave safely, then report the incident and location to the police afterward.

• Fake Police Extortion

  How It Works

  Individuals posing as police officers approach tourists, accuse them of some infraction, and attempt to extort an on-the-spot cash payment. These impostors often lack any visible or official identification.

  How To Avoid

  Do not hand over cash to anyone claiming to be police on the street. Ask to see official identification, and if in doubt, insist on going to (or calling) an actual police station, or dial 112, Georgia's emergency number, to verify.

• Currency Exchange Shortchanging and 'Good Rate' Coin Scam

  How It Works

  Informal currency exchange kiosks sometimes offer unfavorable rates or shortchange tourists on the amount handed back. A related pattern involves people on the street offering to exchange GEL for foreign coins at a seemingly attractive rate, which turns out to be disadvantageous or a pretext for a short-change trick.

  How To Avoid

  Avoid informal street money-changers and unfamiliar exchange kiosks entirely. Withdraw cash from a bank-affiliated ATM using a card instead, and count any cash received on the spot before walking away.

• Undisclosed Guesthouse/rental Fees and Deposit Disputes

  How It Works

  Some smaller guesthouses and short-term rental hosts add charges not mentioned at booking — cleaning fees, key deposits, 'tourist taxes,' or kitchen/laundry usage fees. A related pattern reported for longer-term rentals involves a landlord raising the agreed rent after a deposit has been paid, then refusing to return the deposit if the tenant disputes the increase or leaves.

  How To Avoid

  Before confirming any booking, message the host directly for a complete written breakdown of all costs via the booking platform's messaging system so there's a documented record. For longer stays, get a lease with the agreed rent and deposit terms in writing, and photograph/video the unit's condition and any handover of cash at move-in and move-out.

• Roving Musicians Demanding Inflated Payment

  How It Works

  A small group of street musicians approaches tourists, usually in central tourist areas, offers to perform a folk song, and afterward demands an unreasonably large payment for the unsolicited performance.

  How To Avoid

  Politely decline unsolicited street performances before they begin, or agree on a specific small amount in advance if you do want to tip for a performance.

• No-price-tag Stalls and Small Shops Overcharging Tourists

  How It Works

  Some small stores and market stalls in tourist-heavy areas don't display price tags, and staff quote a price to each customer individually based on how they look, resulting in inflated prices for visitors compared to what locals pay.

  How To Avoid

  Confirm the price before purchasing anything at stalls without visible price tags, and prefer supermarkets, shopping centers, or well-established market sections for souvenirs and everyday purchases.

Practical Expectations

• For common violations you can expect a written protocol/ticket rather than an on-the-spot cash collection: speeding 15-40 km/h over the limit is a 50 GEL fine, speeding more than 40 km/h over is 150 GEL, and things like phone use, red-light running, or crossing a solid line are typically 100 GEL, often camera-enforced.
• You have 30 calendar days to pay a fine before it doubles, and payment can be made online via bogpay.ge (select 'Payment from foreign cards') using the ticket number and plate number found on protocols.ge.
• Do not offer a bribe. Bribery is a serious criminal offense in Georgia carrying significant prison time for both giver and receiver, and it is far less normalized here than in some neighboring countries since the police reforms.
• Foreigners are subject to the same rules as locals on outstanding fines: unpaid tickets are checked at the airport or land border, and travelers have been asked to settle fines before being allowed to depart; a single unpaid small fine is unlikely to trigger an entry ban but will be expected to be paid on your next entry.
• For accidents, Georgian law requires the driver to notify patrol police immediately; if no officer arrives promptly, call 112 and remain at the scene unless someone needs urgent medical transport.
• DUI is treated much more seriously than minor speeding, with fines ranging from 700 to 2,500 GEL, license suspension up to 6 months, and possible jail time; police can also test for drugs at the roadside.
• If your rental car has unpaid camera fines, these are typically billed to you by the rental agency upon drop-off rather than collected roadside.

Safety And Harm Reduction Notes

• Georgia is a source, transit, and destination country for sex trafficking, with women and girls from Georgia and neighboring Central Asian countries subjected to forced prostitution domestically and abroad.
• NGOs and researchers have documented cases of sex workers, particularly those working in saunas and informal venues, being pressured to work without condoms and facing violence with limited police protection.
• Georgia has historically had elevated rates of sexually transmitted infections linked to the sex trade, especially in border and resort areas outside Tbilisi.
• Street-based sex work in Tbilisi is associated with poor economic conditions and carries both legal risk (fines, administrative detention) and physical safety risk due to lack of regulation or worker protections.