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Cars and driving licencesFor people heading to the car market near Rustavi to buy a car

Rustavi car market (Autopapa): address, hours, how to buy a car

The AUTOPAPA car market is in Rustavi, at km 21 of the Tbilisi–Red Bridge highway (market website); Rustavi itself is 20 km southeast of Tbilisi (BBC, 14 October 2024). Market days are Friday to Sunday; the market does not publish exact opening hours. Before buying, order a legal status certificate for the car, from 30 ₾; re-registration at the Service Agency costs 200 ₾ (20 + 80 + 100) (sa.gov.ge, checked 11 October 2026).

Checked by the editors on 11 October 202623 sources7 minutes

In short

Where
Rustavi, at km 21 of the Tbilisi–Red Bridge highway (autobazroba.com, checked 11 October 2026); Rustavi itself is 20 km southeast of Tbilisi (BBC, 14 October 2024)
What it is
Rustavi Car Market AUTOPAPA has operated since 2009. By the market's own figures: 225,000 m², parking for 5,000 cars and a customs terminal for 2,000 (autopapa.ge, page of 9 February 2019)
When to go
Market days are Friday, Saturday and Sunday; cars can be viewed on any day (autopapa.ge, 2019). The market does not publish opening hours
Entry
The market website does not mention an entry fee for buyers. A car parked on the lots pays by ticket; the rate is posted on a board at the entrance (market rules, checked 11 October 2026)
Where the cars come from
Mostly from the US: many are bought at auctions after accidents and written off by American insurers (BBC, 14 October 2024)
Paperwork on site
Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: registration, export and re-export, plates; the customs zone works 24 hours a day (autobazroba.com, updated 8 October 2025)
Checks
Legal status certificate for the car: 30 ₾ for 5 working days, 110 ₾ for 3 working hours (sa.gov.ge, checked 11 October 2026)
Re-registration
200 ₾ (20 + 80 + 100): inspection 20 ₾, plates 80 ₾, registration certificate 100 ₾; online since 24 July 2026 (sa.gov.ge)
Imported car
Must be registered in Georgia within 60 days (sa.gov.ge, checked 11 October 2026)
Taking the car abroad
Transit plates for export and re-export cost 150 ₾ (sa.gov.ge, checked 11 October 2026)

How to buy at the market without surprises

  1. Get to km 21 of the Tbilisi–Red Bridge highway

    The market is in Rustavi, at km 21 of the Tbilisi–Red Bridge highway. The market rules give the address as "Rustavi, area adjacent to DOSAAF". A taxi from Tbilisi to Rustavi takes 30–40 minutes, according to Tengrinews. The official websites do not publish public transport routes to the market. Cars and buyers are most numerous from Friday to Sunday. Check the hours with the market hotline: +995 322 05 05 55.

  2. Find out whether the car has cleared customs

    Listings on autopapa.ge mark each car as customs-cleared or not cleared. The market has a customs control zone that works 24 hours a day. For a car that has not cleared customs, work out the excise and duty in advance in the customs calculator: they affect the final price.

  3. Order a legal status certificate

    The Service Agency certificate shows arrest, pledge, tax lien, wanted status, temporary registration and zero-rate customs clearance. Anyone can order it on sa.gov.ge, in the SERVICE AGENCY app or at an office. The price depends on the turnaround: 30 ₾ for 5 working days, 45 ₾ for 3 working days, 70 ₾ for 1 working day, 110 ₾ for 3 working hours.

    from 30 ₾
  4. Inspect the car and get a diagnostic check

    Many cars near Rustavi come from the US after accidents and are repaired in Georgia (BBC). Look at the bodywork and signs of repair. The market has a 10-bay garage with computer diagnostics. For cars from the US and Canada, the market offers a Carfax history check.

  5. Re-register at the Service Agency

    You need the ownership document, the buyer's and seller's identity documents, the inspection report and a joint application. Fees: inspection 20 ₾, plates 80 ₾, registration certificate 100 ₾. The address of the agency's Rustavi Central Department is 8 Lobzhanidze Street (formerly km 21 of the Tbilisi–Red Bridge highway). Since 24 July 2026, re-registration can also be done online. A car imported from abroad must be registered within 60 days.

    200 ₾ (20 + 80 + 100)
  6. Taking it abroad: get transit plates

    For a car leaving Georgia for export or re-export, the Service Agency issues transit plates. If the car leaves within 180 days of customs clearance, the excise and import duty can be refunded in full. Only the importer, the person in whose name customs clearance was made, can claim the refund.

    150 ₾

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Documents

0 of 4 ready ·

Check the exact list on the portal before applying: it changes.

Grey areas: lawyers disagree here

Opening hours

The market's official websites do not publish opening hours. autopapa.ge only says that market days are Friday to Sunday and that cars can be viewed on any day (2019 page). The customs zone, according to the market website, works 24 hours a day. Tengrinews wrote in February 2023 that the market is open from 8:00 to 17:00 on weekdays. Check with the hotline before you go: +995 322 05 05 55.

How many lots

The market does not say how many lots it has. The rates on autobazroba.com list market lots 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 15, T3 and terminal lots T1, T2, 4, 6, 10, 11, 14, 18, 20, 21 (undated page). The BBC (October 2024) names one of the largest car parks near Rustavi as Caucasus Auto Import; it does not say whether it is part of AUTOPAPA.

Parking rates for sellers

Versions of the market website disagree. Russian (updated 8 October 2025): 10 ₾ a day on lots T1, T2, T4, T10 and 2.75 ₾ ($1) on T18. Georgian (12 October 2021) and English (4 November 2020): 3 ₾ on weekdays and 5 ₾ at weekends at the market, 5 ₾ at the terminal, plus a one-off 5 ₾ on entry. The undated About page: 10 ₾, and 5 ₾ on lots 18, 20, 21. Under the market rules, the current rate is posted on a board at the entrance to each lot.

Size and sales figures

225,000 m², 5,000 cars on the lots and more than 5,000 sales a month are the market's own figures, from a page last updated in 2019. Even the number of visitors on market days differs between versions of the page: "more than 20,000" (Russian), "about 20,000" (English), "up to 20,000" (Georgian). The BBC (2024) describes all the car parks on the outskirts of Rustavi together, not just AUTOPAPA: more than 40 football pitches, thousands of cars.

FAQ · 7

Where is the Rustavi car market?

In Rustavi, at km 21 of the Tbilisi–Red Bridge highway; Rustavi itself is 20 km southeast of Tbilisi. The market rules give the address as "Rustavi, area adjacent to DOSAAF".

What time does the Rustavi car market open?

The market does not publish official hours. Its website says market days are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and cars can be viewed on any day. Tengrinews wrote in 2023 that the market is open from 8:00 to 17:00 on weekdays; check by phone before you go: +995 322 05 05 55.

Can a foreigner buy a car in Georgia?

Yes. Foreigners who live in Georgia permanently or temporarily have the cars they buy registered under the general rules (Order No. 150 of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Art. 36). If you are taking the car out of the country, the Service Agency issues transit plates for export: 150 ₾.

How do I check a car before buying?

Order a legal status certificate from the Service Agency, from 30 ₾: it shows arrest, pledge and wanted status. Check the technical condition with a diagnostic test: the market has a garage, and for cars from the US and Canada a Carfax history check.

How much is customs clearance for a car in Georgia?

It depends on engine size, the car's age and which side the steering wheel is on: since 2 April 2026, excise rates differ for cars up to 6 years old and older ones. Work it out in the customs calculator. Whether a car has cleared customs is shown in its listing on autopapa.ge.

How do I take a car out of Georgia?

Arrange the export and get transit plates from the Service Agency: 150 ₾. If the car leaves within 180 days of customs clearance, the importer can get the excise and import duty refunded in full.

Where can I see photos and prices of cars from the Rustavi market?

The market's website autopapa.ge publishes listings with prices and a customs-cleared or not-cleared mark. Under the market rules, a car must have a price tag: the seller pays 40 ₾ a day for a car without one. On doberi, listings are published in three languages, and you can translate your chat with the seller.

What changed · 3

  1. 8 October 2025The market announced parking on terminal No. 18 at $1 a day until the end of 2026
  2. 2 April 2026New excise rates on imported passenger cars: separate rates for cars up to 6 years old and older ones, three times higher for right-hand drive
  3. 24 July 2026Car ownership can be transferred online on sa.gov.ge and in the SERVICE AGENCY app

Sources · 23

  1. Rustavi Car Market AUTOPAPA (corporate website): contacts — "Tbilisi – Red Bridge road, 21 km", hotline +995 322 05 05 55, checked 11 October 2026 — autobazroba.com
  2. AUTOPAPA: About — Rustavi car market since 2009, 225,000 m², 5,000 cars, terminal for 2,000, Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on site, market days Friday to Sunday; page updated 9 February 2019 (ru, ka and en versions) — autopapa.ge
  3. AUTOPAPA: Rules (contract) for parking services at the Rustavi car market — address "Rustavi, area adjacent to DOSAAF", operator Trading Investment Company LLC, rate posted at the entrance, 40 ₾ a day for a car without a price tag; checked 11 October 2026 — autopapa.ge (in Russian)
  4. AUTOPAPA: home page — listings with price, city and a customs-cleared or not-cleared mark, checked 11 October 2026 — autopapa.ge
  5. Rustavi Car Market: Customs Control Zone — Mikado Georgia LLC, open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the market's service centre, parking rates (Russian version, updated 8 October 2025) — autobazroba.com
  6. Rustavi Car Market: Customs Control Zone — parking rates and a one-off 5 ₾ entry fee (Georgian version, updated 12 October 2021) — ge.autobazroba.com
  7. Rustavi Car Market: Customs Control Zone — parking rates and a one-off 5 ₾ entry fee (English version, updated 4 November 2020) — en.autobazroba.com
  8. Rustavi Car Market AUTOPAPA: About — parking rates by lot number, undated page, checked 11 October 2026 — autobazroba.com
  9. Rustavi Car Market: parking on terminal No. 18 at $1 a day until the end of 2026, 8 October 2025 — autobazroba.com (in Russian)
  10. Rustavi Car Market: 10-bay car service centre with computer diagnostics, checked 11 October 2026 — autobazroba.com (in Russian)
  11. Rustavi Car Market: Our services — Carfax history check only for cars from the US and Canada, checked 11 October 2026 — autobazroba.com (in Russian)
  12. BBC News, Rayhan Demytrie: "Thousands of cars that crash in US are ending up in Russia" — report from Rustavi: Rustavi is 20 km from Tbilisi, the car parks on the outskirts together cover more than 40 football pitches, cars mostly from the US, often written off by insurers, 14 October 2024 — bbc.co.uk
  13. Tengrinews, Anastasia Solntseva: how a car market in Georgia became half Kazakh — open 8:00–17:00 on weekdays, taxi from Tbilisi 30–40 minutes, 13 February 2023 — tengrinews.kz (in Russian)
  14. Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: vehicle legal status certificate — what it shows, who can order it, 30 / 45 / 70 / 110 ₾ by turnaround, checked 11 October 2026 — sa.gov.ge
  15. Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: vehicle ownership transfer — documents and fees (inspection 20 ₾, plates 80 ₾, registration certificate 100 ₾), checked 11 October 2026 — sa.gov.ge
  16. Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: remote vehicle ownership transfer launched on the website and the SERVICE AGENCY app, 24 July 2026 — sa.gov.ge
  17. Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: vehicle registration — a vehicle imported from abroad must be registered within 60 days, checked 11 October 2026 — sa.gov.ge
  18. Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: transit plates — 150 ₾ for export and re-export, checked 11 October 2026 — sa.gov.ge
  19. Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: structural units — Rustavi Central Department, 8 Aleksandre Lobzhanidze Street (former address: km 21 of the Tbilisi–Red Bridge highway), checked 11 October 2026 — sa.gov.ge
  20. Rustavi Municipal Sakrebulo: Ordinance No. 397 of 28 March 2025 on naming geographical features — an unnamed street by the Tbilisi–Red Bridge highway named after Aleksandre Lobzhanidze — matsne.gov.ge
  21. Order No. 150 of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia on vehicle registration, Art. 36(1) — registration of cars of foreigners living in Georgia permanently or temporarily; consolidated version with amendments of 21 May 2026 (Order No. 70), PDF — matsne.gov.ge
  22. Tax Code of Georgia, Art. 189(8) and Art. 198(3) — refund of excise and import duty to the importer if the car leaves within 180 days; consolidated version of 30 September 2026 — matsne.gov.ge
  23. Law of Georgia of 1 April 2026 amending the Tax Code — excise rates on passenger cars by age and steering side, in force from 2 April 2026 — matsne.gov.ge
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