Georgia Border Customs Crossings: What to Know

Georgia is Turkey’s road gateway to the South Caucasus. For many shippers it is also the first step toward Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Caspian crossing to Central Asia, often called the Middle Corridor.

Turkey and Georgia have three land border gates. One of them carries most of the freight.

The three gates

Turkish gate	Province (district)	Georgian side	Character
Sarp	Artvin (Kemalpaşa, near Hopa)	Sarpi	Main freight and passenger gate, on the Black Sea coast
Türkgözü	Ardahan (Posof)	Vale	Inland gate in the mountains
Aktaş	Ardahan (Çıldır)	Kartsakhi	Inland gate in the mountains

Sarp–Sarpi

Sarp is the busiest gate between the two countries. It lies on the coastal road between Hopa and Batumi. In 2024 it handled about 792,000 vehicles and 5.5 million passengers. Turkish officials call it Turkey’s most important gate to Georgia. On its busiest days, more than 1,000 trucks have crossed in a single day.

Because it sits on a narrow coastal road, Sarp is sensitive to traffic. Truck queues can stretch for kilometres toward Hopa when:

• processing slows on either side,
• there is heavy snow or bad weather, or
• holiday traffic adds many passenger cars.

Türkgözü and Aktaş

These two inland gates in Ardahan province are useful alternatives for cargo going toward inland Georgia, Armenia, or Azerbaijan. They are at high altitude, though, and winter conditions can be hard. Check road and gate conditions before you send trucks this way between late autumn and spring.

Rail: the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars line

Besides the road gates, the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway links eastern Turkey with Georgia and Azerbaijan. It is part of the Middle Corridor. For some cargo, rail through Kars is a good alternative to trucks over the mountain gates.

Customs on the Georgian side

Customs in Georgia is handled by the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance. A few points to know:

• Georgia is not part of the EU customs union. Goods go through full export clearance in Turkey and full import (or transit) procedures in Georgia.
• TIR carnets are widely used for cargo that goes on through Georgia to Azerbaijan, Armenia, or Central Asia.
• Turkey and Georgia have a free trade agreement. With the right proof of origin, many Turkish-origin goods can get reduced or zero duty. Ask your customs broker which origin document applies.

Practical tips

1. Plan around Sarp’s peak times. Avoid sending trucks just before public holidays in either country if you can.
2. Use the inland gates with care. They can save time, but check the weather and opening hours first, especially in winter.
3. Prepare transit papers early if the cargo is going beyond Georgia.
4. Keep documents consistent. The invoice, packing list, and CMR should match exactly: weights, package counts, and descriptions.

At AntEX we move cargo through Sarp and the inland gates every week, with continuous tracking and customs handled at each border.