Do you need an international driving permit or advance online registration to cross the Georgia-Russia land border (Verkhny Lars) by car?

A standard Russian licence is a national licence compliant with the Vienna Convention. An International Driving Permit is additionally required only in countries that recognise only the Geneva Convention; it is a separate document.

A traveler reports that with online queue registration done in advance, entering from the Russian side went smoothly; asks whether rules differ on the Georgian side.

Question raised whether cars with foreign license plates are let into Russia if the driver hasn't completed advance registration.

It's clarified that a standard Russian driver's license already counts as an international one, and separately issuing an international driving permit is just extra paperwork with no real legal need.