Should I bring cash in local currency or USD to Tbilisi, Georgia?

Other transfer services mentioned in July 2026 were Avosend and Kwikpay. The only downside, according to the participant, is that the money arrives in dollars rather than lari, so you still have to exchange it locally.

For travelers who have roubles but no cash dollars: in July 2026 a card transfer via the Zolotaya Korona (Golden Crown) money-transfer service was named as the option with the most reasonable rate, but it requires a card from a bank that is not under sanctions.

On banknotes: in July 2026 several participants confirmed that Tbilisi exchange offices take dollars of any series — old and new — at the same rate, as long as the notes are not torn. There are plenty of exchange offices and their rates are decent, better than at banks. According to the same replies, roubles are also exchanged without problems.

There was also a contrary view: in early July 2026 one participant wrote that dollars come in old and new series, new ones are not available at every bank, and old ones, in their experience, might be refused — so roubles are the safer bet. Other participants that day and later disagreed: exchange offices accept old dollar notes at the same rate.

The most common answer in summer 2026: if you have dollars, bring them; if not, there is no point exchanging your money into dollars first and then dollars into lari. In July a participant added: bring whatever cash you have at home, and buying dollars just for the trip makes little sense, at least for modest amounts. In September others repeated: if the dollars will be swapped for lari anyway, buy lari directly — dollars are taken mostly for convenience.

In late June 2026 a participant ran the numbers on double conversion out of curiosity, using the national bank rate, and found no gain; they did not remember the street exchange rate. Another advised comparing on your exact amount: she, for example, was reluctant to spend dollars bought a year earlier at a much higher rate than the current one. In other words, the rate at which you originally bought the currency matters.