Currency, banknotes and coins of the country Georgia
The currency of the country Georgia is the GEorgian Lari (GEL). Georgia has two series of banknotes and coins. The second series of banknotes (current) was issued on the 1st of February 2016 and was completed with the issuance of the 10 Lari on the 1st of October 2019. The second series of coins (current) was issued in 2006. The first series of banknotes was issued on the 5th of April 1993. In the same year, the first series of coins was issued. Visit the website of the National Bank of Georgia for detailed information about the second series of banknotes.
The difference between the first and the second series is that the denominations of 1 and 2 Lari of the banknotes have been replaced by coins and the 50 Tetri coin of brass has been replaced by a stainless steel 50 Tetri coin. In 2020 the coins 1 and 2 Tetri have been taken out of circulation.
The second series of banknotes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 Lari.
The second series of coins come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, and 50 Tetri, and 1 and 2 Lari.
ATMs, money-exchange offices, and Credit Card use
ATMs, generally accepting MasterCard, Visa, Cirrus, and Maestro cards and there are a lot of them in the cities and most towns. They all issue Lari and a few will dispense US Dollars as well. Only in Tbilisi you can find ATMs that will dispense Euros too. You also can find plenty of small money-exchange offices in most cities and towns; they usually take US Dollars, Euros, or Russian Rubles.
It is useful to have some of these currencies in cash for times when there is not a convenient ATM nearby. You can make purchases with credit cards at the better hotels, restaurants, and some shops in Tbilisi, but much less frequently outside the capital. Traveler's cheques can be exchanged only in some banks.
Georgian Lari Exchange Rate
In 1993 the coupons were replaced by the first series of banknotes and coins. The banknotes come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 Lari. The banknotes in denominations of 200 and 500 Lari are not upgraded in the second (current) series. All the other denominations of the first series can be found sometimes except for the 1 and 2 Lari banknotes which are very rare. If you are lucky you will find the 5 Lari banknote from the first series, keep it as a souvenir. Coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 Tetri. From the end of 2020, the 1 and 2 Tetri coins were taken out from circulation.
