Mandatory Inspection of State Vehicles to Kick off July 1

From July 1, 2018, vehicles of state agencies and legal entities will have to undergo obligatory technical inspection.

The technical inspection will be available in 32 accredited periodic technical inspection centers throughout Georgia.

Georgia’s Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development reports that in order to facilitate mandatory technical inspection and improve services, a website, www.pti.ge, has been created. There, users can arrange a visit to any available inspection center in advance.

Moreover, on January 3, 2018, the hotline 1484 was activated which serves people interested in the process and provides relevant information regarding the conditions and terms of the technical inspection.

Obligatory technical inspection of cars took effect on January 1, 2018. A total of 36,394 vehicles have been inspected in Georgia as of June 20, 2018 and 75% of them (27,143 vehicles) have been assessed as worthy, Georgia’s Ministry of Economy announced last week.

5,953 vehicle owners addressed technical inspection centers for a second round, of which 243 vehicles failed to meet the necessary standards again.

The first stage of the mandatory technical inspection, launched in January, required trucks of over 3.5 tons and passenger cars with more than 8 seats to undergo safety checks.

The next stage, to be launched on July 1, requires all vehicles registered to state entities to undergo a mandatory check, which will be followed by inspections of all automobiles with 3.0 engines and above from October 1. From January 1, 2019, the government will start the final phase of the campaign and require all other vehicles to undergo mandatory testing.

Vehicles which are four years old or less will not have to undergo an inspection. Cars that are four-six years old will undergo testing once every two years and cars older than six years will have to be tested every year.

In addition, driving an uninspected car will result in a 50 GEL fine. Moreover, transfer or disposal of a vehicle which has not gone through a periodic technical inspection will be subject to a fine to the amount of 50 GEL, and legal entities or individual entrepreneurs will be fined 200 GEL.

Under the Georgia-EU Association Agreement signed in 2014, Georgia is obligated to ensure all vehicles are in line with EU standards.

By Thea Morrison