How to cross the Russia-Georgia border at Upper Lars in 2026

Where is Upper Lars and how far is it from Tbilisi?

Upper Lars is in the Dariali Gorge, 35 km south of Vladikavkaz on the A-161. From the Georgian checkpoint it is about 165 km to Tbilisi on the Georgian Military Road, 3 to 3.5 hours without a queue.

On the Russian side the checkpoint is called Verkhny Lars. On the Georgian side it is the Dariali checkpoint. The crossing is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, holidays included.

Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), with the first hotels, cafés and minibuses to Tbilisi, is 12 km from Dariali. The whole trip from Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi is about 200 km. How to make it by minibus, bus or car is in our guide Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi.

Transfer

Tbilisi → Kazbegi / Stepantsminda

≈ 3 h155 kmfrom $165from €150from ₾430

Can you cross Upper Lars on foot in 2026?

No, Upper Lars does not let pedestrians through, and the border can only be crossed in a vehicle. That can be your own car, a bus or minibus from Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi, a taxi going into Georgia or a seat in someone else's car.

A taxi from Vladikavkaz gets you to the Russian checkpoint in 35 to 40 minutes. From there you have to ask drivers for a seat. Many say yes, but there is no guarantee, especially with big luggage. It is safer to book a minibus, about 70 a day on the tutu.ru timetable, or agree with a taxi driver who crosses the border himself.

The rules for cyclists have been applied differently over the years, so check in advance if you plan to ride.

On a bus or minibus, passengers get off with their luggage on the Russian side, go through the checks and then get back on.

How long is the queue at Upper Lars today?

On an ordinary day a car clears the Russian and Georgian checks in 1 to 3 hours, and at peak times the wait grows to 6 hours or more. Nobody publishes an official queue for cars. The electronic queue at Lars is for lorries only, and cars wait in a live queue, so check the sources in the next section before you leave Vladikavkaz.

In autumn, after the summer season, the queue is usually shorter. On 14 September 2026 entering Georgia took under an hour in the daytime. On 12 October there were no restrictions on the Georgian Military Road, and the lorry queue held 311 vehicles, down from more than 500 on 9 October. There are no recent figures for cars, so the live chat below is your best guide.

The longest queues come in July and August and over the May and New Year holidays. In mid-August 2026 between 16,000 and 19,000 people a day crossed at Lars in both directions, and cars waited 3 to 5 hours in the daytime and 1 to 2 hours in the evening. The quietest time is at night, roughly from 2 to 5 a.m., especially from Tuesday to Thursday.

The queue back into Russia can be just as long. At the end of August 2026 drivers leaving Georgia waited 2 to 4 hours.

Where can I check the Upper Lars queue live?

The fastest source is the @VerhniyLars Telegram chat, in Russian. It has more than 120,000 members, and people in the queue post how long they have waited every few minutes. The other sources are below.

• The @VerhniyLars chat. Live reports from the queue, the fastest source.
• The @Verhniy_Lars channel. Road closures, mudslides, avalanches and official notices from both sides.
• Cameras on worldcams.ru. The approach to the checkpoint.
• Yandex Maps with the traffic layer on. A dark red line shows up many kilometres before the Upper Lars checkpoint.
• The Restrictions page of the Roads Department of Georgia on georoad.gov.ge. Closures of the Jvari Pass are announced there, and the @Verhniy_Lars channel usually relays them within the hour.
• The lorry queue on zit-ic.ru/eo/vl and the t.me/mapp_lars_official channel. Cars do not need to register, it is for freight only.

What documents do Russians need to enter Georgia in 2026?

Russian citizens need a valid international passport and health insurance for the whole trip, and no visa. They can stay in Georgia visa-free for up to a year.

The internal Russian passport is not accepted. Every child needs their own passport and their own insurance policy. Check that the child still looks like the photo, as the UK government reports families refused entry when it did not.

Georgia does not officially require the other parent's consent. Under Russian rules a child can leave with one parent unless the other has filed an objection. Officers can still ask questions, so a notarised consent letter makes the crossing easier, plus a birth certificate if your surnames differ.

Citizens of the EU, the UK, the US, Kazakhstan, Belarus, the Gulf states and many other countries can also stay up to a year without a visa. The full list and the other rules, from customs limits to medicines, are in our guide to Georgia entry requirements 2026.

Do you need health insurance to enter Georgia at Upper Lars?

Yes, since 1 January 2026 every foreign tourist needs health and accident insurance for the whole stay, and the rule applies at Upper Lars just as at the airports. It comes from Georgian Government Resolution No. 602 of 26 December 2025.

The cover must be at least 30,000 GEL, roughly 11,000 USD. The policy can come from a Georgian or a foreign insurer, Russian ones included. It can be in English or Georgian, on paper or on your phone, and must cover the day you arrive and the day you leave.

The Patrol Police can check the policy at the border, and without a valid one you can be refused entry. The resolution sets no fine, so the real risk is being turned back.

Travellers report that not everyone is asked, but do not count on it. Save the full policy on your phone, since mobile data may not work at the border, and carry a printout. What the policy must show is listed in our guide to Georgia entry requirements 2026.

What do you need to drive your own car across Upper Lars?

Besides your passport and health insurance you need your driving licence, the car's registration certificate and Georgian third-party liability insurance (TPL). If the car is not registered to you, you also need a notarised power of attorney that allows you to take it abroad.

• TPL is compulsory for foreign-registered cars. It is sold at the border and on tpl.ge. For a car it costs 30 GEL for 15 days, 50 GEL for 30 days, 90 GEL for 90 days and 295 GEL for a year, prices checked on 19 October 2026. The Green Card is not valid in Georgia.
• From 1 December to 1 March winter tyres are compulsory on the Mleta to Kobi section over the Jvari Pass. They need the snowflake symbol and at least 3 mm of tread. The fine is 100 GEL, and in snow the police can ask for chains too.
• Fill up in Vladikavkaz and take water, food and warm clothes. In the queue or in front of a closed pass you can wait for hours, and in winter for half a day.

Is Upper Lars open in winter?

Yes, the checkpoint is open all year round, 24 hours a day, but in winter the road to it over the Jvari Pass on the Georgian side closes when the avalanche risk is high or the snow is heavy. This usually happens from December to March, sometimes in April too.

The closures hit the Gudauri to Kobi section. Lorries are stopped first, then all traffic. A closure lasts from a few hours to several days. In winter 2025/26 cars could not cross for about two days from 13 January, three days from 2 February and almost four days from 26 February, and in spring the road was shut from 23 to 25 April 2026.

While the pass is closed, the North Ossetian authorities also close the Vladikavkaz to Lars road for traffic leaving Russia, so cars do not pile up at the border. In winter, check the road before you leave Vladikavkaz, not at the border.

In summer and autumn the road sometimes closes because of a mudflow risk in the Devdoraki gorge next to the Dariali checkpoint. In 2026 this happened on 13 August from 13:45 to 18:00 and on the morning of 25 September from about 6:20 to 10:30. There were no closures between 11 and 19 October 2026. More on the winter road in Kazbegi in winter.

What if the Jvari Pass or the border is closed?

Wait for the road to reopen where you are, in Vladikavkaz if you are still in Russia or in Stepantsminda if you are already in Georgia. There is no way around Lars by land. No other legal crossing links Russia and Georgia, and Azerbaijan keeps its land border closed until at least 2 January 2027.

Stepantsminda, 12 km from the border, has plenty of hotels and guesthouses, and the ones we recommend are further down this page. On the Russian side, go back to Vladikavkaz rather than wait in the car in the cold. Minibuses do not run while the road is closed, so ask the carrier how to move or refund your ticket.

If a closure drags on, fly. Azimuth flies daily from Mineralnye Vody to Tbilisi, and Georgian Airways, Azimuth and Red Wings fly from Moscow. Details are in our Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi guide.

How do I get from Upper Lars to Tbilisi?

From the Dariali checkpoint it is about 165 km to Tbilisi on the Georgian Military Road, 3 to 3.5 hours without stops. You can go by minibus, by taxi from Stepantsminda or in a car with a driver booked in advance.

The road runs through the Dariali Gorge to Stepantsminda, then over the Jvari Pass (2,379 m) and past Gudauri to Tbilisi. What to see along the way is in our Tbilisi to Kazbegi guide. Russian Visa, Mastercard and Mir cards do not work in Georgia, so carry cash for minibuses and taxis.

• Minibus from Vladikavkaz. With a ticket to Tbilisi it goes through without a change to Didube or Ortachala bus station. The whole trip from Vladikavkaz takes 4 to 6 hours, depending on the queue.
• Minibus from Stepantsminda. It leaves from the small bus station in the centre of town, about 11 a day in summer and fewer in winter. A ticket costs about 20 GEL, paid to the driver in cash. The ride to Didube takes 3 to 3.5 hours. In winter leave by 14:30 to cross the Jvari Pass in daylight.
• Taxi from Stepantsminda. Drivers wait at the same bus station and on the central square. Agree the price for the whole car before you get in.
• A car with a driver. The driver meets you at the exit of the Dariali checkpoint or in Stepantsminda, see the next section.

Can I book a transfer from the border to Tbilisi?

Yes, our driver meets you with a name sign at the exit of the Dariali checkpoint or in Stepantsminda and takes you to Tbilisi, straight to the airport, to Gudauri or to Kakheti. It suits you if you crossed by minibus or with a lift, left your car in Vladikavkaz, or travel with children and luggage. Alone and with light bags, the minibus from Stepantsminda is cheaper.

The price is fixed per car, not per person, and is shown in the card on this page. Child seats are free, and you pay the driver after the ride, in cash or by card. Message the driver once you are through passport control and he drives up to the exit. Time in the border queue does not count as waiting.

Book on the transfer page or in our Telegram bot in two minutes.