Transfers and parcels in Tbilisi

How to send a parcel from Tbilisi to Russia: a full breakdown

For Russian speakers living in Georgia, the question of how to send documents, a parcel, or money home arises within the very first week after moving. There have been no direct Tbilisi–Moscow flights since 2019, international logistics in the region has been restructured, and mainstream services operate with restrictions. Solutions do exist, however — and they work well, as long as you know which channel suits which task.

Parcels from Tbilisi to Russia: services and timelines

CDEK is the go-to option for sending parcels from Tbilisi to Russia officially, with tracking and insurance. Offices are available in the city centre. Delivery takes 7–14 days; the cost depends on weight and dimensions: a small parcel up to 1 kg will cost around 25–40 GEL, and 5 kg comes to roughly 80–120 GEL. The route is not direct — it goes through transit hubs in Yerevan or Istanbul, which accounts for the delivery time.

Georgian Post — a cheaper option, but delivery takes up to 30 days and tracking is limited. Suitable for non-time-sensitive shipments. An international parcel up to 2 kg starts from 15–20 GEL.

DHL / FedEx operate out of Tbilisi, but are geared toward business correspondence and high-value goods. Prices start at 100–150 GEL for 0.5 kg; delivery takes 3–5 business days. A practical option if you need to receive documents in Tbilisi officially and quickly from the Russian side.

Hand-carry delivery from Tbilisi: how it works

Okaziya — sending a parcel or documents via a private individual flying in the right direction. For the Tbilisi–Russia route, this almost always means a connecting flight: through Yerevan, Baku, or Istanbul.

You can find an okazia in Tbilisi through several Telegram channels of the city’s Russian-speaking community — searching «okaziya Tbilisi» brings up several active groups. The standard arrangement: you pay the person 20–50 GEL to hand-carry a small parcel or envelope of documents. Larger items are by negotiation.

An important detail that is often overlooked: the person carrying someone else’s goods bears customs liability for their contents. Never ask strangers to carry sealed packages whose contents they have not seen — this puts the carrier at risk. Standard practice: documents in a transparent envelope, or a small package with known contents.

Comparing delivery options from Tbilisi

Prices in the table are market reference points: government fees and third-party rates at the time of publication. These are not SVOY prices — our service fees are provided on request and in the ’Services’ section.

Money transfers from Tbilisi to Russia

A separate topic that technically has nothing to do with parcels, yet almost always comes up alongside them. Unistream and Contact operate through Georgian partner banks, but the availability of specific locations changes — it is worth checking the current list of agents before visiting.

Cryptocurrency via P2P (Binance P2P, Bybit P2P) — de facto the main channel for transferring large sums. The scheme: you convert GEL to USDT on an exchange, and a P2P counterparty in Russia pays the recipient in rubles. Fee — 1–3% of the amount, depending on the spread at any given moment.

Insider moment: Georgian banks do not formally prohibit transfers to Russia, but some have introduced internal restrictions under compliance pressure. TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia are the most reliable for international transfers, but routing to Russia is best confirmed in person at a branch rather than over the phone.

Common mistakes

1. Sending documents via Georgian Post expecting a two-week delivery — the actual transit time can stretch to a month or more, especially around public holidays. For anything with a deadline, use CDEK or DHL.

2. Not declaring the contents when sending via CDEK. Georgian customs checks outgoing parcels; Russian customs checks incoming ones. Any discrepancy between the contents and the declaration leads to delays or a return.

3. Asking a stranger to carry a sealed package — this creates customs risks for the carrier. A legitimate okaziya is built on trust and transparency about the contents.

4. Counting on a stable charter schedule for Tbilisi–Moscow flights. Direct air service is reinstated periodically but has no fixed timetable — check availability on Aviasales right before making plans.

5. Using the first exchange office you come across without checking its status. Tbilisi has many informal exchange points; for large sums, use only banks or verified P2P counterparties with a track record.

6. Ignoring duty-free import limits into Russia. Parcels worth more than 200 EUR or weighing more than 31 kg per month are subject to duty on the recipient’s side — this isn’t visible at the time of sending, but causes problems at Russian customs.

What to choose in practice

For documents with a hard deadline — DHL or a trusted personal courier. For regular parcels up to 10 kg — CDEK: more expensive than the post, but predictable. For bulky shipments — monitor Telegram courier groups; people with large baggage allowances appear there periodically. For money — P2P crypto as the primary channel, Unistream and Contact as a backup.