Foreigners to be banned from working as taxi drivers in Abkhazia, raising passenger concerns

Foreigners are set to be banned from working as taxi drivers in Abkhazia. Parliament has already passed the necessary amendments to the law, with the final decision now resting with the Cabinet of Ministers.

In fact, the initiative originally came from the Cabinet itself. However, under existing legislation, it could not introduce such restrictive measures independently, as this was the prerogative of parliament.

Parliament has now adopted amendments allowing the Cabinet of Ministers to independently prohibit foreign nationals from holding certain positions.

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Taxi drivers are expected to be the first to be affected by the restrictions. According to unofficial estimates, in some taxi services nearly half of all drivers are foreigners, most of them citizens of Central Asian republics.

“In line with the president’s instruction, the Cabinet of Ministers has been working on amendments to taxi transport licensing regulations to introduce restrictions on foreign nationals working as drivers,” said Dmitry Shamba, the president’s representative in parliament.

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In September 2025, local taxi drivers staged a strike in Sukhum, refusing to take orders and demanding a ban on migrants working in the transport sector, saying they were being deprived of their income.

Now that the demands of local drivers have been met, prospective passengers are expressing concern on social media that the new rules could lead to higher fares and a decline in service quality.

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Migrants to be barred from driving taxis in Abkhazia