The procession for former President Jimmy Carter has begun in Georgia ... his home state, which is where he died this week at the age of 100.

A motorcade with a flag-draped casket of the 39th president began the journey to Washington by going through his hometown of Plains on Saturday.

Former Secret Service agents who protected President Carter acted as pallbearers when the procession initially began at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in GA.

A private service will then be held at the Carter Center in Atlanta on Saturday ... where the former President established his presidential library.

The public will be able to pay their respects at the Carter Center through Tuesday ... from there, Carter will travel to Washington D.C. for a service for lawmakers. Then, there will be a national funeral service at Washington National Cathedral.

As we reported, the Carter Center told TMZ ... the former president died Sunday at home surrounded by family. He was the longest-living former president in history.