Can my children live and go to school in Georgia?
Yes. A child of the owner is covered by the residence permit by property, receives a residence card of their own and can attend a Georgian public school, which is funded by the state in the same way as for Georgian pupils. What takes planning is everything around that: the documents that prove the family link, the recognition of schooling done abroad, the choice between a Georgian-language school, a school with a Russian-language section and an international school, and the calendar, which in Georgia starts in mid-September with registration for first grade months earlier.
This guide follows a family from the permit to the classroom. It covers the children's permits and cards, how the Georgian school system is organised, how to enrol at the start of the year or in the middle of it, what recognition of earlier schooling involves and what to check when choosing where to buy.
Permits and cards for children
The property ground in the Aliens Law, Article 15(j), reaches the owner's spouse and children. Each child applies separately, on the ground of the parent's permit, and the agency's list for a family member asks for:
- the approved application form;
- a copy of the child's passport and of the document showing lawful stay in Georgia;
- a copy of the parent's residence permit;
- proof of kinship, normally the birth certificate, with an apostille and a certified Georgian translation;
- a colour photograph and proof of payment of the fee.
Once the permit is granted, the child obtains a residence card, whatever their age, and the card carries a personal number. Many Georgian institutions identify people by that number, so collect the cards before you start the school registration. Our page on family members explains the family applications in detail.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm whether an adult child who studies full time and depends on the owner can be covered by Article 15(j), which mentions "children" without the word "minor".
How Georgian schooling is organised
| Stage | Grades | Typical ages | Compulsory? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 1 to 6 | 6 to 12 | Yes |
| Basic | 7 to 9 | 12 to 15 | Yes |
| Secondary | 10 to 12 | 15 to 18 | No |
A child enters first grade at the age of six if they turn six by 15 September. Primary and basic education, nine years in all, are compulsory under Article 9(1). The language of instruction is Georgian under Article 4(1); the law also allows citizens whose native language is not Georgian to study in their native language, and in practice many public schools have Russian-language sections. According to JAM News, in the 2022-2023 school year 16,228 children studied in Russian in 54 schools, 11 of them fully Russian-speaking and 43 with both Georgian and Russian sections, and 45% of those pupils were in Tbilisi. Georgian is a compulsory subject in those sections.
Public, Russian-section or international school?
| Option | Language | Cost | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgian public school | Georgian | Funded by the state voucher | Young children and families staying for years |
| Public school with a Russian section | Russian, with Georgian as a subject | Funded by the state voucher | Russian-speaking families |
| Private Georgian school | Usually Georgian, sometimes bilingual | Tuition | Smaller classes |
| International school | English and others | Tuition, often high | Older children and families who may move again |
Age matters more than anything else in this choice. Children who start in the early grades usually pick up Georgian quickly; a teenager two years before final exams is often better served by a school whose curriculum continues what they studied at home. International schools in Tbilisi and Batumi follow American, British, International Baccalaureate and other programmes, and their places and fees vary widely.
To be added by the team: the owner to add a list of international and bilingual schools in Tbilisi and Batumi that our clients' children attend, with the curriculum and the fee range taken from each school's own published fees.
How enrolment works
Get the permits and cards first
The child's residence card and personal number make every later step simpler.
First grade: register online in spring
Registration for first grade runs through the education ministry's online system in spring, for a start in September.
Other grades: contact the school
A child joining an existing class, at the start of the year or mid-year, applies to the chosen school, which checks for a free place.
Recognise earlier schooling
Schooling done abroad is recognised by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement, which confirms the document and the grade it corresponds to in Georgia.
Prepare the paperwork
Passport, residence card, birth certificate and the previous school's records, with certified Georgian translations.
Recognition of schooling abroad
The National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement recognises general, vocational and higher education obtained abroad. For a pupil, a parent or a representative with a power of attorney files the application, together with a copy of the identity document, a notarised Georgian translation of the passport, a translated and notarised copy of the school document, the payment receipt and the receiving school's conclusion. The centre checks that the document belongs to the child, that the school abroad is recognised in its own country and how the qualification compares with Georgian ones.
| Time | Fee |
|---|---|
| 1 month | GEL 40 |
| 15 business days | GEL 80 |
| 5 business days | GEL 120 |
| 1 business day | GEL 250 |
The standard month is usually enough if you start in early summer; a family arriving in August may want one of the faster options.
After school: exams and university
Georgian schooling ends with grade 12, and graduates who want a place at a Georgian university sit the Unified National Exams. Foreign citizens who completed their secondary education abroad have a separate route: the education ministry allows them to enrol in accredited programmes at Georgian universities without the national exams, under its own procedure for foreign applicants. For a teenager, that is one more reason to weigh whether finishing school in the home curriculum, or at an international school, leads more directly to the university they have in mind.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm whether a foreign pupil who completes grade 12 in a Georgian school applies to university through the national exams or through the route for foreign citizens.
Kindergartens and the youngest children
Municipal kindergartens take children before school age, and families apply through the municipality. Applications are generally handled in Georgian, so a Georgian-speaking friend or adviser helps. Private kindergartens, including bilingual ones, are an alternative where municipal places are short. For health care, the state maternal and child health programme has covered people with a permanent residence permit since 1 January 2018; families on a temporary permit, such as the property permit, should plan on private insurance for the children.
To be added by the team: the owner to add how families in Tbilisi and Batumi apply for municipal kindergartens in 2026, which documents are asked for and whether a residence card is required.
Choosing where to buy with school in mind
For a family, the school decides the neighbourhood more often than the other way round. Before you sign, map the walk or the drive to two or three schools you would accept, check whether those schools have places in your child's grade and language, and ask how the school allocates places when there are more applicants than seats. Traffic in Tbilisi at school times can turn a short distance into a long journey, so test the route at 8 in the morning, not on a Sunday.
Risks and exceptions
- Missing the spring registration. First-grade places are allocated months before September.
- Documents without apostille or translation. Both the agency and the recognition centre ask for certified translations.
- Assuming a Russian or English section exists everywhere. Places are limited and concentrated in the big cities.
- Buying far from any suitable school. The school run shapes daily life more than the apartment does.
Frequently asked questions
Is public school free for foreign children?
Public schools are funded by a state voucher per pupil, allocated for foreign pupils on the same principle as for Georgian ones.
At what age does school start?
At six, for a child who turns six by 15 September of the school year.
Do my children need their own residence permit?
Yes. Each child applies on the ground of the parent's permit and receives a residence card of their own.
Can my child study in English at a public school?
Public schools teach in Georgian, and some have Russian sections. Teaching in English is mainly offered by private and international schools.
Can my child go to a Georgian university later?
Yes. Graduates of Georgian schools sit the Unified National Exams; foreign citizens who finished school abroad can use the ministry's separate route into accredited programmes.
Is recognition needed for a child starting first grade?
Recognition concerns schooling already completed abroad, so it matters for a child joining a higher grade, not for a first-grader starting school for the first time.
The cards the children receive, and what they do, are explained in our page on the residence card.
Sources
- Law of Georgia on General Education (Articles 4, 6 and 9), Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated 9 June 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Recognition of foreign education, National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Russian children in Georgian schools, JAM News, 18 July 2023 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons (Article 15), Legislative Herald of Georgia, consolidated 25 June 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Migration and residence permits: family members, Public Service Development Agency (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Enrolment of foreign citizens in accredited programmes without the Unified National Exams, Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia (accessed 13 October 2026)
- Education and schools in Georgia, Georgia Expats, February 2026 (accessed 13 October 2026)
Change log
- - Guide published from the Law on General Education, the recognition centre, JAM News and the agency's family list; being reviewed by the partner lawyer.