How to Enroll Your Child in Kindergarten and School in Georgia as a Foreigner: Documents, Deadlines, Fees

Municipal kindergartens and public schools in Georgia are free, but almost everything in them runs in Georgian, and a foreign child needs a residence permit and a Georgian personal number to get a kindergarten place at all. A private kindergarten in Tbilisi costs about 960 lari a month, and an international school anywhere from 9,500 lari to about 67,000 lari a year.

Here is the whole path, from nursery to university: how to get a kindergarten or first-grade place, where children are taught in Russian, what international schools charge, and what changed for foreigners at state universities in 2026.

Municipal kindergartens in Tbilisi

Municipal kindergartens have been free by law since 2013, meals included. Tbilisi has about 190 of them, attended by roughly 60,000 children. They take children from age 2, as of the start of the school year, with up to 25 children in toddler groups and up to 30 in the older ones. Everything runs in Georgian.

Enrollment opens once a year, in early July, online at kids.org.ge. Parents pick a specific kindergarten and group, and if it is full, the child goes on that kindergarten's waiting list.

Online enrollment requires the child's 11-digit Georgian personal number. Foreigners get one along with their residence permit at the Public Service Hall, so without a residence permit in Georgia there is no way into a municipal kindergarten.

Once the place is confirmed, you bring the birth certificate, 2 photos, the parents' IDs and a health certificate, usually Form 100. A family doctor in Georgia issues it free of charge and lists the child's vaccinations on it. Places that free up during the year go to the kindergarten's own waiting list, which you can join in person.

Kindergartens in Batumi and Kutaisi

Batumi enrolls earlier than Tbilisi, through batumikids.ge: in 2026 the first stage ran from 5 to 25 June and the second opened on 1 July. Children are taken only from age 3, and one condition rules out many newcomers: at least one parent must be registered as a Batumi resident.

Kutaisi's 37 kindergartens are run by a single city hall agency. In 2024, enrollment there was handled in person at the kindergarten itself in early September.

Private kindergartens and nannies

A full-day private kindergarten in Tbilisi costs around 960 lari a month, with most charging 700-1,250 lari, and about 770 lari in Batumi. For a family with a small child, it is usually the line that stands out most in the cost of living in Georgia.

Private kindergartens take children mid-year too, some from 18 months, and some stay open until 19:00. English- and Russian-speaking groups are available. The preschool class at the American QSI International School costs $6,200 a year.

A nanny in Tbilisi charges 10-15 lari an hour, or 1,000-1,500 lari a month full-time. For children under 2, who are still too young for a municipal kindergarten, that is often the only option.

Public schools

Public school is free, and every pupil gets textbooks at no cost. What you do pay for is the uniform: from the 2026/27 school year it is compulsory in grades I-VI and costs 95 lari. There are no free school meals, so children bring a packed lunch or buy food in the school canteen.

Classes are capped at 25 pupils, or 29 with the ministry's approval. Nearly all schools teach in Georgian, English starts in grade 2, and phones have been banned in lessons since 2026. The 2026/27 school year runs from 15 September to 15 June, with a winter break from 30 December to 14 January.

A child with no Georgian will struggle through the first months in a regular class, which is why many families sign up for Georgian language courses in Georgia at the same time. Children with a residence permit study for free. For foreigners without one, the rules on fees are contradictory, so check with the Ministry of Education hotline at 2200220.

Starting first grade and transferring from abroad

Children start first grade if they turn 6 on or before 15 September, a rule written into law in February 2026. Enrollment runs on registration.emis.ge in 5 stages from February to July. In 2026 a new address-based stage reserved places at each school for children living nearby.

You can enroll without a personal number: the form has a "foreign citizen" option that opens extra fields for the child's details. Foreign documents, such as a birth certificate, must come with a certified Georgian translation.

Since 1 September 2026, if a child has already been to school abroad, the new school in Georgia recognizes that schooling itself. After an interview and a test, the school suggests a grade, either the one that matches the child's age or one or two below, and the parents have the final say. The national center NCEQE now recognizes only completed school-leaving certificates, which costs 40 lari and takes a month.

Russian sectors in public schools

Some public schools teach in Russian, either as separate Russian-language schools or as Russian sectors, meaning Russian-language classes inside a Georgian school. The latest official Ministry of Education figures, from 2022, counted 11 Russian schools and 45 sectors with about 16,000 pupils. They are just as free as any other public school.

No new Russian sectors have opened since 2022, even though demand has grown, so places are not available everywhere. In Tbilisi, Russian sectors run at schools No. 79 and No. 132 in Gldani and No. 142 in Temka, and in Batumi at schools No. 3 and No. 7. Call the school before applying to check whether it is taking pupils in the grade you need.

International schools

Tbilisi has about 15 international and private schools teaching in English, German and French. Of these, 5 offer the International Baccalaureate, and three run all three stages, from primary to the diploma: New School, Newton Free School and European School. New School was the first in the country to do so.

Fewer than half the schools publish their fees online; the rest quote them once you apply. On top of tuition there is usually a separate enrollment fee, plus charges for the bus, meals and exams. Many schools give a 10-20% discount for siblings.

Universities: what changed for foreigners

From the 2026/27 academic year, a state university in Georgia can fill no more than 5% of its places with foreign students, which makes private universities the main route for most international applicants. Your child will not have to take the national entrance exams if the last two years of school were completed abroad.

To get into a university in Georgia as a foreign applicant, your child needs a high school diploma recognized by the NCEQE and written approval from the university; from 2027/28 a language certificate is required as well. An English-taught bachelor's program at a major university costs $4,000-5,000 a year.

Key takeaways

• Municipal kindergarten is free; enrollment is in early July on kids.org.ge, and a foreign child needs a residence permit and a personal number.
• A private kindergarten in Tbilisi costs about 960 lari a month, a nanny 10-15 lari an hour.
• Children start first grade if they turn 6 by 15 September; enrollment is on registration.emis.ge from February to July.
• Some public schools have Russian sectors, and no new ones have opened since 2022.
• International schools cost from 9,500 lari to about 67,000 lari a year.
• State universities give foreigners no more than 5% of places; private universities are the main route.