How to Enroll a Foreign Child in Kindergarten and School in Georgia: Documents, Deadlines, Fees

Municipal kindergartens and public schools in Georgia are free, but almost everything in them happens in Georgian, and a foreign child gets a municipal kindergarten place only with a residence permit and a Georgian personal number. A private kindergarten in Tbilisi costs about 960 ₾ a month, and an international school charges anywhere from 9,500 ₾ to about 67,000 ₾ a year.

Below you will find everything age by age: how to get a kindergarten and a first-grade place, which public schools teach in a language other than Georgian, what international schools charge, and what changed for foreigners at state universities in 2026.

Municipal kindergartens in Tbilisi

A municipal kindergarten is free, and so are the meals, as the law has required since 2013. Tbilisi has about 190 kindergartens, and roughly 60,000 children attend them. They take children from age 2, counted at the start of the school year, with up to 25 children in a nursery group and up to 30 in the older groups. Everything is taught in Georgian.

Enrollment opens once a year, in early July, online at kids.org.ge. Parents choose the kindergarten and the group themselves, and if there are no places left, the child goes on that kindergarten's waiting list.

Online enrollment requires the child's 11-digit Georgian personal number. A foreigner receives it together with a residence permit at the Public Service Hall, so without a residence permit in Georgia your child cannot get a municipal kindergarten place.

After enrollment, you bring the kindergarten a 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 records the child's vaccinations on it. Places that open up during the year go to the kindergarten's own waiting list, so you can also sign up for that list in person.

Kindergartens in Batumi and Kutaisi

Batumi enrolls earlier than Tbilisi, at batumikids.ge: in 2026 the first stage ran from June 5 to June 25, and the second opened on July 1. Children are accepted 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 all come under the city hall. Enrollment happens in person, at the kindergarten itself. In 2025 it took place in early September, so check next year's dates with the city hall.

Private kindergartens and nannies

A full-day private kindergarten in Tbilisi costs about 960 ₾ a month on average, and the usual range is 700-1,250 ₾. In Batumi it costs about 770 ₾. For a family with a small child, kindergarten is usually the biggest single line in the cost of living in Georgia.

Private kindergartens take children in the middle of the year too, some from a year and a half old, and some stay open until 7 p.m. There are English-speaking and Russian-speaking groups. The preschool group at the American QSI International School costs $6,200 a year.

A nanny in Tbilisi charges 10-15 ₾ an hour, which comes to 1,000-1,500 ₾ a month full time. For children under 2 (under 3 in Batumi), whom municipal kindergartens do not yet accept, a nanny is often the only option.

Public schools

Public school is free, and every student receives textbooks at no cost. You do pay for the uniform: from the 2026/27 school year it is mandatory in first through sixth grade and costs 95 ₾. Schools do not serve free meals, so children bring lunch from home or buy it in the school cafeteria.

A class has up to 25 students by regulation, or up to 29 with the ministry's consent. Almost all schools teach in Georgian, and English is compulsory from first grade. Since September 1, 2026, students may use a phone or a smartwatch at school only with a teacher's permission, even during breaks. The 2026/27 school year runs from September 15 to June 15, with a winter break from December 30 to January 14.

For a child with no Georgian, the first months in a regular class are hard, which is why many families sign up for Georgian language courses in Georgia at the same time. The rules on whether a child without a residence permit pays for public school are contradictory, so it is best to check with the Ministry of Education hotline at 032 2 200 220.

Starting first grade and transferring from another country

Children start first grade if they turn 6 on or before September 15, and since February 2026 the law says so explicitly. Enrollment runs at registration.emis.ge in 5 stages from February to July. In 2026 an address-based stage appeared for the first time, and children living near a school got places there first.

You can enroll without a personal number too: the form has a "foreign citizen" box, and checking it opens additional fields for the child. Foreign documents, such as a birth certificate, go in with a certified translation into Georgian.

Since September 1, 2026, a child who has already attended school outside Georgia has that previous schooling recognized by the school itself. The child has an interview and a test, after which the school proposes the grade for their age or 1-2 grades lower, and the final decision stays with the parents. The national center NCEQE now recognizes only completed school-leaving certificates, and that recognition costs 40 ₾ and takes a month.

Language of instruction in public schools

Almost all public schools in Georgia teach in Georgian. Some also have sectors in other languages, meaning classes inside a Georgian school that are taught in Russian, Azerbaijani, or Armenian, and there are also separate schools that teach entirely in those languages. According to the latest official figures from the Ministry of Education, in 2022 there were 11 Russian-language schools and 45 Russian sectors with about 16,000 students. Studying there is just as free as at any other public school.

No new Russian sectors have opened since 2022, even though demand has grown, so places are not available everywhere. Both Tbilisi and Batumi have schools with Russian sectors, but before enrolling, call the school and ask whether it is taking students in the grade you need.

International schools

Tbilisi has about 15 international and private schools that teach in English, German, and French. The International Baccalaureate program runs at 5 schools, and all three of its stages, from primary to the diploma, are offered at New School, Newton Free School, and European School. New School was the first in the country to do so.

Fewer than half of the schools publish their fees online, and the rest send them after you apply. Besides tuition, you usually pay a separate enrollment fee, plus the bus, meals, and exams. Many schools give siblings a 10-20% discount.

Universities: what changed for foreigners

From the 2026/27 academic year, a state university in Georgia may give foreign students no more than 5% of its places, so private universities are now the main route for international students. Applicants who spent the last two years of school outside Georgia do not need to take the national exam.

To get into a university in Georgia as a foreign student, you need your school certificate recognized by the NCEQE and the university's written consent, and from the 2027/28 academic year a language certificate as well. Citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, the EU, and many other countries enter Georgia visa-free for a year and apply for a student residence permit once they are in the country. An English-taught bachelor's program at a major university costs $4,000-5,000 a year.

In short

• A municipal kindergarten is free, enrollment opens in early July at kids.org.ge, and a foreign child needs a residence permit and a personal number.
• A private kindergarten in Tbilisi costs about 960 ₾ a month, and a nanny charges 10-15 ₾ an hour.
• Children start first grade if they turn 6 by September 15, and enrollment runs at registration.emis.ge from February to July.
• Almost all public schools teach in Georgian; some have Russian, Azerbaijani, or Armenian sectors, and no new Russian sectors have opened since 2022.
• An international school costs from 9,500 ₾ to about 67,000 ₾ a year.
• State universities give foreigners no more than 5% of places, so private universities are the main route.