Do you need a visa?
Your passport decides how you enter. To stay and study, you then need a student residence permit.
| Your passport | To enter |
|---|---|
| Georgian passport | No visa and no permit. If you finished school abroad, you can enter university without the national exams.Matsne — Law of Georgia on Higher Education; Ministry of Education of Georgia — Admission of foreign students |
| Visa-free passport (98 countries) | Entry without a visa, for a full year in most cases (90 days in 180 for a few countries, 45 days for Iran). For most of these passports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says you can also apply for a residence permit. Check with the Georgian embassy: some ask for a visa to study.Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia — Do I need a visa?; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia — Visa information; Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons |
| Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq | The Georgian embassy in Jordan asks for a visa to study, even though Jordan and Lebanon enter without a visa for a visit.Embassy of Georgia in Jordan — Visa information |
| Passport that needs a visa (95 countries) | A D3 study visa, applied for in person at a Georgian embassy: the one in your country, or the one the ministry names (Morocco goes through Spain, Nigeria through South Africa, Egypt or Ethiopia).Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia — Do I need a visa?; Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons |
| Valid visa or permit from a country on Georgia’s list (European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Gulf states…) | Entry without a visa for 90 days in 180, but this stay gives no right to a permit: to study, go through the D3 visa.Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia — Entry with a visa or permit of another country; Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons |
- D3 visa, standard speed
- USD 20
- Embassy of Georgia in Jordan — Visa information
- issued on the 30th day; USD 100 on the 15th working day, USD 200 on the 10th
- Validity
- 90 days
- Embassy of Georgia in Jordan — Visa information
- multiple entry; you apply for your permit during this period
- Documents
- admission letter and proof of payment of the compulsory part of the fees
- Embassy of Georgia in Jordan — Visa information
- also: the permission to study without the national exams, travel insurance, housing, a flight booking and funds (a sponsor’s undertaking with 6 months of their bank statements, or a scholarship letter)
The e-Visa is for short stays only. A residence permit is never granted on the basis of a short-stay (C) visa.
e-Visa portal of Georgia — FAQ; Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons
Not verified
The list of visa-free passports is our reading, country by country, of the official tool of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry and the embassies do not all say whether a visa-free passport can come to study without a D3 visa, and the visa documents vary from one embassy to another. Some passports, such as those of Palestine, Kosovo or Taiwan, do not appear in the tool. For your passport, the Georgian embassy that covers you has the final word.
The student residence permit
You apply for it in Georgia, at the Public Service Development Agency (SDA), with your university’s study certificate.
- Permit at standard speed
- GEL 300
- Public Service Development Agency — Residence permits
- issued on the 30th day; GEL 450 on the 20th, GEL 600 on the 10th
- When to apply
- at least 45 days before your lawful stay ends
- Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons
- the law says 45 days, the ordinance and the SDA 40: aim for 45
- Length
- 6 months to one year
- Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons
- can be extended up to 12 years
- Passport
- still valid for at least 30 days
- Matsne — Government Ordinance No 520, Georgian residence permits
- when you apply
- Residence card
- to collect within one month
- Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons
- of the permit being granted
- Renewal
- no earlier than 90 days before it ends
- Matsne — Government Ordinance No 520, Georgian residence permits
Documents: the form, your passport, proof of your lawful stay, your university’s certificate with the planned length of your studies, a photo and the payment receipt. You also prove income or money in your account: at least 2 times the subsistence minimum per month, for the length of the permit. This income can come from you, from a Georgian citizen or from a relative who lives in Georgia.
Source: Matsne — Government Ordinance No 520, Georgian residence permits; Public Service Development Agency — Residence permits
If you pass no more than a third of the year’s credits, your student status is suspended and your stay can end. It can also end 90 days after a suspension, or when you stop or finish your studies.
Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons; NCEQE — Government Ordinances 435, 436 and 437 of 8 September 2026
Not verified
The amount of the subsistence minimum in lari is not published on any official page read: we show no sum. The length of the first permit granted for a degree and whether you can apply online are not stated.
Getting a place
No national exam for a student coming from abroad: the university gives its consent, then the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE) allows you to study.
An ordinance of 8 September 2026 sets the procedure. You get the university’s written consent for a vacant place, you have your foreign diploma recognised, and the NCEQE issues the permission to study without the exams within 5 working days of that recognition. If a document is missing, it gives you at most 3 months to complete it.
Source: NCEQE — Government Ordinances 435, 436 and 437 of 8 September 2026; Ministry of Education of Georgia — Admission of foreign students
- Language level
- B1 or B2
- NCEQE — Government Ordinances 435, 436 and 437 of 8 September 2026
- B1 for a bachelor’s, medicine and dentistry, B2 for a master’s; a recognised certificate or a national exam in the language of instruction, compulsory from 2027-2028; until then, the university confirms your level in its consent
- Enrolment
- 1 February to 15 March or 15 August to 31 October
- NCEQE — Government Ordinances 435, 436 and 437 of 8 September 2026
- within a year of the permission
- Recognition of your foreign diploma
- GEL 40
- NCEQE — Recognition of foreign education
- in one month; GEL 80 in 15 working days, GEL 120 in 5, GEL 250 in 1
- Georgian language year
- 60 credits
- Matsne — Law of Georgia on Higher Education
- in the first year only, for entry to a bachelor’s, medicine or dentistry; the university issues a certificate
Choose an authorised institution and an accredited programme: the NCEQE publishes the register. Each university can cap the number of places for international students.
Source: NCEQE — Register of authorised institutions; Matsne — Law of Georgia on Higher Education
| Programme | What to know |
|---|---|
| Medicine (MD) | 6 years, at least 360 ECTS credits, at master’s level. Every MD programme in the country is accredited by the NCEQE, recognised by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) on 18 November 2018 for 10 years.NCEQE — Medical education in Georgia |
| Medicine in English | All teaching is in English, clinical training included, except the Georgian courses for talking to patients: at least 12 ECTS credits.NCEQE — Medical education in Georgia |
| Master’s | No national master’s exam for a graduate from abroad.Matsne — Law of Georgia on Higher Education |
Not verified
Older pages of the ministry and the NCEQE describe the former procedure, with other fees; we follow the ordinance of 8 September 2026. The price of the permission itself is not published. The ordinance does not say clearly whether the language certificate can already be required before 2027-2028. Application dates are set by each university.
From place to permit
- Choose the institution and the programmeAn authorised institution and an accredited programme, to check in the NCEQE register.NCEQE — Register of authorised institutions
- Get the university’s consentWritten consent for a vacant place.Ministry of Education of Georgia — Admission of foreign students
- Have your diploma recognisedGEL 40 in one month, faster if you pay more.NCEQE — Recognition of foreign education
- Receive the NCEQE permissionWithin 5 working days of the recognition.NCEQE — Government Ordinances 435, 436 and 437 of 8 September 2026
- Be enrolled by the university1 February to 15 March or 15 August to 31 October, within a year of the permission.NCEQE — Government Ordinances 435, 436 and 437 of 8 September 2026
- Apply for the D3 visa, if your passport needs oneAt the embassy, with the NCEQE permission, your admission letter and proof of payment of the compulsory part of the fees; USD 20 at standard speed.Embassy of Georgia in Jordan — Visa information
- Enter GeorgiaThe university gives you a study certificate with the planned length of your programme.Matsne — Government Ordinance No 520, Georgian residence permits
- Apply for the permit at the SDAAt least 45 days before your lawful stay ends; GEL 300 at standard speed.Public Service Development Agency — Residence permits
- Collect your card, then renewCard within a month; renewal from 90 days before the permit ends.Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons
Not verified
No official page read gives the total time from the NCEQE application to the residence card, or the earliest date to apply for the D3 visa.
Tuition fees
No national fee scale is published for international students: each university sets its fees. Here is what three universities publish.
- Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU), medicine in English
- USD 8,000 a year
- Tbilisi State Medical University — Tuition fees
- undated page: check the current fee with the university
- TSMU, dentistry in English
- USD 7,000 a year
- Tbilisi State Medical University — Tuition fees
- undated page: check the current fee with the university
- Tbilisi State University (TSU)
- GEL 1,125 a semester
- Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University — Tuition fees
- for all its programmes, on a page not aimed at international students in particular; set every year
- Ilia State University, SDSU-Georgia bachelor’s
- USD 7,500 a year
- Ilia State University — Tuition fees and scholarships
- many students receive support of 25% to 100%
For the D3 visa, the embassy asks for proof that you have paid the compulsory part of your fees.
| D3 visa, standard speed | USD 20 |
|---|---|
| Tuition | USD 7,500 |
| Student residence permit, standard speed | GEL 300 |
| Diploma recognition, standard speed | GEL 40 |
| Before housing, insurance and living costs | USD 7,520 + GEL 340 |
Each amount stays in the currency of its official page. If your passport needs no visa, remove the visa line.
Source: Embassy of Georgia in Jordan — Visa information; Ilia State University — Tuition fees and scholarships; Public Service Development Agency — Residence permits; NCEQE — Recognition of foreign education
Not verified
No State scholarship open to international students was found on an official page, which does not prove there is none. The TSMU fee comes from an old page.
Health
| Stage | Insurance |
|---|---|
| D3 visa | Travel health and accident insurance for your 90 days of visa; no minimum amount is set for this visa.Embassy of Georgia in Jordan — Visa information |
| Student residence permit | No insurance in the list of documents.Public Service Development Agency — Residence permits; Matsne — Government Ordinance No 520, Georgian residence permits |
| Short-stay visa | Since 1 January 2026, at least GEL 30,000 of cover.Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia — Entering Georgia |
The law gives foreigners in Georgia the right to healthcare under Georgian legislation.
Source: Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons
Not verified
Whether an international student can join the public health programme, at what price, and what universities require: no official page read says.
Working while you study
Your student permit does not give you the right to work. Since 1 March 2026, the employer applies for that right for you.
Matsne — Law of Georgia on Labour Migration; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia — Labour migration rules from 1 March 2026
- Right to work
- GEL 200
- Matsne — Government Ordinance No 70, right to work (20 February 2026)
- issued on the 30th day; GEL 400 on the 10th working day; paid by the employer; the law caps it at GEL 500
- For which job
- one specific employer and position
- Matsne — Government Ordinance No 70, right to work (20 February 2026)
- 6 months to one year the first time
- Before applying
- vacancy posted for 10 working days
- Matsne — Government Ordinance No 70, right to work (20 February 2026)
- on the national job portal (worknet)
Not verified
No cap on hours for students appears in the texts read. Whether the labour-market test applies in the same way to a student job is not stated.
Bringing your family
Your spouse and minor children can get a family reunification permit, with a D4 visa to enter. Your parents qualify only if you are a minor.
Source: Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons
- Your permit
- more than 6 months left
- Matsne — Government Ordinance No 520, Georgian residence permits
- when they apply
- Income
- 2 times the subsistence minimum per month
- Matsne — Government Ordinance No 520, Georgian residence permits
- same rule as for your permit
Not verified
The amount expected in lari and your family’s right to work or study are not stated.
After your degree
Georgia has no job-search permit after the degree: your stay can end with your studies.
| Your situation | What comes next |
|---|---|
| You have a job | You can apply for another type of permit, with the right to work obtained by your employer.Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons; Matsne — Law of Georgia on Labour Migration |
| Medical graduate | You can work as a junior doctor and go on to a doctorate, whatever your nationality. At TSMU, medical residency is taught only in Georgian.NCEQE — Medical education in Georgia; Tbilisi State Medical University — Tuition fees |
| Permanent residence | After 10 years of temporary permits; your years of study do not count.Matsne — Law of Georgia on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons; Public Service Development Agency — Residence permits |
Not verified
No official page read gives a grace period after the degree.