A child studying in Georgia: the new D6 visa for the child, parents and siblings

At present, a foreigner enrolled in an authorised educational institution in Georgia - a school, a college, a vocational institution or a university - may apply for a study residence permit. Age is irrelevant: both adult and minor students can obtain it. In practice, refusals on the study ground itself are very rare, provided the documents from the educational institution are drawn up correctly.

Parents of a minor student may join the child through a family reunification residence permit. For parents, refusals on general grounds are already possible, including under Article 18 of the Law of Georgia "On the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons".
After 1 July 2026, a minor pupil or a minor student will no longer be able to obtain a study residence permit. That does not mean the child cannot study or stay in Georgia legally. Instead of the study residence permit, the dedicated study-based ground for the legal stay of a minor and their family members in Georgia becomes the new D6 immigration visa.

In other words: the right to study and migration status are two separate questions. Studying is possible where there is a lawful ground of stay. Where that ground for a minor used to be the study residence permit, from 1 July 2026 the dedicated study-based ground is D6.

The study residence permit remains available only to adult foreign students. If the child is a minor - a school pupil, a vocational student or a university student - the study residence permit is no longer an option for them.

If the child already holds another lawful status in Georgia, for example a family reunification residence permit, they may continue to stay and study on the basis of that permit. D6 does not cancel other lawful grounds of stay.

D6 is a long-term immigration visa. It confirms a foreigner's right to enter Georgia and/or stay in Georgia for a specific purpose. In the case of D6, that purpose is a minor's education at a Georgian educational institution and the stay of the accompanying family.

D6 matters specifically for families: a minor child does not usually relocate alone. Parents, legal representatives and other minor children of the family may stay together with them. The long-term D6 visa will be issued with multiple-entry rights for up to 1 year.

Who issues D6
The D6 visa will be issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. The final decision on issuing an immigration visa rests with the MFA.
Documents may be filed:
●       through a diplomatic mission or consular office of Georgia abroad;
●       if the applicant is lawfully present in Georgia - through the procedure provided for filing from within Georgia;
●       through the Public Service Hall / Public Service Development Agency, where documents are filed inside Georgia.

Can D6 be obtained while in Georgia
Yes. The general law already allows an immigration visa to be obtained from within Georgia, provided the foreigner is here lawfully: for example, visa-free or on the basis of a valid residence permit.

The key condition: the application must be filed no later than 45 days before the end of the lawful period of stay.

If fewer than 45 days remain before the end of lawful stay, filing from within Georgia may be problematic. In that situation, the procedure and possible filing options need to be checked separately.

Processing time
As a general rule, decisions on long-term category D immigration visas are taken within 30 calendar days of filing.

In practice, a family should allow more time: preparing documents, translations, apostilles, certificates from the educational institution and booking a filing appointment can take longer than the review itself.

Documents for D6
The final list of documents is to be fixed in secondary legislation and in the forms of the MFA / Public Service Hall. Even now, however, a basic package can be identified and prepared.

For the child:
●       passport;
●       proof of lawful stay in Georgia, if filing from within Georgia;
●       a document from the educational institution confirming enrolment or continued study;
●       confirmation that the educational institution is authorised;
●       medical insurance, if required;
●       proof of funds for living costs and return;
●       photograph;
●       completed visa application form;
●       receipt of fee payment.

For parents:
●       passport;
●       the child's birth certificate;
●       a document confirming the family relationship;
●       proof of lawful stay in Georgia, if filing from within Georgia;
●       confirmation of the purpose of stay - accompanying a minor student;
●       medical insurance, if required;
●       proof of funds;
●       photograph;
●       application form;
●       receipt of fee payment.

For a legal representative:
●       passport;
●       a document confirming the powers of the legal representative;
●       a court decision, an act of the guardianship authority, a guardianship/custody document or another document - depending on the situation;
●       the child's documents;
●       a document from the educational institution;
●       proof of lawful stay, if filing from within Georgia.

For minor siblings:
●       passport;
●       birth certificate;
●       documents confirming the family relationship with the main student child;
●       the parents' documents;
●       proof of lawful stay in Georgia, if filing from within Georgia.

Foreign documents will as a rule need to be apostilled or legalised, translated into Georgian, and the translation notarised.

Cost
For D6 you will need to pay a visa/consular fee and, if filing through the Public Service Hall or the Public Service Development Agency, the corresponding service fee.

A separate D6 tariff is not yet specified in the available materials. The exact amount should be checked on the date of filing:
●       on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia;
●       in the visa application system;
●       at the Public Service Hall;
●       at a Georgian consulate, if filing abroad.

Under the amendments, D6 extensions will be handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

The extension documents will have to confirm that the ground for the visa still holds:
●       the child continues to study;
●       the educational institution retains its authorised status;
●       the parents / legal representatives continue to accompany the minor;
●       the minor siblings maintain their connection to the main applicant;
●       there are no grounds for refusal in respect of the applicant.

If the extension application is filed on time, the review period will be treated as justified. This means no penalty applies for exceeding the period of stay, and expulsion is not possible until a decision on the application is taken.

This protection applies only for the duration of the administrative proceedings and only where the application has been filed correctly.

If the child already holds a study residence permit
If the child already holds a valid study residence permit, it should NOT terminate automatically merely because D6 is introduced on 1 July 2026.

The right approach:

1. check the validity period of the residence permit;
2. check the transitional provisions of the law;
3. check whether extending a minor's study residence permit will still be possible after 1 July 2026;
4. if extension is not possible - prepare in advance for a switch to D6 or another lawful status.

The main risk is not the current residence permit itself, but its extension once the new rules take effect.

If the parents already hold a family reunification permit based on the child.
If parents have already obtained a family reunification residence permit based on a child holding a study residence permit, their permit should likewise not terminate automatically merely because D6 appears.

At extension, however, the question arises whether the ground on which the parents obtained their permit still holds. If the child's study residence permit can no longer be extended, extending the parents' family reunification permit tied to that status may also become problematic.

Such families should therefore check the validity periods of all residence permits in advance: the child's, the mother's, the father's, and those of siblings.

If the child has a study residence permit but the parents have not yet joined.
This is the most sensitive transition scenario.

If the child holds a valid study residence permit, the parents may in theory attempt to apply for a family reunification residence permit before the child's permit expires.

After 1 July 2026, however, it will need to be checked whether the Agency treats such a residence permit of the child as a sufficient ground for the parents to join, given that the study residence permit for minors is no longer the new regime. The available materials give no direct answer to this question yet.

In practical terms, it is better not to delay the parents' application and to assess the alternative in advance: D6 for the child and D6 for the parents.

If the child holds another type of residence permit.
If the child already holds another valid residence permit, for example a family reunification permit based on a parent, D6 is not required merely because of the fact of studying.

D6 does not replace all other types of residence permit. It replaces specifically the study logic for minors as a dedicated ground of stay for the purpose of education.

If the child is lawfully present in Georgia on another ground, they may study at a Georgian educational institution without D6 for as long as their residence permit is valid and the conditions of its issue are not breached.

If the child is in Georgia visa-free.
If the child is lawfully present in Georgia visa-free, there appears to be no direct statutory obligation to obtain D6 merely because of the fact of studying.

However, visa-free stay is limited in duration. If the family wants the child to continue staying in Georgia specifically on the basis of education after the visa-free period ends, from 1 July 2026 the dedicated ground will be D6.

The question of studying and the question of lawful stay must be kept apart.

Education legislation does not lay down a general rule that a foreign child may study only if they hold a study residence permit or a D6 visa. The requirement to have a lawful ground of stay follows from migration legislation, not from the fact of enrolment at a school, university or vocational institution.

The right question is therefore not "must the school require D6", but "does the child have a lawful ground to be in Georgia".

A child may study in Georgia:
●       on a D6 visa;
●       on a valid residence permit;
●       on another lawful ground of stay, where it permits presence in Georgia.

That is the thread running through the changes: D6 does not become a mandatory "admission ticket to study". It becomes the new dedicated migration ground replacing the study residence permit for minors, where a family needs to formalise the child's stay in Georgia specifically on study grounds.

A short checklist:

1. Check the child's status.
2. Check the parents' status.
3. Check the siblings' status.
4. Check the validity periods of all visas and residence permits.
5. Obtain an up-to-date certificate from the school / university / vocational institution.
6. Check the documents evidencing family relationships.
7. Check the documents evidencing legal representation.
8. If the family is in Georgia - do not miss the 45-day deadline before the end of lawful stay.
9. If the child already holds a study residence permit - check in advance what will happen at extension.
10. If the parents have not yet joined - do not postpone the analysis until the child's permit expires.

From 1 July 2026, Georgia separates the study migration regimes.
For adult foreign students, the study residence permit remains. For minor pupils and students, the new D6 visa is introduced.

The point of the changes is not to restrict a foreign child's right to study, but to move the dedicated study migration ground for minors from a residence permit to the D6 visa.

D6 matters because it accounts not only for the child but for the family: parents, legal representatives and minor siblings.

But D6 does not cancel other lawful grounds of stay. If the child or the parents already hold another type of residence permit, the answer is not to switch to D6 automatically, but to check which status is more advantageous and more secure to keep.

The priority for families right now is to check deadlines, documents and transition scenarios in advance.