Georgia’s Ministry of Education, Science and Youth has set out the deadlines and conditions for enrolling first-year pupils in state public schools for the 2026–2027 academic year.
An amendment has been made to Georgia’s Law on General Education regarding the age of school entry. Specifically, for the 2026–2027 academic year, only children who will have turned six by September 15 will be eligible to register for Year One.
From the 2026–2027 academic year, changes are also being introduced to the first-year registration process itself. A new third stage, registration on a territorial basis, has been added before the general open registration phase. Its purpose is to increase the likelihood of pupils being enrolled in a state school close to their place of residence.
Twelve cities will participate in the territorial registration stage: Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi, and Rustavi, which will be divided into school catchment areas, and Poti, Zugdidi, Telavi, Ambrolauri, Akhaltsikhe, Ozurgeti, Mtskheta, and Gori, whose boundaries will be determined by their administrative borders.
In the case of Tbilisi, pupils living on the administrative boundaries between catchment zones will also be permitted to register at schools in an adjacent zone, provided those schools are no more than one kilometre from their place of residence. The list of relevant addresses and corresponding schools will be set out by individual administrative-legal act, in the interest of greater flexibility.
Registration at this third stage will be processed in accordance with the pupil’s registered address recorded in the electronic database of the Legal Entity under Public Law (LEPL), the Public Service Development Agency, as of April 1, 2026.
Registration Timeline for First-Year Pupils — 2026–2027 Academic Year
Stage I — From February 18 to March 2, 2026, children with special educational needs will register at their chosen schools. Parents must submit an application directly to the school, after which the school administration will register the child in the Education Management Information System (EMIS). To confirm the special educational need, the parent completes a referral form at the school, whereupon specialists from the Psycho-Educational Assessment and Consultation Unit of the LEPL School Marshal Service’s Inclusive and Special Education Support Centre will assess the child and determine their educational needs. Where a special educational need is confirmed, the school will arrange enrolment based on the psycho-educational assessment report and accompanying documentation.
The period for submitting documents and completing enrolment for children registered at Stage I runs from March 4 to April 17, 2026.
A child may be considered to have special educational needs if they present with any of the following: (a) a physical disability; (b) an intellectual developmental disorder; (c) a learning disability; (d) a sensory developmental disorder (hearing and/or visual impairment); (e) a speech and language developmental disorder; (f) a behavioural or emotional disorder; (g) a need for long-term hospitalisation; (h) social difficulties in learning that prevent the child from meeting national curriculum requirements; or (i) an autism spectrum condition.
Children for whom a special educational need is not confirmed will be able to proceed with registration at subsequent stages.
Stage II — Registration and submission of documentation will take place from April 21 to May 8, 2026.
The following children register at this stage: those who have a sibling already attending the chosen school; those whose parent is a member of staff at the chosen school; and those from a family in which two or more children are entering Year One simultaneously. Registration at this stage is handled directly by the state school upon receipt of the relevant documentation.
Stage III — Territorial online registration will run from May 15 to 25, 2026, via the official EMIS website at registration.emis.ge. Registration is completed by the parent or legal guardian.
The period for submitting the documents required to enrol pupils who registered online at Stage III runs from May 27 to June 12, 2026.
Stage IV — General open online registration will begin on June 15, 2026, and run until July 3, 2026, again via registration.emis.ge. Registration is completed by the parent or legal guardian.
The period for submitting the documents required to enrol pupils who registered online at Stage IV runs from July 6 to 17, 2026.
If the required documents are not submitted within the specified deadlines, the registration will be automatically cancelled.
Stage V — This stage is for pupils who were unable to register at Stages I through IV, or who wish to change their registration, and will cover any remaining or newly vacated places. Registration and submission of documentation at this stage takes place from July 20 to 31, 2026, and is handled by the state school based on the documentation submitted by the parent or legal guardian.
Documents Required for Year One Enrolment
An application from the pupil’s legal guardian, containing the guardian’s residential address and telephone number and meeting all further requirements set out under Article 78 of the General Administrative Code of Georgia; a copy of the legal guardian’s identity document; and a copy of their proof of residence in Georgia, where applicable. Where documents are submitted in a foreign language, a certified Georgian translation, prepared in accordance with Georgian law, must be attached.
A copy of the pupil’s birth certificate or identity document, or a copy of their proof of residence in Georgia, where applicable. Where documents are submitted in a foreign language, a certified Georgian translation must be attached.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Youth urges parents to carefully familiarise themselves with the registration deadlines and requirements to ensure their child’s school enrolment proceeds smoothly and on schedule.
