Georgia Student Visa for Indians: D3, Fees and Permit

22 min read · Published on August 14, 2026 · Updated on August 14, 2026

An Indian student planning 2027 or 2028 entry needs two answers before treating admission as travel-ready. Which Georgian entry basis applies, and will it support residence for study after arrival? An ordinary Indian passport has no one-year visa-free entitlement. In Georgia, entry based only on another country’s qualifying visa or residence permit can be shorter and does not support the ordinary study-permit application. The practical Georgia visa task is to map the admission file, lawful stay and current legal changes to one calendar.

The page follows the order in which an applicant meets the rules, from entry eligibility and D3 evidence to residence documents, money and ongoing status. Some provisions relevant to the 2027 and 2028 audience were gazetted but had not commenced on the 14 August 2026 research date. The study in Georgia overview puts this immigration calendar beside the wider country choice.

Does an Indian student need a visa for Georgia?

Yes, an Indian student with an ordinary Indian passport should normally obtain the D3 long-term study visa before travel. India is absent from Georgia’s current one-year visa-free nationality list. A separate exemption may let a person enter for up to 90 days in any 180-day period when that person holds a valid visa or residence permit from a listed supporting country, but it does not create an ordinary study-residence basis.

Status for an ordinary Indian applicantNo one-year nationality exemption.

Starting position	Entry position	Can this alone support the ordinary study permit?
Ordinary Indian passport	No one-year nationality exemption	No. The applicant needs the long-term study route
Indian passport plus a valid supporting-country visa or residence permit	Possible visa-free entry for 90 days in any 180-day period if valid on entry	No. SDA excludes a stay based only on this exemption
D3 long-term study visa	Entry for the stated study purpose	Yes, subject to the permit documents and filing deadline

The current nationality position was checked against Ordinance No. 255 and its published amendments from 2017, 2019, 2022, February 2023, September 2023, 2024, 2025 and February 2026. None adds India.

The narrower route comes from Ordinance No. 256, read with its April 2025 amendment. The Public Service Development Agency, or SDA, says an ordinary residence permit is not issued while a person stays solely under that supporting-visa exemption. A short entry possibility doesn’t replace the D3 plan.

What is the D3 student visa?

D3 is Georgia’s long-term multiple-entry visa for an adult studying or conducting research through an authorised educational institution, including an international study programme. For the 2027 and 2028 audience, the enacted rules keep ordinary D3 validity and authorised stay at 90 calendar days. The one-year treatment belongs to D5 and D6, not adult D3.

Stage	Controlling action	Timing consequence
1. D3 application in India	File through the Georgian consular system and the India application centre	Application cannot be made more than three months before the requested visa start
2. Travel and entry	Enter within the D3 validity shown	The lawful-stay clock now controls the permit filing date
3. Study residence permit	Submit the complete file to SDA while lawfully present	Lawful-stay expiry controls the latest receipt date
4. Temporary residence card	Apply personally and complete registration after the permit grant	Registration follows a positive permit decision

The final consolidated Aliens Law, publication 23, establishes the long-term visa and residence framework and records the enacted commencement position. The visa procedure sets the three-month application window. Its current D3 position was reconstructed from the procedure and amendments published in December 2015, June 2021, August 2025, December 2025, March 2026, May 2026 and June 2026.

Final Law No. 1803, adopted on 25 June 2026 and gazetted on 29 June 2026, broadens the in-country D3 extension mechanism from 1 September 2026. An eligible adult may seek no more than three additional months when the grounds support only that period. MFA decides, while SDA territorial offices and Public Service Hall branches receive the application and documents. The period is deemed excusable, no fine applies and expulsion is barred until the final administrative decision. This safeguard does not replace timely study-permit filing.

Which documents does an Indian D3 applicant need?

An Indian D3 file needs identity, admission, accommodation, finance, insurance and education evidence. The current checklist also asks an MBBS-equivalent applicant for a NEET score card. The exact file should be rebuilt from the current Embassy consular portal, the live India VFS page and the India D3 checklist before submission.

Signed application and a passport that meets the checklist conditions
Evidence that the USD 20 visa fee was paid and the appointment was booked
Travel booking, accommodation and travel and health insurance
Georgian ministry order permitting study
Rector or dean’s admission order from an authorised institution
Proof that the foreign-language programme exists at that institution
Personal financial evidence or sponsor documents
Apostilled education documents
NEET score card for an MBBS-equivalent programme

The live VFS page adds operational checks. It says the invitation should be no older than three months, MEA attestation no older than six months, and sponsor names and identity numbers must match. Accommodation evidence should show the address, period and cadastral code. Insurance should cover four months. Indian medical applicants also face NEET validation at VFS. Use the Georgia university comparison for non-medical programme checks, the medical university evidence comparison for institutional choices and the MBBS in Georgia requirements for the Indian return route.

The checklist says IELTS or TOEFL is not obligatory for the D3 file. That is not a waiver from future university-admission rules. Final Higher Education Law No. 1811 starts on 1 September 2026 and requires covered foreign entrants to use a government-designated recognised certificate for the programme’s teaching language or the relevant national examination route. The accepted certificate list and levels had not been located by 14 August 2026, so a 2027 or 2028 applicant must confirm the implemented list before admission and visa filing.

A police clearance certificate does not appear on the standard India D3 list or the standard SDA study-permit list. A routine medical fitness certificate is also absent. The visa authority may request more evidence in an individual case, and the residence procedure lets SDA request a health certificate when a relevant public-health risk exists. Insurance remains a normal D3 document.

How long does a Georgia student visa take?

For Indian D3 applications filed from 1 July 2026, the dated Embassy notice gives minimum processing periods of 30 working days for regular service, 15 working days for priority and 10 working days for urgent priority. A minimum isn’t a passport-return guarantee, so the intake plan needs time for document correction, submission and travel after the stated period.

Service	Visa fee	Published minimum	Separate VFS amount
Regular	USD 20 or INR 1,790	30 working days in the India notice	INR 1,500, including GST and the INR 150 convenience fee
Priority	USD 100 or INR 8,950	15 working days	Same INR 1,500 VFS fee
Urgent priority	USD 200 or INR 17,900	10 working days	Same INR 1,500 VFS fee

The dated India notice uses working days. The 7 May 2026 legal amendment expresses the regular tier as the thirtieth calendar day, while priority remains the fifteenth working day and urgent priority the tenth working day. The general law also uses 30 calendar days for a D-category visa other than D5. These descriptions do not match exactly.

The live VFS overview still says student processing takes a minimum of two months. The dated notice is the more specific operational statement for India D3 applications after 1 July 2026, but an applicant should not ignore the conflict. The consular-fee law separately records USD 20 for visa review.

Courier costs INR 846 at satellite locations other than New Delhi. NEET validation costs INR 538 for medical-student applications. Those charges come from the live VFS page and are separate from the selected visa tier.

How does the study residence permit work?

The study residence permit is the second immigration stage after D3 entry. SDA requires an approved application, passport copy, evidence of qualifying lawful stay, a certificate from the authorised institution showing study and anticipated duration, legal-income evidence, an electronic 3 x 4 cm colour photograph and fee evidence. The complete application must reach SDA while the student is lawfully present and at least 40 calendar days before that stay expires.

“The application for a residence permit shall be submitted 40 calendar days prior to expiration of the term for staying in Georgia.” Public Service Development Agency

Decision service	Official fee	Planning use
30 calendar days	GEL 300	Lowest published fee, but still subject to the 40-day filing rule
20 calendar days	GEL 450	Faster decision service, not permission for late filing
10 calendar days	GEL 600	Fastest listed decision service, not a cure for expired stay

A first temporary residence permit is normally issued for at least six months and no more than one year. It is not a course-length document.

The 40-day date is the route’s controlling deadline. It must be calculated from the actual expiry of lawful stay, not replaced by a rule of thumb such as applying within 30 days of arrival. A quicker paid decision tier does not change the filing deadline.

How do residence-card registration and fees work?

After the study residence permit is granted, the student must apply personally for a temporary residence card and complete registration. The standard file uses the permit decision, two photographs and a foreign identity document. A minor also provides a birth certificate. The card is proof of the granted residence status, not a substitute for the permit decision.

Card service	Published fee	Verified student discount
10 working days	GEL 60	GEL 10 where higher-education status is verifiable
5 working days	GEL 80	GEL 10 where status is verifiable
3 working days	GEL 100	GEL 10 where status is verifiable
2 working days	GEL 120	GEL 10 where status is verifiable
Same day	GEL 150	GEL 10 where status is verifiable

The SDA residence-card page lists those registration documents, fees and processing periods. The card expires with the temporary permit. Permit and card charges should therefore stay as separate lines in the arrival budget.

How much money must the bank statement show?

There is no single Georgia student bank-balance number. The D3 visa uses five times the average-consumer subsistence minimum for each requested visa-validity month. The later study residence permit uses at least twice the average-consumer minimum for each requested permit month. Both calculations therefore change with the official subsistence figure and requested period.

Minimum D3 funds = 5 x filing-date average-consumer subsistence minimum x requested visa-validity months

Minimum permit bank evidence = 2 x latest average-consumer subsistence minimum x requested permit-validity months

Application example	Worked method	Illustrative floor
D3 requested for 3 months	5 x GEL 250.95 x 3	GEL 3,764.25
Study permit requested for 6 months	2 x GEL 250.95 x 6	GEL 3,011.40
Study permit requested for 12 months	2 x GEL 250.95 x 12	GEL 6,022.80

Dated illustrations using December 2025 average-consumer subsistence of GEL 250.95

The D3 rule comes from the 31 March 2026 visa-procedure amendment. The permit rule appears on the SDA residence page. The official Geostat subsistence page links to the downloadable data workbook. Accessed on 14 August 2026, its latest average-consumer row was December 2025 at GEL 250.9467297854. No 2026 average-consumer row appeared in that download.

These are method illustrations, not filing-day answers. Replace GEL 250.95 with the current average-consumer observation available when each application is filed, then use the exact validity months requested. Do not substitute the separate working-age-male series.

The legal floor isn’t a living budget. The University of Georgia gives a current planning figure of GEL 900 to 1,100 a month excluding rent, plus GEL 800 to 1,500 for housing. Those items alone can exceed the legal monthly evidence floor. The cost of studying and living in Georgia builds the full budget.

What can cause study residence status to end?

Completion or termination of the activity for which a residence permit was obtained is already a ground for ending residence under current law. That existing ground includes the end of the study supporting a study permit. It should not be labelled as a rule that begins on 1 September 2026.

For the 2027 and 2028 audience, Law No. 1803 adds student-specific grounds and duties from 1 September 2026. On the 14 August 2026 research date, those additions were enacted but had not commenced.

Trigger	When it applies	Rule to monitor	Practical record
Study basis ends	Current ground	The activity supporting residence is completed or terminated	Save the university’s completion or termination notice
Student status suspension	From 1 September 2026	Status remains suspended for 90 days	Save the university’s current status confirmation
Academic progress	From 1 September 2026	Failure to accumulate more than one-third of the maximum annual credits can trigger the process	Track awarded credits after each term
Presence	From 1 September 2026	Outside Georgia for 183 days or more in any continuous 12-month period	Maintain an entry and exit record
Legal work conditions	From 1 September 2026	Working without the required right can become a residence-termination ground	Keep the employment and work-right records

Time abroad for treatment or through an exchange programme at an accredited Georgian higher educational institution counts as presence for the 183-day rule. From the same commencement date, a permit applicant or holder must notify SDA immediately after a mobile number or actual residential address changes. Law No. 1803 required the Government to establish a monitoring procedure by 1 September 2026, but no separate final procedure was located by 14 August 2026. It must be checked again before a 2027 or 2028 application.

The enacted Higher Education amendment connects the academic threshold with student-status suspension. The same law introduces the future language-proof route explained in the document section. The only Law No. 1803 provisions that began on 1 July 2026 concern deportation enforcement for a sentenced foreigner. They do not change this ordinary D3, permit and card sequence.

Can an international student work in Georgia?

A student can work only through Georgia’s right-to-work framework or a genuine statutory exception. Student residence status does not itself create unrestricted work permission. Since 1 March 2026, an employer applies for an employed foreigner, while a self-employed foreigner applies directly. The grant is tied to the named employer and position or to the stated self-employed activity.

Document or decision	What it establishes	What it does not establish
Study residence permit	Lawful residence for the study basis	A general right to take any job
Right-to-work grant	Permission for the named employer and position or stated activity	Permanent residence or a universal weekly-hours allowance
Statutory exception	An exemption only where the facts fit the exact category	A blanket exception for every student

The final consolidated Labour Migration Law, publication 8, includes the June 2026 amendments. For paid work, it requires the relevant employment agreement, the right to work and a D1 visa, work residence permit or another residence permit permitted by Georgian law. A valid study residence permit can provide that existing residence basis, so a work-right grant does not by itself require a switch to work residence.

Ordinance No. 70, read with the amendments dated 26 February 2026, 13 March 2026 and 9 July 2026, supplies the application mechanism and exceptions. The July exceptions cover specific categories such as special-permit holders, short professional activity, some public or state-linked work, defined remote work, certain management and heritage work, and persons with the named temporary-stay basis. None is a blanket student exemption.

A right to work generally takes effect when granted and lasts from six months to one year. No universal weekly-hours cap was found in these official sources.

What happens after graduation?

Graduation does not create an automatic post-study work visa. Under current law, completing the study can end the basis on which study residence rests. The graduate therefore needs another lawful basis that fits the next activity, or must plan departure before the current stay can no longer be maintained.

Position at graduation	Next decision	What this page settles
A qualifying new lawful basis exists	Check its eligibility, timing and residence procedure before study status ends	The study permit does not roll over automatically
No qualifying new basis exists	Plan lawful departure within the valid stay	A new residence basis cannot be assumed

Broader employment permits and permanent-residence routes sit outside this student-visa guide. A student considering another degree can compare MBA study options in Georgia, but a new admission still needs its own academic, immigration and timing checks.

Is your Georgia student visa file ready?

A ready file has an owner, document and date for every stage. If any item below is missing, you’ll need to fix the gap or reschedule before paying for a rushed tier. The checklist records evidence rather than repeating the legal tests explained above.

Before the VFS appointment

Download the current D3 checklist and save its access date
Match the ministry order, admission order and foreign-language programme evidence
Verify invitation, attestation, sponsor, accommodation and insurance freshness
Select a service tier whose minimum period fits the intake without treating it as guaranteed

Before travel

Record the D3 validity and final lawful-stay date
Carry the admission, accommodation, insurance and financial evidence used in the file

After arrival

Obtain the university certificate with study and anticipated duration
Prepare the lawful-stay, income, photograph and fee evidence for SDA
Record the SDA submission date, decision date and registration receipt

During study

Track credits, student status and days outside Georgia
Notify SDA immediately after a mobile number or actual address changes
Recheck the language-certificate list and presence-monitoring procedure before filing

Key takeaways

Save dated copies of the Embassy, VFS and SDA instructions used to assemble each application.
Ask the university to identify the exact ministry order, admission order and programme record issued for your file.
Keep written replies when the consular centre, VFS page and Georgian legal text describe an operational point differently.

Frequently asked questions

I hold a supporting-country residence permit. Can I skip D3?

Do not assume so. First confirm that the issuing country appears in Ordinance No. 256 and that the document will remain valid on entry. Even when the short-entry exemption applies, ask SDA whether your intended residence route is available. For an ordinary study-permit plan, prepare the long-term study visa.

Can a parent sponsor the financial part of my D3 file?

Yes, the India checklist permits sponsor evidence. Submit the sponsor’s identity material, relationship proof, bank evidence and any declaration the current checklist requests. Ensure the sponsor name and identity number are identical across documents. Rebuild this part from the live checklist before the appointment.

How fresh must my invitation and attestation be?

The live India instructions say an invitation should be no older than three months and MEA attestation no older than six months. They also expect insurance for four months. Count backwards from submission, not the course start, and replace any document that will fall outside its stated window.

What must my accommodation evidence show?

Use evidence that states the Georgian address, covered period and cadastral code. A generic booking without those details may not match the live operational checklist. Ask the host or provider to correct omissions before submission, and keep the final version consistent with the address used elsewhere in the file.

Does the temporary residence card last for my whole degree?

No. The temporary card records a granted residence status and expires with the underlying permit. Its validity therefore follows that permit rather than the full programme length. Budget for later status and card work separately, and confirm the current SDA service choice each time renewal becomes due.

What records should I retain if my student status is suspended?

Save the university notice showing the suspension date, current status records, awarded-credit statements and entry and exit history. These documents help reconstruct which future rule may apply. The detailed monitoring procedure required for September 2026 was not located by the research date, so check the final implementation before relying on a calculation.