Guide · 2026

Georgian Student Visa Requirements — 2026 Guide for African Students.

Everything a West or Central African student needs to know about the Georgian D3 long-stay study visa: documents, fees, processing time, which embassy to apply through, and the first steps once you land in Tbilisi. Compiled by Georgia Office from the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our consular partners.

Visa type

D3 long-stay study visa — single or multiple entry, valid for the duration of the academic program.

Processing time

10 – 30 calendar days from a complete file. Plan 6 – 8 weeks end-to-end including apostille and translation.

Consular fees

USD 80 – 120 in embassy fees, plus USD 100 – 200 for translation, apostille and courier.

Documents

What goes into your D3 dossier.

The Georgian D3 visa is intentionally documentary: once you have an admission letter and tuition receipt from an accredited university, the rest is paperwork that any well-organised applicant can assemble. The hardest steps are usually the apostille and translation, not the embassy interview.

Georgian authorities accept documents in Georgian or English. For applicants from francophone Africa, plan for sworn translations of birth certificates, criminal records, medical certificates and bank statements.

Where to apply

Georgian embassies in Africa.

Georgia operates three embassies on the African continent, each covering a regional cluster. Pick the closest accredited mission or, where eligible, use the e-Visa portal at evisa.gov.ge.

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Cairo — Egypt

Covers North Africa and most of West/Central Africa: Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Mauritania.

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Addis Ababa — Ethiopia

Covers East Africa and the Horn: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia.

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Pretoria — South Africa

Covers Southern Africa and part of Central Africa: DRC, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana.

Step by step

The application timeline.

  1. 01
    Secure admission

    Obtain the official admission letter from a Georgian university. Georgia Office handles this for the students we enrol.

  2. 02
    Pay first-semester tuition

    Wire tuition for at least the first semester and request a paid invoice — the embassy will not accept a pro-forma alone.

  3. 03
    Build the dossier

    Collect passport, bank statement, criminal record, medical certificate, photos, insurance and the completed visa form.

  4. 04
    Apostille + translate

    Apostille civil documents in your country of origin and have them translated into English or Georgian by a sworn translator.

  5. 05
    Submit at embassy

    Book an appointment at the relevant embassy (Cairo, Addis Ababa or Pretoria) or apply via the e-Visa portal where eligible.

  6. 06
    Travel + residence permit

    Fly to Tbilisi, register with the university, and apply for the one-year student residence permit within 45 days of arrival.

Costs

What the full visa process costs.

Consular and admin fees
D3 visa consular feeUSD 80 – 120
Apostille (civil documents)USD 30 – 80
Sworn translationUSD 60 – 120
Medical certificateUSD 30 – 80
Courier and embassy travelUSD 50 – 150
On arrival in Tbilisi
Residence permit applicationUSD 60 – 110
Mandatory health insuranceUSD 80 – 150 / year
University registrationUSD 0 – 100
Total — visa + arrival≈ USD 400 – 900
Avoid these mistakes

Why files get rejected — and how to prevent it.

Pro-forma instead of paid invoice

Embassies want proof tuition was actually wired. Pay the first semester before booking the appointment.

Expired criminal record

Criminal records older than 3 months are routinely rejected. Request yours late in the process, not first.

Unapostilled diplomas

Educational certificates must be apostilled in the country of origin. A simple notarised copy is not enough.

Let Georgia Office handle your visa dossier.

From admission to landing in Tbilisi, we coordinate the university, the embassy, the apostille and the translation. One adviser, one contract, no agency chain.