By Abishek , Leobiss International | Published: 02 Oct 2026| This page will be updated as the official checklist is released
What’s changed: From 1 September 2026, Georgia has split its study visa into two categories. Adult students (18+) continue under the existing D3 visa. A new D6 visa now covers students under 18 — and uniquely, it allows parents and minor siblings to get visas too, so a family can stay in Georgia alongside a minor student.
If you’re sending a 17-year-old to study in Georgia — which includes a meaningful share of Indian MBBS aspirants — this directly affects your visa category, your documentation, and whether you can accompany your child. Here’s what’s confirmed, and what we’re still waiting on.
Why This Matters More Than It Looks
Most visa category updates are administrative noise. This one isn’t, for one reason specific to our audience: NMC’s MBBS eligibility rule only requires a student to be 17 by 31 December of the admission year. A meaningful number of Indian students enrol in Georgia at exactly that age — meaning their visa application happens while they’re still legally a minor.
Previously, these students and older applicants were both processed under the same D3 category. From September 2026, that’s no longer true. A 17-year-old applicant now falls under D6, not D3 — a different visa with different validity, different renewal conditions, and a feature D3 never had: family members can apply alongside them.
D3 vs D6: What’s Actually Different
| D3 (existing) | D6 (new) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it’s for | Students 18+ at time of visa issuance | Students under 18 at time of visa issuance |
| Course length covered | Study/research exceeding 90 days | Study exceeding 90 days at a recognized higher, vocational or general education institution |
| Validity | 90 days | 1 year, with 1-year stay permission |
| Family members | Not applicable | Parents/legal guardians and minor siblings may apply — simultaneously, separately, or after the student’s visa is issued |
| When family visas end | — | When the student turns 18, or if their student status is suspended or ends |
| Consular fee | Unchanged | $20 (30-day processing), $100 (15 working days), $200 (10 working days) |
What This Means If Your Child Is Close to 18
- Check the exact age at the point of visa application, not at the point of travel or enrolment. The category is determined by age at issuance, so a student who’s 17 when applying but turns 18 a few weeks later would still likely fall under D6 — this is one of the details we’re confirming once the full checklist arrives.
- If a parent wants to accompany a minor student to Georgia, this is now explicitly provided for, where it previously wasn’t under D3. For families who’ve been hesitant about sending a 17-year-old abroad alone, this materially changes the calculation.
- The D6 visa is valid for a full year, compared to D3’s 90 days — which also means fewer renewal cycles for a minor student’s first year, though exact renewal mechanics will be clearer once the checklist is published.
- Family visas are tied to the student’s status. If the student’s enrolment is suspended or ends, accompanying family members’ visas end too, with a 90-day grace period after suspension.
What We Don’t Know Yet
Being direct about this matters more than filling the gap with guesses:
- The exact document checklist for D6 applications hasn’t been released by the embassy yet.
- Whether universities will adjust their admission timing or documentation requests in response to this split.
- How the age-at-application rule interacts with students whose birthdays fall close to the visa processing window.
We’ll update this page the moment the checklist is confirmed — bookmark it rather than searching again closer to your intake.
What to Do Now, If You’re Affected
- Check your child’s exact age on the likely visa application date, not just their age on the course start date.
- If a parent intends to accompany a minor student, start that conversation with your university/consultant now — the parallel-application option is new and not yet standard practice for anyone.
- Don’t finalize visa paperwork yet if you’re on the edge of the D3/D6 boundary — wait for the checklist rather than filing under the wrong category.
- Talk to us before, not after, you submit — we’re tracking this directly with university partners in Georgia and will flag the right category for your specific dates.
How Leobiss Is Handling This
We’re in direct contact with our Georgia university partners on this change and will update every family currently in the Georgia pipeline as soon as the checklist is released. If your child is 17 or close to it and Georgia is on your shortlist, this is worth a conversation before you proceed further.
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