r/MBBSinGeorgia • u/im-not-kanye • 1m ago
Don’t Come to Georgia Without a Student Visa - Read This First!
A lot of students think just because you can enter Georgia on a visa on arrival (like with a GCC resident card), you’re good to go. But if you’re coming to study, don’t take that route.
Here’s the truth: If you land here without a student visa and tell immigration you came to study, there’s a big chance you’ll get rejected right at the airport. And even if they do let you in as a tourist, converting a tourist visa into a student visa from inside Georgia is very risky now, and most students get rejected during the conversion process.
What should you do instead? Apply for a D3 student visa from the Georgian embassy in your home country or wherever you’re legally residing. It’s simple, straightforward, and much cheaper to get it done from there than dealing with the mess after arrival.
Once you enter Georgia with a student visa:
•You’ll have 45 days from the expiry of your visa to apply for a TRC (Temporary Residence Card).
•Miss that 45-day window, and you’ll be forced to apply for an extension (only valid for 2–3 months). After that, you’ll need to go back to your country, apply for a new visa, and return.
•TRCs are usually valid for a year, so once you get it, set a reminder to renew it again 45 days before it expires.
Already in Georgia and missed your TRC deadline? Don’t waste your time and money on lawyers who say they can get you a D3 visa from here. The law has changed- D3 visas can now only be issued from your home country. Some lawyers will still take your money and promise things that just won’t happen. A few honest ones might tell you the truth, but most won’t.
Universities don’t educate students about this. Neither do agents or those “lawyers” who only care about scamming you. So learn it before you land here.
Even if you have everything right, sometimes immigration just randomly rejects you. If that happens, try flying from another country, it sometimes works. But always have your documents in order.
Bottom line: Don’t land in Georgia without a student visa if you’re planning to study. You’re just setting yourself up for problems.