Schools for Expat Children in Baku, Azerbaijan: A Parent Guide

Families usually choose between two paths. International schools teach in English with a foreign curriculum, charge tuition and are used to children who move between countries. State schools are free, teach in Azerbaijani, and some have sections taught in other languages such as Russian.

We list only schools we could confirm on their own websites. Fees, ages and accreditation are not always published, so ask each school directly. Some names you may hear are not in our list because we could not confirm them: the French lycée in Baku has been closed since 2024, and we found no official German school abroad in the city.

Before you choose, write to two or three schools with the same questions, so the answers are easy to compare:

• Tuition, registration and other fees for your child's grade, and how they are paid.
• Which ages and grades have free places, and whether there is a waiting list.
• The teaching language, and support for children who do not speak English yet.
• Which documents the school needs from a foreign family, and whether it asks for the child's residence permit.
• Accreditation and which exams the final diploma leads to.
• School bus routes, school hours and the yearly calendar.

IB and accreditation claims come from each school's own website. Check them with the school and the accrediting body before you enrol.

1. 1

   Check the age

   Grade 1 takes children who turn 6 by 15 September of that year. Earlier entry is only for specially gifted children after a commission check.

2. 2

   Apply online

   Register on mektebeqebul.edu.az as the parent or legal representative, choose a school, and later print the application from your personal cabinet.

3. 3

   Choose the language section

   A Grade 1 class taught in another language, such as Russian, needs a short online interview on spoken skills in that language. If the child does not pass, you can still apply to the Azerbaijani section.

4. 4

   Bring the documents to the school

   See the list below. Admission is normally finished by 15 September.

• The parent's foreign passport.
• The temporary or permanent residence permit, if you have one (the Ministry writes "if available").
• The child's birth certificate, original and copy.
• A health certificate on form 26U.
• Two 3 x 4 colour photos.
• The application printed from mektebeqebul.edu.az.
• Refugees bring the UNHCR protection document.

In busy Baku schools, priority goes to children whose parent lives in the school's area by registered address, whose parent works at the school, or whose brother or sister already studies there. Registering your address on time helps here too: see address registration.

Children over 8 starting Grade 1 register on mektebeqebul.edu.az and then go to the local education department with a residence certificate, two photos, ID documents and, if needed, form 26U. For pupils joining a higher grade from abroad, ask the district education department: the published transfer rules are written for returning Azerbaijani citizens. The Ministry's help line is 146, email office@edu.gov.az.

Admission to state kindergartens goes through myGov, service "Admission to preschool institutions" of the Ministry of Science and Education. You can choose up to 3 kindergartens. When a place is free, the queue turns into a request after at least 5 days, and you then have 7 days to bring the documents, or the place goes to the next child.

For 2026 to 2027 the queues opened on 7 July 2026 in the regions and on 9 July 2026 in Baku, for children born in 2021 to 2025. Queues are not carried over from the previous year. Whether a foreigner without an Azerbaijani ID can use myGov is not published, so ask the Ministry on 146.

A child staying in Azerbaijan needs a legal stay of its own. Two grounds fit: family member of a resident (Article 45.1.5), which follows the parent's card, or study (Article 45.1.9), which also covers general schools. The parent applies for a child under 18, and children under 15 give no fingerprints.

Read bring your family to Azerbaijan for the documents and fees. Sroky keeps each child's permit and passport dates on your phone and reminds you before they run out. The Migration Service decides every application.

The Ministry of Science and Education runs children and youth sport and chess schools in Baku. For football, children play through clubs registered with the national federation (AFFA). Under 10 no transfer certificate is needed. For foreign children aged 10 to 18 the club files the parents' work contract, residence permit and work permit, and FIFA decides.