School enrollment for children and the Russian language examination

This page is for Turkish families who want to enroll their child in a public school in Russia. Since April 1, 2025, foreign children can be enrolled in primary, middle, and high school only after passing a free Russian language examination (тестирование на знание русского языка). Below, you will find the application steps, required documents, how the examination is conducted, and information on the recognition of your child's documents when returning to Türkiye.

• Foreign children receive preschool, primary, middle, and high school education in public schools with equal rights and free of charge alongside Russian citizens.
• A document showing that the child and their parent or guardian are legally present in Russia is required for enrollment.
• The Russian language examination is required only for enrollment in primary, middle, and high school. There is no such examination for preschool (детский сад) enrollment.
• The age for starting primary school is between 6 years 6 months and 8 years. At the family's request, the school's founder may allow the child to start earlier or later.
• A public school may refuse to enroll a child only if there are no vacancies or the Russian language examination requirement has not been met.
• A child who fails the examination cannot begin education at the school.
• The examination requirement was added to the law by Federal Law No. 544-FZ dated December 28, 2024. The new rules on school admission procedures entered into force on April 1, 2025.

1. Submit the application. Applications for foreign children can be submitted in three ways:
   • the Gosuslugi government services portal (see R2.6)
   • the regional government services portal, if available
   • registered mail with return receipt
2. The school checks the documents. The school checks whether the documents are complete within 5 business days. If anything is missing, it returns the application without reviewing it.
3. The documents are verified. If the documents are complete, the school verifies their accuracy within 25 business days. For this purpose, it contacts government institutions, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
4. You receive a referral for the examination. The referral is sent by email, mail, or through your Gosuslugi personal account.
5. Register at the examination school. Within no more than 7 business days after receiving the referral, go in person to the school conducting the examination and register your child for it.
6. The examination is conducted. The regional education authority determines the examination schedule.
7. The result is notified. The examination school sends the result to the school you applied to within 3 business days, and that school informs you. If the child passes, they are enrolled in the school.
8. In the application form, you must also state that you permit your child to take the examination.

• copies of documents showing that you are the child's parent or guardian (for example, a birth registration certificate)
• copies of documents showing that the child and parent or guardian are legally present in Russia. Examples:
  • a valid residence permit (ВНЖ) or temporary residence permit (РВП)
  • visa and migration card
• a copy of the document showing that the child has undergone state fingerprint registration (государственная дактилоскопическая регистрация) (see R2.3)
• a copy of the child's passport or identity document
• copies of the parent's tax identification number (ИНН) and, if available, social insurance number (СНИЛС) documents; if the child has a СНИЛС, a copy of it as well (see R9.2)
• a medical report (медицинское заключение) showing that the child does not have an infectious disease that poses a risk of transmission to others
• if available, copies of documents showing that the parent or guardian is employed
• if available, documents showing that the child studied Russian at their school abroad (for grades 2–11)
• if priority admission to a school in the region is requested, a document showing the child's migration registration or residence registration in that region

• The examination is held free of charge at public or municipal schools designated by the regional education authority.
• The list of examination schools is published on the website of Russia's Ministry of Education (Минпросвещения) and on Gosuslugi. Examination schools publish the dates, sample questions, and assessment criteria on their own websites.
• The examination is written and oral. The following children take only the oral examination:
  • children who will start first grade
  • certain special groups, such as family members of foreign embassy and consulate employees
• The examination lasts no more than 80 minutes and is prepared according to the grade level. The Ministry of Education has determined the Russian language level required for each grade.
• The examination room is recorded on video, and oral answers are audio-recorded.
• Phones, notes, books, and assistance from others are prohibited during the examination. A child's examination is deemed invalid if they do not comply with the rules.
• An appeal commission (апелляционная комиссия) is established in the region for appeals against the result. The commission announces its decision within 3 business days.
• If the child fails: the school you applied to offers the child additional Russian language education. The child may retake the examination no earlier than 3 months later. The same question set is not used in the retake.

• A child who passed the state examination for grade 9 in Russia (ГИА) and received a Russian lower-secondary education certificate (аттестат об основном общем образовании) does not take the examination again when moving on to high school (grade 10). This certificate is sufficient to be considered to have passed the examination.
• The referral and examination steps do not apply when transferring from one Russian school to another Russian school.

• You can obtain the child's birth registration certificate (international, Form A) in Türkiye from the civil registry office, through e-Devlet, or from a Turkish diplomatic mission in Russia. The Embassy of Türkiye in Moscow sends Form A through online.konsolosluk.gov.tr without a consular visit, provided the postage fee is paid.
• Also bring the report cards and grade documents from the Turkish school. If you have a document showing that the child studied Russian for grades 2–11, you may add it.
• An apostille is placed on administrative documents issued in Türkiye by the governor's office or district governor's office. Ask the Russian school before applying whether it requires an apostille on the document.

• Open education: Citizens living abroad can enroll in Anadolu University's Open Education Middle School and Open Education High School. According to the announcement of the Moscow Education Counsellor's Office, registration for 2026–2027 was planned to be accepted between August 31 and October 9, 2026.
• MEB equivalency: if your child will continue school in Türkiye, the documents received from the Russian school must be recognized as equivalent.
  • The application is submitted online through edenklik.meb.gov.tr. Equivalency centers abroad are education counsellor's offices and attachés' offices; in Türkiye, they are provincial and authorized district national education directorates.
  • For intermediate grades, an approved and stamped report card or grade document for the last year and a school-leaving document are required. If the report card does not state that the student passed the grade, a document showing promotion to the next grade is also required.
  • High school graduates must provide an apostilled diploma.
  • Passport pages showing entry to and exit from Russia, or a document showing that you were in Russia during the period of study, is required.
  • Translations made abroad must be approved by a Turkish consulate.
  • For those under 18, the application is submitted by a parent or guardian.
• Return without documents: the parent or guardian may temporarily enroll the child in school with a written declaration. You must provide the documents within 3 months.

• T.C. citizens who complete high school entirely abroad (excluding the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) may apply to the quotas for accepting students from abroad at Turkish universities.
• Those who complete high school in Türkiye or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus may not apply to these quotas.
• For medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, and teaching programs, this quota may not exceed 10% of the quota for that field.
• Universities determine their own admission criteria. Obtain MEB equivalency for your high school diploma before applying.

• In Russia: submit the application to the public school where you want to enroll the child through Gosuslugi or by mail. If there are no vacancies, apply to the regional education authority or the municipality's education department.
• Education Counsellor's Office of the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Moscow — information on the Turkish education system, equivalency, and open education
  • Address: 7 Rostovski Pereulok No. 12, 115127 Moscow
  • Telephone: +7 499 245 67 35 · Email: moskova@meb.gov.tr
• Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Moscow — Form A and translation approval
  • Consular switchboard: +7 495 994 93 59 (for information, 14:30–18:00)
  • For other missions, see O1.1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center (24/7): +90 312 292 29 29

• Applying immediately before the school term begins. Document checking may take 5 business days and verification may take 25 business days.
• Submitting documents without Russian translations or with uncertified translations. An incomplete application is returned without being reviewed.
• Failing to prepare the child's fingerprint registration and medical report.
• Failing to go to the examination school within 7 business days after receiving the examination referral.
• Failing to keep the child's migration registration or legal-stay document up to date (see R2.1).
• Leaving for Türkiye without obtaining the report card, school-leaving document, and grade documents from the Russian school.

• Is the Russian language examination paid? No. Under the law, the examination is held free of charge at a public or municipal school.
• Is there also an examination for preschool? No. The examination is required only for enrollment in primary, middle, and high school. A legal-stay document is still required for preschool.
• What happens if my child fails the examination? The school offers additional Russian language education. The child may retake the examination no earlier than 3 months later.
• How long does the examination take? No more than 80 minutes. Children starting first grade take only the oral examination.
• Can I submit the application by going to the school? For foreign children, the rule is to submit the application through Gosuslugi, the regional portal, or registered mail with return receipt. For examination registration, however, you go in person to the examination school.
• Which grade will my child be enrolled in when we return to Türkiye? The child will be enrolled in the grade stated in the MEB equivalency document. If the documents are not ready, the child starts school temporarily based on the parent's declaration; the documents must be provided within 3 months.

• Procedure for the Russian language examination (Order No. 170)
• School admission procedure and list of documents (Order No. 458)
• Federal Law 273-FZ, Article 78: education of foreign nationals
• Gosuslugi – Russia's government services portal
• MEB e-Equivalency (application and inquiry)
• MEB Equivalency Application Form (PDF)
• YÖK – Principles on the Admission of Students from Abroad (PDF)
• Online consular application (Form A submission)