Information on Safe Migration
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revealing her personal potential, professionally
assisting in the realization of civil and social rights
Migrating with children. How to enroll a child with foreign citizenship in a Belarusian kindergarten or school?
Moving to another country with minor children is always a challenge, especially if the move was forced. In this situation, it is more important than ever to provide the child with a familiar environment: a good home, communication with peers, and, of course, education. If distance learning at the previous educational institution is impossible, parents need to enroll their child in a kindergarten or school in the new country. In this article, you will find information about what documents need to be collected for this.
Do minor foreigners have the right to education in Belarus?
Yes, they do, regardless of whether they reside permanently or temporarily in the territory of the Republic of Belarus. The main thing is that children and their parents are in Belarus legally. There are three regimes for the stay of foreigners in the Republic of Belarus:
1. Temporary stay up to 90 days per year.
2. Temporary residence up to 1 year.
3. Permanent residence (residence permit).
Depending on the regime, a foreigner's passport may contain:
• An insert to the passport or birth certificate with a mark on temporary stay (registration) in the territory of the Republic of Belarus (up to 90 days). A minor must also have such an insert.
• A stamp «temporary residence» glued into the foreign student's passport or attached to the birth certificate (up to 1 year), or entry of information about minor children into the «temporary residence» stamp of one of the parents.
• A certificate issued by the department of citizenship and migration of the internal affairs body, which allows a foreign student to permanently reside in the Republic of Belarus (a residence permit presented by the child's parent is not enough, as it does not confirm that the child is also allowed to permanently reside).
A foreign child who is temporarily staying/residing in the Republic of Belarus can be enrolled in a kindergarten and admitted for the period specified in the registration mark. If the stay permit is not extended, the child will be expelled from the educational institution.
What needs to be done to enroll a foreign child in a Belarusian kindergarten:
1. Apply to the local executive and administrative body at the place of registration.
2. Register and receive a referral to a state educational institution.
To register the child, you will need a passport (or another document proving the identity of the child's legal representative) and a birth certificate of the child.
To receive a referral, in addition to these documents, you need:
• an application for the issuance of a referral,
• a conclusion of the medical advisory commission (for educational institutions of sanatorium type, receiving preschool education at home or from an individual entrepreneur engaged in educational activities),
• a conclusion of the state center for correctional and developmental education and rehabilitation (for children with special needs).
What's next?
As soon as the child's parent or guardian receives the referral, they must contact the administration of the kindergarten specified in it within 15 days. You must have with you:
• a referral to the kindergarten,
• an application for enrollment in the kindergarten,
• a certificate of the child's health,
• the conclusion of the medical advisory commission and/or the conclusion of the state center for correctional and developmental education and rehabilitation (if necessary, the situations in which these documents will be needed are indicated above).
The head of the preschool education institution will issue an order for the admission of the child to kindergarten with the date of enrollment.
What should be done to enroll a foreign child in a Belarusian school?
The first steps are the same as when applying for kindergarten. Need:
1. Contact the local executive and administrative body at the place of registration.
2. Register and get a referral to a state educational institution.
List of required documents:
• application (to be filled in by parents);
• the original birth certificate and 2 copies thereof;
• medical certificate of the child's health status;
• a copy of the passport of one of the parents.
If the child has previously attended school, it is advisable to have a certificate of education from the country where the foreign child came from in order to understand what subjects were studied at school and how many classes the child graduated from.
An important point! Be sure to clarify in advance whether documents (apostille or consular legalization) that were issued abroad are needed when submitting them to a Belarusian school/kindergarten, as they can usually be legalized in the country of issue of the document.
Information for citizens of Ukraine
Minor Ukrainians have the right to pre-school, general secondary, and special education on an equal basis with minor Belarusians. Legal representatives of children from Ukraine are not required to provide the documents listed above if they do not have the opportunity to do so.
Educational institutions of the Republic of Belarus can accept Ukrainians to receive vocational and technical education, secondary specialized education, general higher and special higher education on both a free and paid basis, if there are available places. In this case, Ukrainians may also not provide the documents they need to enroll in an educational institution if they do not have an objective opportunity to do so.
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