School enrollment for expat families: documents, deadlines, language support and real fixes

Child's passport + birth certificate, proof of address, vaccination record, prior school certificate, parent ID and residence proof. Put them in one PDF. Use our moving checklist to track all document deadlines.

Enroll as soon as you have a temporary address. Request provisional placement while verification is pending. If full, ask for overflow procedure + transport support.

Ask for integration classes, weekly language hours, and buddy systems. Add free extras: library conversation hour, community sports, and one language app goal/day. Check our integration playbook for family activities and language learning strategies.

FR: Town hall (primary) or Académie (secondary). DE: Schulamt + possible 'Willkommensklasse'. ES: regional portal; 'escolarización extraordinaria' mid-year. IT: Ministry portal or school direct; vaccines checked closely.

"Hello, we've just moved to [district]. Our child is [age/grade]. Attached are documents and proof of address. Could you confirm the enrollment office and earliest start date? We're available for testing this week."