How to Book the TEF Canada Exam: Step-by-Step

IRCC says you must book your language test yourself, with an agency approved by IRCC, and pay the cost yourself. The organiser of the TEF Canada, Le français des affaires (CCI Paris Île-de-France), says you register directly with one of its official test centres. It lists about 500 centres in more than 110 countries.

The centre is in charge of the details. Fees, session dates, how fast results arrive and what you can change after paying all depend on the centre. In October 2026, the three Canadian centre pages we read gave different answers to the same questions (see the table below). Always trust the page of the centre you are booking with.

Registration windows open roughly every quarter, and busy centres can sell out weeks ahead; check your centre's page for its next window.

Frenchly is not affiliated with any test centre or with CCI Paris Île-de-France. Fees, dates and rules change often. This page reflects public pages we read in October 2026.

1. 1Confirm you need the TEF Canada. For Express Entry, use the TEF Canada, not another TEF version. If you are still choosing between tests, read TEF vs TCF Canada first.
2. 2Count backward from your deadline. Add your preparation time, the wait for results and the time to update your profile. Results must be less than 2 years old, so do not book far ahead of when you will use them. See how long results are valid.
3. 3Make a short list of centres. Start with your city: Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary or Ottawa. The organiser also has a "Find a center" page. If a nearby city has an earlier date, include it.
4. 4Open each centre's official TEF Canada page. Note the fee, session dates, registration window, refund rule and result time. Some centres show every listed session as sold out, so check more than one.
5. 5Register online during the registration window. Seats are limited. The Edmonton centre says its sessions each have their own window, that bookings cannot be made in person or by email, and that registration is complete only when it has both your form and your payment.
6. 6Use your legal name exactly as it appears on your ID. Vancouver asks for your passport number when you register. Edmonton says you cannot enter the exam without the ID you signed up with.
7. 7Do not refresh or open many tabs. The Vancouver centre warns that doing so while you book may cancel your reservation.
8. 8Watch for the confirmation email. The organiser says to check your junk folder and then contact the centre if you have heard nothing a week before the exam. Edmonton and Vancouver both say they send instructions about a week before.

This is a snapshot of what three centres published in October 2026. It is not a price list. It shows why you should read each page before you pay.

Fees can also differ by country and by what is included, so compare the total you will actually pay, plus travel. The organiser says fees are set by each centre.

• Session dates. The first session you can see may be weeks away, or listed as sold out.
• Result time. If you are racing a deadline, "1 to 2 weeks" and "within 6 weeks" are very different. Ask the centre before you plan around a date.
• Refund and change rules. The organiser says registration is "firm and final" and that fees are kept. For a cancellation or absence for major reasons, you must give proof, and the organiser may then offer a new registration at no extra cost. Unjustified absence gets no refund.
• Format. Vancouver's page says the exam is computer-based except for the oral expression. Edmonton says the writing, listening and reading parts are taken on computer in a group.
• Bundles. Vancouver lists a TEF-plus-preparation bundle at $450. Compare it with what you already have before you add it.

Some centres sell partial options, such as a Listening and Speaking option at $195 in Edmonton and $240 in Calgary. Express Entry looks at four abilities (reading, listening, writing and speaking), so check that the option you choose is the full exam for immigration. Vancouver describes its "Immigration" exam as four parts and its separate "Citizenship" exam as two.

The Calgary page lists the structure: Reading (60 minutes, 40 questions), Listening (40 minutes, 40 questions), Writing (60 minutes, 2 subjects) and Speaking (20 minutes, 2 subjects). Practise all four before you book. Use our TEF reading and listening tips, writing examples and speaking guide, then try the free TEF practice test.

Candidates must be at least 16 and no diploma is required, according to the organiser. If you need special arrangements, the organiser says to give your centre a medical certificate before you register.

• Bring the ID you registered with. Edmonton will not let you in without it. Calgary asks for two valid photo IDs, such as a passport, permanent resident card or driver's licence, plus your schedule notification.
• Do not arrive late. Edmonton refuses entry after the exam officially begins. Calgary says late arrivals are not admitted and get no refund or deferment.
• Check your start time. Times vary by session. Vancouver says the exact time is on the notification letter it sends a week before.
• Expect to type in French. Vancouver says computer tests use a QWERTY keyboard and that French accents are available on the platform. Practise typing accents.

Your centre or CCI Paris sends your result by email in its own time frame. The Edmonton centre notes that it does not grade the exam; all answers go to CCI Paris. IRCC may ask for your result form or certificate number and your test PIN when you enter results, so keep them safe.

One detail trips people up. IRCC says to enter only the scores from the "Équivalence ancien score" column of your TEF Canada statement, not the "Score / 699" figures. Convert your results with the NCLC calculator to see an estimate; only your official certificate and IRCC's tables count.

If you need to retake, check the waiting period with your centre. Calgary states at least 20 days between two attempts, at any location. Before you pick a new date, read how results expiry works.

• Waiting for a date to appear. Sessions can sell out as soon as a window opens. Note when each centre opens its registration.
• Not reading the refund rule. Vancouver calls registration final, Calgary gives no refunds or deferments, and the organiser says fees are kept.
• Paying but not finishing. Your registration may not be complete until the form and payment both reach the centre.
• Booking a partial option. Check that the exam you buy covers all four skills.
• Name or ID mismatch. A name that differs from your ID can mean you are refused at the door.
• Booking too close to your deadline. Allow for the result time and for a possible retake.