How to book the TEF Canada exam: centres, fees, and timelines

Booking the TEF Canada is straightforward once you know the system: the exam is created by the CCI Paris Île-de-France (Le français des affaires) and delivered through a worldwide network of approved test centres — Alliance Française branches, language schools, and dedicated centres. You register with a centre, not with a central website, which is why dates, fees, and procedures vary from city to city.

Step-by-step: booking your session

1. 1. Find a centre: use the official centre locator on the Le français des affaires website (lefrancaisdesaffaires.fr) to list approved centres in your country and city.
2. 2. Contact the centre: check upcoming session dates, availability, and their registration process — some centres book online, others by email or in person.
3. 3. Choose your modules: for Canadian immigration you need all four (reading, listening, writing, speaking). Confirm the centre offers the full TEF Canada, not another TEF variant.
4. 4. Register and pay: provide your identity details exactly as they appear on your passport or ID, and pay the centre's fee.
5. 5. Get your convocation: the centre confirms your date, time, and location — keep this with your ID for test day.

What it costs

Fees are set by each test centre, so they vary by country and city. As a rough guide, candidates commonly report totals in the range of CA$300–450 in Canada, with equivalent local pricing elsewhere; large cities often have several centres with different prices and wait times. Always confirm the exact fee, what it includes, and the refund/reschedule policy directly with your centre before paying.

Test day: what to bring and expect

• •Valid photo ID — the same one used at registration (passport recommended).
• •Your convocation/confirmation from the centre.
• •Arrive early: identity checks and seating take time, and late arrivals can be refused.
• •The speaking section is a face-to-face role-play with an examiner; the other sections run under strict timing.

Results, validity, and retakes

Results are typically released a few weeks after your session (commonly around four to six weeks — your centre will give the current estimate) and are delivered as an attestation with a score per section, which converts to CLB/NCLC levels for IRCC. For immigration purposes, results are valid for two years from the results date.

If a section falls short of your target, you can rebook — a waiting period applies between attempts (commonly 30 days; confirm the current rule with your centre). Since every skill counts separately, many candidates use a focused practice cycle between attempts to fix the one section that missed.

Before you book: know you're ready

Exam fees make guessing expensive. The cheapest insurance is evidence: take full timed mock tests in every module and check that your estimated CLB band holds at your target across several consecutive attempts. When it does, book with confidence — and if it doesn't yet, a few focused weeks of practice cost far less than a retake.

Details above can change and vary by centre — always verify current procedures, fees, and rules on the official Le français des affaires website and with your chosen test centre.