TCF & TEF Canada in India: Centres, Fees, Booking

You can take both French tests IRCC accepts in India, but not everywhere. On 5 October 2026, Alliance Française de Delhi offered the TCF Canada only, while most other Alliance Française centres that publish details, including Chandigarh, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Chennai, offered the TEF Canada. Kolkata offered both.

The fee is set by each centre. Most centres we checked list ₹26,000 including GST for the full four-skill test. The hard part in India is rarely the price: it's getting a seat. This guide covers centres, verified fees, booking, results, retakes and how to choose.

TCF or TEF in India: which test is offered where

Both tests count the same for IRCC. Your NCLC level decides your Express Entry points, not the test's name. If you're still undecided, our comparison of TCF Canada vs TEF Canada explains the format differences in detail.

In India, the practical rule is simple: the test you can book soonest in a city you can reach is usually the right one. Here is what each centre listed on its own website when we checked. For upcoming session dates, seat status and how each centre releases seats, see our page on TCF and TEF Canada test centres in India, or browse the TCF Canada exam dates and TEF Canada exam dates calendars.

A few things stand out:

• ₹26,000 is the common price for the full test. Chandigarh breaks it down as ₹22,034 plus 18% GST.
• The two-skill version (listening and speaking only) costs about half. It's for citizenship, not Express Entry. Express Entry needs all four skills.
• Kolkata lists both tests, which helps if you're open to either.

How booking works, and why seats sell out

Every centre runs its own booking process, and the differences are big:

• Chandigarh uses an email waitlist. When a seat is offered, you have 3 days to register and pay by bank transfer. The centre itself states waits of up to 10–12 months.
• Delhi books online or offline, first come first served. When we checked, its 14 and 28 October 2026 TCF sessions were already full.
• Jaipur uses online pre-registration, then payment by UPI or netbanking. It listed November–December 2026 as fully booked.
• Hyderabad takes registration forms in person or by email, with 4 candidates per slot.
• Bhopal sells TCF Canada seats through an online shop, with sessions listed into early 2027.
• Kolkata uses a Calendly booking plus a Google Form.

What this means for you:

1. Join waitlists early, even before you feel ready. You can keep studying while you wait. Getting a seat is the slowest step for many candidates.
2. Check several cities. A train ride to a centre with a seat next month often beats a year-long wait at home.
3. Have payment ready. Some centres give you only a few days to confirm.
4. Read the centre's own rules on ID documents, arrival time and cancellations before you pay.

Results, retakes and validity

Results. Le français des affaires, which runs the TEF, says results are sent within 1 to 10 business days from your test date, as a digital certificate. For the TCF Canada, France Éducation international says results take 15 working days after it receives the session material from the centre, so allow longer.

Retakes. The TEF owner sets a 20-day waiting period between two tests. France Éducation international's current TCF Canada page also says 20 days (it said 30 until mid-2026). Some Indian centres, Kolkata among them, still state 30 days between attempts, so check with your centre.

Validity. Results are valid for two years. For Express Entry, IRCC requires them to be less than two years old both when you create your profile and when you submit your permanent residence application. Don't test too early if your application is a long way off.

Plan the dates around your exam with this calculator. It shows your countdown, when to sit full mock tests, when results should arrive, the earliest retake date and when the result expires.

What score you need, and why it matters for Express Entry

For most Indian candidates the target is NCLC 7 in all four skills. That level:

• makes you eligible for French-language category draws, which IRCC lists first among its 2026 categories;
• earns 25 additional CRS points, or 50 if you also have CLB 5 or higher in all four English skills;
• meets the Federal Skilled Worker minimum if French is your first official language.

On the TEF Canada, use the "Équivalence ancien score" column of your certificate for Express Entry. Our guide to NCLC 7 on the TEF Canada gives the exact scores per skill. To see what French would add to your own profile, try the CRS calculator.

See also our guide to French for Express Entry for how the French category works.

Which test should you choose?

If both tests are available on similar dates, choose on format. The biggest difference is writing: the TCF Canada asks for three shorter texts with word limits, while the TEF Canada asks for two longer texts, one of at least 200 words. Our article TCF vs TEF: which is easier? compares every section. This quick quiz gives you a suggestion in under a minute.

Before you book, get a baseline with a free TCF Canada practice test or TEF Canada practice test. Knowing your weakest skill tells you how much study time you need before your seat comes up.

A study plan for working professionals

Most Indian candidates learn French alongside a full-time job. A long waitlist can work in your favour: it gives you a fixed deadline.

• Find your level first. Take a timed practice test in your chosen format.
• Estimate the hours. Our guide from zero to NCLC 7 has a planner that turns your level and weekly hours into a target month.
• Protect speaking time. Many self-taught learners read well but freeze when they speak. Book regular conversation practice, or practise aloud with a timer.
• Sit full mock tests six, three and one week before your exam to build stamina. Both tests take close to three hours.

On the day: what to expect

Both tests take most of a day, so plan for it like a work deadline:

• The TEF Canada is taken on computer for reading, listening and writing, with the speaking test face to face with an examiner. All four tests must be taken on the same day for IRCC to recognise the certificate. You type your writing on a computer with a virtual keyboard for accents, so practise typing French before the exam.
• The TCF Canada may be on paper or on computer, depending on the centre. Bhopal, for example, lists a pen-and-paper session. Speaking is always face to face with an examiner and recorded.
• Photos and ID. The TCF centre photographs candidates on the day at IRCC's request. Bring the ID document you registered with.
• No notes. Paper and documents aren't allowed during the TEF listening and speaking tests.

In total, the TCF Canada lasts 2 h 47 and the TEF Canada about 2 h 55 of testing time, plus breaks and check-in. Full timed mock tests are the best way to get used to that length. The free exam day checklist covers what to bring and what to expect.

Costs beyond the exam fee

Budget for more than the ₹26,000:

• Preparation: courses, books and practice tests.
• Travel: if your nearest centre has no seats, add train or flight and a hotel night. Arrive early: on the TCF Canada, no one is admitted once the listening test has started.
• A possible retake: many candidates need a second attempt to reach NCLC 7 in every skill. Leave room in your budget and your timeline.

Our take

In India, plan backwards from the seat, not from the study plan. Join one or two waitlists now, set a realistic target date, then use the time to bring your weakest skill up to NCLC 7. Whichever test you get, the goal and the points are the same.