JLPT registration: how to apply in Japan and abroad

JLPT December 2026 and 2027: what is open now

As of October 5, 2026, no JLPT application is open in Japan.

• Applications for the December 2026 test in Japan have closed. JEES posted the closing notice on 3 September, four days before the 7 September deadline.
• December 2026 N1 and N2 applications closed at 12:00 on 31 August, 7 days before the 7 September deadline, and will not reopen.
• N3 applications were reopened only for Tokyo and Osaka at 10:00 on 2 September. Anyone applying there tests in Tokyo or Osaka regardless of home address. The reopened N3 slots lasted about an hour: Osaka closed 10:41 and Tokyo 11:20 on 2 September.
• No late applications are accepted for any reason.
• As of 5 October 2026 no 2027 test date, application window, fee or eligibility rule for Japan is published on info.jees-jlpt.jp or jlpt.jp. The home page lists only the two 2026 tests.
• Some overseas hosts have closed too. US general registration for December 2026 closed 16 September; seats fill very quickly. Australia: December 2026 applications closed; no late applications, waiting list or standby, and most sites filled before the deadline.

Sources: JEES: home page, JEES: notice (1), JEES: notice (2), JEES: notice (3), JEES FAQ: applying, AATJ (JLPT in the US), Japan Foundation Sydney: JLPT

What to do before the 2027 dates appear

• Make your MyJLPT account now. Registration is free, and the site slows down near deadlines.
• Find your residence card. You will enter its number and the expiry date printed on the card, not the end date of your period of stay.
• Take a face photo close to the window, because the application needs one taken within the past 6 months.
• Watch the JEES site for the window. In 2026 the July window opened on 17 March and the December window on 24 August. JEES has not published 2027 windows.
• Apply on the first day. Seats ran out before the deadline in both 2026 rounds, and the site was hard to reach on the December opening day.
• Do not assume the 2026 residence card rule carries over. No 2027 eligibility rule is published.
• If you need a Japanese test result for a visa, check whether another test counts. The Immigration Services Agency has told applicants that the JFT-Basic can replace the JLPT in some cases. See JLPT for visas and work.

Sources: JEES: MyJLPT, JEES: applying in MyJLPT, JEES: July 2026 test guide, JEES: December 2026 test guide, JEES: home page (1), JEES: notice, JEES: home page (2), Immigration Services Agency (PDF)

Who can register for the JLPT in Japan in 2026?

2026 tests in Japan are for non-native speakers who are mid- to long-term residents or special permanent residents. In practice, the residence card is what gets you in, because you enter its number when you apply.

• A newcomer qualifies once a residence card has been issued to them. No minimum length of stay is stated on any JEES page.
• Tourists and anyone on a short stay without a residence card cannot take the test. A stay limited to under three months also means no card, so no test.
• Planning to arrive in Japan does not count: if no residence card has been issued when you apply, you cannot apply.
• A card holder who is temporarily abroad can apply, but must give a Japanese address.
• Some people without a residence card may still apply if they declare it when applying: naturalized Japanese citizens whose first language is not Japanese, people with provisional stay permission, US and UN forces agreement persons, diplomatic and official status. JEES may ask for proof afterward.
• Native Japanese speakers are normally not eligible. If your first language is Japanese, contact the Application Center before applying to find out if you can take it. Naturalized Japanese citizens who are non-native speakers can take the test. Declare Japanese nationality when applying; it can be checked on test day.
• There is no age restriction for the JLPT itself, but local host institutions may add rules.
• JEES is emailing some December 2026 applicants to upload a photo proving they are eligible. Miss the deadline in the email and you cannot sit the test, and the fee is not refunded.

Sources: JEES: home page, JEES: applying in MyJLPT, JEES: notice, JEES FAQ: applying, JEES FAQ: about the test, jlpt.jp: FAQ

JLPT 申し込み (application) in Japan, step by step

1. Create a MyJLPT accountRegistration is two steps: interim registration, then a JEES email with a link to full registration where you enter the password you set.
2. Apply online during the windowApplication is online only; paper applications ended in 2020. You can apply from a smartphone or tablet but not a feature phone. The 2026 windows ran from 17 March to 7 April for July and from 24 August to 7 September for December.
3. Log in and startYou log in to MyJLPT with your MyJLPT ID and password on the top page of the JEES JLPT website. During application use the on-screen buttons, not the browser back and forward buttons.
4. Choose one level and one test areaYou can apply for only one level per test; duplicate applications may disqualify you. You choose a test area, not a venue, and the area table below shows the 11 areas.
5. Enter your detailsHave your passport name, a face photo, your residence card and a daytime phone number ready. The full list is in the next section.
6. Pay the feeTest fee in Japan: ¥7,500, tax included (2026 tests). Pay by credit card, Pay-easy bank transfer or at a convenience store. Details are in the fee table below.
7. Check that it shows as paid and save your numberAfter paying, check that the fee shows as Paid on the Check and Modify JLPT Application screen. You get an application acceptance number at the end; keep it for inquiries.
8. Wait for your test voucherDecember 2026 test vouchers are mailed by 20 November 2026, and you can see yours in MyJLPT from 17 November. What to do with it: JLPT test day.

Group applications (through a school or company) are for groups of 10 or more applicants.

Sources: JEES: MyJLPT registration, JEES FAQ: applying, JEES: December 2026 test guide, JEES: July 2026 test guide, JEES: applying in MyJLPT

What the JLPT application form asks for

• Name: Enter your name in Roman letters as on your passport, 33 letters maximum. If your name is longer than 33 letters you may shorten it, for example by leaving out the middle name or using initials.
• Photo: The application needs a face photo taken within the past 6 months (JPEG, at least 480x640 pixels, up to 5 MB). You can upload a photo you already have or take one with a webcam during the application. The photo goes on the voucher and certificates and cannot be changed after the application period ends. A photo that does not identify you means you cannot take the test.
• Address: Postal code and address must be right; a mistake changes the venue. For individuals, the address is the one on the residence card. Mail (voucher and results) goes to it; the Japanese page also allows a school or company address. Using another person's address without permission means you cannot take the test; if you live with someone, add 'in care of' with their name.
• Phone: Give a phone number that can reach you during the day, such as your mobile number.
• Residence card: Applications in Japan require a residence card number and its expiration date; false information may be reported to the Immigration Services Agency. Enter the expiry date printed on the card, not the end date of your period of stay. If your card is being renewed when you apply, enter the number and expiry of the card you hold now. If the card information you registered is wrong, you cannot take the test.
• The application also asks for your approximate Japanese study hours (class and home study), your reason for taking the JLPT and your occupation.
• Changes: Other registered details, including your photo, can be changed only while applications are open. You can change level and test area only during the application period, and not at all once your level or area has closed early.

Sources: JEES: applying in MyJLPT, JEES: application notes, JEES FAQ: applying

JLPT test areas in Japan

Japan has 11 test areas; the same level may be assigned to different sites in an area. Your venue is set from your area, your postal code and your level. You may be placed in a neighboring prefecture depending on applications. The same home address does not guarantee the same venue as last time.

If you pick an area other than the one you live in, you are sent to that area's main city, e.g. Tokyo area for area 3, Osaka for area 7, Aichi for area 6, Fukuoka for area 10.

Sources: JEES FAQ: applying, JEES: application notes

JLPT fee and how to pay in Japan

Test fee in Japan: ¥7,500, tax included (2026 tests). The fee was also 7,500 yen in December 2025 (no change from 2025 to 2026). Abroad, each host sets its own fee.

An application is deleted automatically if the fee is not paid by the due date; you can apply again only inside the application period. No cancellation and no refund once paid, including for mistaken duplicate applications. You cannot transfer to a later test. The one refund case is a test that JEES cancels. If you cannot attend you do not need to tell JEES, and the fee is not refunded. To change how you pay, you restart the application from the beginning. Fee receipts can be issued from MyJLPT from one week after payment, for one year (covering two tests).

Sources: JEES: December 2026 test guide, jlpt.jp: test statistics, JEES: applying in MyJLPT, JEES: MyJLPT, JEES: home page, JEES FAQ: test day

After you apply: voucher, corrections and address changes

• December 2026 test vouchers are mailed by 20 November 2026, and you can see yours in MyJLPT from 17 November.
• If your test voucher does not arrive, print it from MyJLPT and use that at the test site. If your voucher is missing and you cannot print it, call the Application Center between 24 November and 4 December 2026 with your birth date, name in letters and phone number.
• Check the photo on the voucher at once. If it is wrong, call the Application Center within the stated period or you cannot sit the test.
• Name fixes are limited to one or two characters; you cannot change both name and date of birth. Corrections by phone or FAX are not accepted; post only. Send corrections by post, postmarked 7 to 25 December 2026. Later corrections cost 1,000 yen. July 2026 window was 6 to 24 July.
• If the name on your voucher is wrong, the answer sheet carries it as is; sit the test with it; no changes at the site.
• You cannot change the level, registration number, test site or room on your voucher.
• You can change the mailing address for paper results (Japan only) on MyJLPT 'Check and Modify applicants’ information' from 7 to 25 December 2026. For July 2026 it was 6 to 24 July. More on the paper result: JLPT results.

Sources: JEES: December 2026 test guide, JEES: application notes, JEES FAQ: test voucher

How to apply for the JLPT outside Japan

Outside Japan the Japan Foundation runs the test with local host institutions. In 2025 the JLPT was held in 92 countries and areas (58 in July, 82 in December).

• Find your country on the official list of host institutions. The official overseas list is on jlpt.jp, grouped by region, with test cities per host institution; it is dated September 11, 2026.
• Overseas: find your country and local host institution, confirm how to register, then register and pay the host; application periods differ by city.
• Details differ by country or area; check with the local host institution. Local hosts may add requirements or restrictions, so check before registering.
• Overseas general timing: July test applications around March to April, December test around August to September.
• Overseas vouchers come from the host institution, early July and early December.
• You cannot apply in one country and sit in another; fees differ by country because different organizations run the test.
• MyJLPT is the system for the test in Japan, and JEES says you cannot use it if you will take the test overseas.
• The JLPT runs twice a year, July and December; some overseas cities hold only one.
• There is no age restriction for the JLPT itself, but local host institutions may add rules. US: some sites need a minor consent form for under-18s; Atlanta only takes people born on or before 6 December 2008.
• Applying for the test in Japan from abroad? You can apply from abroad only if you hold a Japanese residence card and the address on file is in Japan.

Sources: jlpt.jp: FAQ, jlpt.jp: test data by test, jlpt.jp: overseas test cities and hosts, jlpt.jp: taking the test overseas, JEES FAQ: applying, JEES: MyJLPT, AATJ (JLPT in the US)

Examples of JLPT fees outside Japan (December 2026)

The fees are in different currencies and include different charges, so we have not converted or ranked them. The fee in Japan is 7,500 yen; abroad it is set by each host, so it varies by country. For other countries, use the host list above. We found no fee text for Canada, China, South Korea or Taiwan.

Sources: AATJ (JLPT in the US), Japan Foundation Sydney: JLPT, SOAS London: JLPT, Japan Foundation Manila: JLPT, JEES: December 2026 test guide

MyJLPT account help

MyJLPT is where you apply for the test in Japan. The login is on the JEES JLPT site, so this section covers only the problems people hit.

• The MyJLPT ID is issued after full registration and appears in the completion email. The site has no separate 'JLPT ID'.
• Forgotten ID or password: use the 'Remind me' links on the login page. The Application Center cannot look them up.
• Errors in name, address, phone or email can get the registration rejected.
• Use an email program that handles Japanese; others garble the emails. The site needs JavaScript, cookies and SSL turned on.
• The site shows Japanese with furigana or English, switchable at any time.
• A deleted MyJLPT ID cannot be restored, and a new ID with the same email is not linked to the old data.
• Data typed into a test application is not copied back into your MyJLPT profile, and the reverse.
• If you applied on paper before 2019, you cannot see that test's voucher or result in MyJLPT.
• Contact: JLPT Application Center, 03-6686-2974, 9:30 to 17:30 on weekdays; no email inquiries.

Sources: jlpt.jp: taking the test in Japan, JEES: MyJLPT registration, JEES: MyJLPT (1), JEES: applying in MyJLPT, JEES: MyJLPT (2)

Need special testing accommodations?

• Options include Braille or large-print questions and answers, extra time, a separate room and assistive devices such as magnifiers or hearing aids. JEES decides the final arrangement and may not offer everything requested.
• Special testing accommodations must be requested within the application period. Call the Application Center as soon as applications open to get the form.
• Get the request form by phone, fill it in and send with a copy of a disability certificate or doctor's certificate.
• The request does not replace your application: you must also apply online.
• US (AATJ): the December 2026 accommodation deadline was 4 September, earlier than the 16 September registration close, so overseas hosts set their own deadlines.

Sources: JEES: special testing accommodations, AATJ (JLPT in the US)

Study while you wait for the 2027 dates

The next test is months away, and lessons can fill the time.

italki

• One-to-one lessons by video with a teacher you choose
• Up to 3 trial lessons, one per teacher
• Pay per lesson, no subscription needed

Price: Each teacher sets the price in US dollars, and many offer a discounted trial lesson

• Fits you if you want regular lessons until the next test opens.
• Not for you if you only need a seat at the test: lessons do not help you register or get a seat.

Source: italki

Find a Japanese teacher for the JLPT on italki

【italki(アイトーキー)】

Opens italki's site (Japanese; English version too)