JFT-Basic in Nepal: fee, test centres, booking time and the road to SSW

Test fee

USD 36tax is added at booking

ID to bring

Passport

Test length

60 min · about 50 questions

On-screen translation

Nepali

Score for SSW (i)

200 or higher (A2)

Why Nepal is different

Nepal is the second-largest JFT-Basic market after Indonesia. In the August–September 2026 test period, the Japan Foundation's implementation report counted 12,782 applicants and 12,055 people who sat the test in Nepal. That is more than Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Philippines combined.

Two things follow from those numbers. First, seats go fast, so Prometric gives Nepal its own booking start time. Second, the competition makes good preparation matter: in that same period, 27.6% of Nepali test-takers reached A2.2 (a score of 200 or more), the level the Japanese government uses for the SSW visa. Across all countries the figure was 41.3%. In June–July 2026, before the new bands, 33.5% of Nepali test-takers passed the A2 line.

That gap is a study problem, not a fate. The official result shows the percentage you got right in each of the four sections, so after one sitting you know where the points went. A timed full mock test gives you the same picture before you pay USD 36.

How much does the JFT-Basic cost in Nepal?

The fee is USD 36 on Prometric's fee page. You pay it online during booking. Prometric's payment page lists only one method for Nepal: a Visa or Mastercard credit, debit or prepaid card with 3D Secure (the one-time password your bank sends). There is no voucher, no e-wallet and no cash payment for Nepal.

Practical points:

• Dollar cards. Many Nepali bank cards are not enabled for foreign currency payments. Prometric's payment page points Nepali candidates to Nabil Bank's iCard, a prepaid card. Whatever card you use, load or enable it for international online payments before booking day, not during it.
• Tax line. Prometric's payment page says the amount you pay at booking is a tax-inclusive price. Check the final total on the payment screen before you confirm.
• No refunds if your ID is refused at the centre, so get the passport details right at registration.

For the fee in other countries, see the guide hub.

Where are the JFT-Basic test centres in Nepal?

Prometric's overseas schedule (updated 15 October 2026) lists five centres in three cities:

The renaming took effect on 2 October 2026. If a friend tells you to book "Dillibazar" or "Bagmati", those names no longer appear in the booking system. Prometric does not publish street addresses on the schedule page; the address of the centre you book is printed on your Confirmation Letter. Before booking, check the current list on Prometric's overseas schedule, because centres open, close and get renamed.

Candidates from Chitwan, Butwal or the eastern Terai usually choose between the Kathmandu valley and Pokhara. Pokhara has a single centre, so have a Kathmandu or Lalitpur date ready as your second choice in case its seats are gone.

When does JFT-Basic booking open in Nepal?

The JFT-Basic is booked in two-month test periods. For the next one, Prometric gives:

• Booking opens: 25 November 2026, at about 12:45 PM Nepal time (about 4:00 PM Japan time). Other countries open about six hours earlier.
• Booking closes: 12 January 2027.
• Test dates: 1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027.

The current period's tests run until 15 November 2026. Inside each period, a booking must be made at least 3 business days before the test (four for weekend and holiday tests).

Don't confuse this with the new 59-day rule

On 2 October 2026 Prometric announced that six SSW skills tests in Nepal now open for booking 59 days before each test date. They include the nursing care, agriculture, construction, accommodation and automobile maintenance tests. The JFT-Basic is not on that list. If you are going for nursing care, you will book the JFT-Basic in its fixed period, and the Nursing Care skills and language tests on the rolling 59-day schedule. The notice also describes a virtual waiting room and a limit of about 20 minutes to finish a booking once you get through.

What ID do you need?

Your original passport, and nothing else. No citizenship certificate, no photocopy and no photo on your phone. The name, passport number and date of birth on your Prometric ID must match the passport exactly. If you renew your passport between booking and test day, update your Prometric details before the test. Bring your Confirmation Letter as well. The exam day guide covers what happens at check-in.

The test itself, in Nepali

On screen, the instructions are in English, with a Your Language button that shows a Nepali translation. The Japanese you are tested on (the sentences, dialogues and audio) is never translated. The test has about 50 questions in four sections and one 60-minute clock. You see your score at the end of the test, and the official result appears on Prometric My Page within 5 business days.

If you score 200 or more, you cannot sit the test again (and don't need to). If you score lower, you can rebook after 45 days. The retake date calculator gives the exact date.

From JFT-Basic to SSW: Nepal's government procedure

Japan and Nepal have a Memorandum of Cooperation on SSW, renewed for five years from 1 April 2024. The Immigration Services Agency publishes a summary of the Nepali side of the process. It is separate from the Japanese visa steps:

1. Job offer

   Japanese employers can recruit Nepali workers directly, or file a job order with the Embassy of Nepal in Tokyo (a paid service). The embassy forwards it to the Japan desk of Nepal's Department of Foreign Employment, which shares it with job seekers.

2. Contract and Certificate of Eligibility

   You sign an SSW employment contract. The employer applies to Japanese immigration for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and posts you the original.

3. Visa

   You apply for the SSW visa at the Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu with the COE.

4. Nepali pre-departure steps

   A medical check at a designated clinic, a 2–3 day pre-departure orientation, foreign-employment insurance and a payment to the Migrant Workers' Welfare Fund.

5. Labour permit

   You apply online to the Department of Foreign Employment's Japan desk for an overseas labour permit. Immigration at the airport checks it when you leave. The ISA says steps 4 and 5 take about 10 days in total.

People already in Japan who switch to SSW also need the labour permit if they visit Nepal and return. You still need the skills test for your field: see the SSW fields guide.

Planning the whole move, not just the test? Our SSW visa cost calculator helps you add up what going to Japan on SSW should cost, from the JFT-Basic fee onwards, and the salary calculator estimates your take-home pay once you are there.