Who handles JFT-Basic registration?
Two organisations run JFT-Basic, and it helps to know who does what:
- The Japan Foundation makes the test, sets the scoring and publishes study materials. It does not take bookings, at its head office or its overseas offices.
- Prometric runs the test centres. Everything practical happens on Prometric's website: your account (the Prometric ID), booking, payment, changes, the Confirmation Letter and your official result.
So if you have a booking problem, contact Prometric's customer service, not the Japan Foundation.
What you need before you start
Gather these before you open the registration page:
- Your passport, valid and undamaged. Prometric reads the two-line code at the bottom of the photo page (the MRZ), and an expired or damaged passport whose MRZ cannot be checked is not accepted. Indonesian nationals testing in Indonesia use their e-KTP instead. Candidates in Japan also need their Residence Card.
- An email address you will keep. Your ID, Confirmation Letter notices and result notices go there.
- A phone number and postal address in letters and numbers.
- A payment method that works in your test country, or a voucher.
Step by step: registering and booking
Create one Prometric ID
Open the JFT-Basic page on Prometric's site and choose to create a Prometric ID. Enter your email, a password of 6–14 letters and numbers (upper and lower case count as different), your nationality, your testing country, your passport MRZ details, phone number and address. Prometric emails your ID to you.
Only one Prometric ID per person is allowed. If you already have one from another Prometric exam, use it. If you enter an email that is already registered, Prometric sends that existing ID to it.
Enter your name exactly as on your ID
Use the spelling on your passport (or e-KTP). Three rules catch people out:
- Maximum 39 characters. If your name is longer, enter the first 39 characters only.
- No symbols. Remove apostrophes, dots and other symbols.
- One-name passports: put your full name in First Name and a single hyphen in Last Name. The same applies to e-KTP holders.
Also check your date of birth, gender and nationality. They are printed on your result notice.
Check the booking window and choose a session
You can only book while a booking window is open, and only for dates inside that test period. Check the dates on our test dates and centres page and on Prometric's schedule grid. When the window opens, log in, choose "Scheduling Test", select JFT-Basic and the language, then search by date, area and start time at your preferred centre.
Check the exam and language twice. Prometric says a mistake here cannot be changed, corrected or refunded.
Pay the fee
The fee is set per country (see the fee table on the dates page). Payment methods depend on where you test:
- Credit card or e-wallet: enter your details and pay. Your booking is complete when payment goes through.
- PayPay: for tests in Japan.
- Voucher: companies and organisations buy them from Voucher Express, and in some countries you can buy one for cash at a sales counter. Enter the voucher number and its expiry date when booking. Expired vouchers are rejected.
In Bangladesh, e-wallet payments add about 2%. In India and Pakistan the gross price (with tax) is what you pay.
Save and print your Confirmation Letter
After booking, Prometric issues a Confirmation Letter. It shows your booking, what to bring and a map of your centre. You must bring it on test day together with your ID. It can only be viewed until the test day, so download or print it straight away.
Prepare, then sit the test
Read the exam-day rules in our exam day guide, watch the Japan Foundation's test-screen video, and take a timed mock test. Your score appears on screen at the end of the test, and the official notice is on Prometric's My Page within 5 business days.
The booking deadline
The deadline rule is the same on the Japan Foundation's and Prometric's pages:
- Book at least 3 business days before your test date.
- For a test on a Saturday, Sunday or Japanese public holiday, book at least 4 business days before.
- The cut-off is 23:59 Japan time on the deadline day.
- Business days skip weekends, Japanese public holidays and the New Year holidays.
Count in Japanese business days, not your own country's. A Japanese holiday can move your deadline even if it is a normal working day where you live.
Rescheduling, cancellation and refunds
This is the strictest part of JFT-Basic registration:
| Action | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Change date, time or centre | Yes, until the change deadline (same as the booking deadline), and only if a seat is free. Use the "Change" button on your booking |
| Change after the deadline | No |
| Cancel the booking | No. JFT-Basic bookings cannot be cancelled |
| Refund if you don't attend | No. Fees and vouchers are not refunded, whether or not you attend |
| Refund if refused entry (late, wrong ID) | No |
| Fix a wrong exam or language | No |
The practical lesson: only book a date you are sure you can attend, and if your plans change, move the booking before the deadline rather than missing the test.
Rules for retakes and multiple bookings
If your total score is 199 or lower, you can book again, but the new test date must be more than 45 days after your last test. Prometric counts from the day after your previous test. Once you score 200 or more, you cannot take JFT-Basic again. Our retake date calculator works out the earliest date for you.
Country-specific rules
- Indonesia: only Indonesian nationals can test in Indonesia, using an e-KTP, and they must be at least 18 on the test date.
- Myanmar: Myanmar nationals must be at least 17 on the test date.
- Vietnam: if you book through a sending organisation, register the email address the organisation gives you.
- Uzbekistan: bring a passport for overseas travel.
- Japan: you need a residence status (short-term stay is accepted). Bring your passport and Residence Card, or a passport showing your status.
Common registration mistakes
- Creating a second ID because you forgot the first one. Recover it by email instead.
- Typing the name from memory. Copy it from the passport's MRZ, cut to 39 characters, symbols removed.
- Picking the wrong exam. Prometric runs many SSW exams on the same system.
- Booking too late for a weekend. Saturday and Sunday need 4 business days.
- Not printing the Confirmation Letter. It disappears after test day, and you need it to get in.
- Booking before you are ready. A score below 200 means a 45-day wait and a new fee. Check your level first with the free practice test.