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Updated: 2026-09-18
JLPT 2026: Test Dates, Registration Windows, and the Road to December
The JLPT is held on the same day worldwide: in 2026, the first session ran on Sunday, July 5, and the second runs on Sunday, December 6. There is no third date: miss the December window and the next chance is July 2027. Registration is not global: every country sets its own application period, and by mid-September most of them are closing or already closed. This page collects the confirmed 2026 dates, the registration situation by country, and a realistic plan for the weeks that remain.
The 2026 dates at a glance
| Session | Test date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (July) | Sunday, July 5, 2026 | Held; results out since late August / early September |
| 2nd (December) | Sunday, December 6, 2026 | Registration mostly closed; a few countries still open |
The exam date is global, but the levels offered and even the number of sessions per year depend on the city. Some locations only run the test once a year; in Russia, for example, most cities hold only the December session. The authoritative list of host cities and their test months is on the official site's overseas list; anything else is secondhand.
Registration windows by country
Registration for the December session opened in August across most countries and runs into September. The situation as of mid-September 2026:
| Country | Application period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Aug 24 – Sep 7 | Closed, and it closed early (Sep 3) under application load |
| South Korea | Sep 1 – Sep 20 | Still open; late registration Sep 28 – Oct 4 with a 10% surcharge |
| Vietnam | Varies by city (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hue) | Ho Chi Minh City's window (Jul 28 – Aug 28) has closed; check your local host institution |
| United States | Opens early September | Often open into the fall, but popular sites sell out, so register immediately |
| United Kingdom | From early/mid-August | Each test centre closes when it fills; most are full by now |
| Russia | From around early August | Both sittings in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok and several other cities; December-only in most of the rest — the full venue list is on jlpt.jp |
Two rules survive any table of dates. First, application periods end without notice when a site fills. The JLPT in Japan and the Philippines both closed their windows early this year. Second, the official jlpt.jp overseas list is the only source for who runs the test in your country and when; local centres publish their own deadlines, which is what actually binds you.
If your window has closed, the late-registration option is worth checking: Korea runs an additional period (September 28 – October 4) for a 10% fee, and some other committees do the same. Otherwise, the July 2027 session is the target; its registration typically opens in March–April 2027.
What test day looks like
All five levels, N1 through N5, run on the same day, in two blocks:
- N1 and N2 meet in the morning. Entry closes around 09:40.
- N3 through N5 meet in the early afternoon. Entry closes around 13:40.
Arrive early: late entry is refused, and no amount of preparation fixes a closed door. Bring the printed test voucher and the ID document your local committee specified. In Korea, for example, only prescribed ID types are accepted, with no exceptions on the day.
Fees vary by country. Reference points for 2026: ¥7,500 in Japan, ₩75,000 (N1–N3) / ₩60,000 (N4–N5) in Korea, $135 in the US, roughly 710,000₫ in Vietnam. The level does not change the fee inside one country (Korea's two-tier pricing is the exception).
When results arrive
December-session results go online in late January 2027, with paper certificates mailed through February–March. If you need the certificate for a job or school application, plan for that lag: the score arrives weeks before the document does. Since the December 2025 session, score reports also print a CEFR reference level alongside the JLPT score.
Eleven weeks out: what actually helps
From mid-September to December 6 is about eleven weeks. Enough time to move a level boundary if you already have a base; not enough to build one from zero. What works at this range:
- Take one full past paper this week. Not to predict your score: to find which section loses the most points. That section is your study plan.
- Fix a vocabulary floor, not a ceiling. A realistic daily review load beats an ambitious one you abandon in October. If you're preparing for N5 or N4, the N5 scope breakdown lists what the levels actually contain.
- Train listening every day, in exam format. Listening is the most common failed section among self-learners. Audio sources played at conversational speed, answered in the paper's question format, not slow podcast listening.
- Book reading practice in blocks, not drops. The reading sections are as much about stamina as grammar. Two 20-minute timed blocks a week beat an hour of untyped casual reading.
- Verify the logistics now. Test voucher printing (Korea: from October 26), venue distance, ID rules. Every year someone studies hard and misses the exam over paperwork.
If your tooling isn't settled yet: Origa builds vocabulary from the material you already read (textbook pages, manga panels, subtitled video) and schedules reviews by spaced repetition, offline. See how it fits exam prep or download it here.
FAQ
When is the JLPT in December 2026?
Sunday, December 6, 2026, worldwide. N1–N2 test in the morning, N3–N5 in the afternoon.
Can I still register for the December 2026 JLPT?
Depends on the country. Korea's regular window runs until September 20 with late registration until October 4. Japan, the Philippines, and most European centres have closed. The US is often still open into the fall. Check your local test centre, not a blog table.
How much does the JLPT cost?
It varies by country: ¥7,500 in Japan, ₩60,000–75,000 in Korea, $135 in the US. Late-registration periods, where they exist, add roughly 10%.
When are December JLPT results released?
Online in late January 2027 for most countries. Paper certificates follow by mail through February–March.