- Yes, you can reschedule. Transfer to a new sitting in your CELPIP account at least 7 calendar days before your test date.
- Cancel 7 or more days before the test and you get 50% of your fee back. Cancel later, or miss the test, and you get nothing back.
- Inside 7 days, contact CELPIP. A late transfer is at its discretion and may need a doctor's note or proof of bereavement.
Yes, you can reschedule a CELPIP test. CELPIP calls it a transfer, and you do it yourself in your CELPIP account at least 7 calendar days before your test date.
Cancelling uses the same 7-day line. Before it, you get half your fee back. After it, you get nothing. This guide covers each rule as of October 2026, taken from the CELPIP website, and what to do when your situation does not fit them.
Can you reschedule CELPIP?
Yes. You can move your registration to a different date, time or location. The CELPIP policy calls this a transfer to a different sitting. Three limits apply:
- Same test type: a transfer keeps the same type of test. A CELPIP-General booking moves to another CELPIP-General sitting, not to CELPIP-General LS.
- Same person: you cannot pass your registration to someone else.
- 7 days or more: online transfers must be made at least 7 calendar days before the original test date. Pages for centres in the United States say 9 calendar days.
What a transfer costs
As of October 2026, the CELPIP website gives two answers. The policies page and the contact page say the first transfer is free and each later transfer costs $50 CAD plus tax.
The same two pages also say a transfer costs $50 CAD plus tax, with no free first transfer. The test overview page and the test centre pages we checked give only the $50 fee.
Your CELPIP account shows the real amount before you confirm. Fees may vary by centre or country. Plan for $50 plus tax, in case the free transfer does not apply to you.
How many times you can transfer
The CELPIP website does not publish a maximum number of transfers. The words "subsequent transfer fee" suggest more than one is possible. Each transfer must still meet the 7-day rule.
How to transfer your test
These steps come from the CELPIP policies page in October 2026:
- Sign in to your CELPIP account on the CELPIP website.
- Under "Upcoming test", click "Actions", then "Transfer to a different sitting".
- Choose the new date, time or location, and follow the prompts to finish.
Before you start, look at the dates on offer. If your first choice is full, have a second date or centre ready. When you finish, check that your account shows the new date, time and centre.
Fixing your details is not a transfer
To correct your name, date of birth or passport details, email CELPIP at least 7 days before the test. Your details must match your ID exactly. If they do not, you may be refused entry, with no refund or transfer.
Cancelling and refunds
To cancel, sign in to your CELPIP account. Under "Upcoming test", click "Actions", then "Cancel test registration". Your refund depends on when CELPIP receives the request:
- 7 or more calendar days before: you get back 50% of the fee you paid.
- Fewer than 7 calendar days before: the booking is cancelled, but you get no refund.
- Centres in the United States: the line is 9 calendar days, with the same 50% refund.
Do the maths before you cancel. CELPIP pages list the full CELPIP-General test at $290 to $299 plus tax in Canada, as of October 2026. If you paid $290, half is $145. A transfer costs $50 or nothing.
So if you still plan to take the test, a transfer costs less than cancelling and paying again. Cancel only if you no longer need the test at all.
Inside 7 days or no-show
Inside the 7-day window, you cannot transfer online. Contact CELPIP customer service instead. In October 2026 the policy lists the phone number 778-327-6854 and the email info@celpip.ca.
CELPIP decides each late request at its own discretion. It may ask for documents that show your reason, such as a doctor's note or proof of a death in the family. The contact page says CELPIP may grant the transfer for a fee, grant it free, or refuse it.
A late cancellation is different. CELPIP always accepts it, but you get no refund.
Illness or an emergency
CELPIP does not publish a separate medical or compassionate policy. Illness and bereavement go through the same late transfer request. Contact CELPIP as early as you can, and keep your documents ready.
If you fall sick more than 7 days before the test, you do not need to ask. Transfer online in your account instead.
Missing the test or arriving late
If you do not show up, you lose your fee. No published CELPIP rule gives a refund or transfer for a missed test. The test day rules are also strict:
- Arrival: come 45 minutes before your test. Check-in closes 15 minutes before the start time.
- Late: if you arrive after check-in closes, you cannot take the test. You get no refund or transfer.
- ID: bring the original, valid ID you registered with. Without it, you are refused entry, with no refund or transfer.
If you registered with a passport, CELPIP advises you not to send it away before your test. Sending it off for a visa renewal, for example, could cost you the test.
If CELPIP cancels the test
CELPIP can cancel any test session before it is held. The policy does not list reasons, so weather and technical problems are not named. The rule covers any session CELPIP cancels. When it happens:
- Notice: CELPIP will try to tell you by email, at the address you registered with.
- Your choice: on request, you get your fee back, or CELPIP applies it to another session.
- Other costs: CELPIP is not responsible for travel or hotel costs linked to a cancelled test.
The same choice applies if CELPIP later invalidates a session or score after the test. Misconduct is the exception. If your score is cancelled for cheating or breaking the rules, you get no refund and no new session.
Keep the email in your CELPIP account up to date, and check your spam folder in the days before the test.
Before you change your date
Go through this list before you transfer or cancel:
- Your deadline: for Express Entry, IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) wants results less than 2 years old. That applies when you create your profile and when you apply for PR. For a work permit or other deadline, check the rule on canada.ca.
- Results time: results appear in your CELPIP account 2 to 4 business days after the test. Business days skip weekends and holidays. Our guide to CELPIP results explains what comes next.
- The 7-day line: count calendar days to your test. If you are at 8 days, act today. In the United States, the line is 9 days.
- Open seats: check that the new sitting has space before you cancel anything.
- Booking gap: if you book a second test instead, the policies page says you cannot hold two sessions within 5 calendar days. Some centre pages say 4 days, and United States pages say 30.
- Your readiness: if you are moving the date to study more, plan the extra weeks. Our guide to preparing for CELPIP has a step-by-step plan. A free sample test shows where each skill stands today.