How long is IELTS valid? 2026 rules by country

The 2-year period comes from the IELTS partners. It is a recommendation, not a law. Each university, visa office or professional licensing body (for example a nursing council) decides how old a result it will accept. So the real question is: who will receive your result?

The table shows the rule each organisation gives on its own website. For the band scores each visa needs, see our IELTS requirements by country guides, such as IELTS for Canada and IELTS for Australia.

For Canada, check two dates, not one. Your result must be less than 2 years old when you complete your Express Entry profile (Canada’s online system for people who want to move there permanently). It must still be less than 2 years old when you submit your permanent residence (PR) application. Express Entry also needs IELTS General Training, not Academic.

The table covers 10 common purposes. If yours is not listed, for example a job or another country, ask the organisation directly. Until you hear back, plan with the 2-year rule.

For most purposes, 2 years. That is the IELTS recommendation, and Canada, UK visas, the NMC (the UK nursing council) and Ahpra (the Australian health registration body) all use 2 years.

Australia is different. If your visa needs Vocational, Competent, Proficient or Superior English, your test must be from the 3 years before your visa application. The exact rule depends on your visa type (its subclass number).

Your first Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) has its own rule: it needs a test from the last 12 months. So do visas that need only Functional English (a level below Vocational English).

The student visa (subclass 500) uses 2 years. Your test must be from the 2 years before you apply.

Some universities may also accept results up to 3 years old. They may ask for proof that you have kept using English, so always check the course page.

Very old results can also be hard to check. Organisations can still check a Test Report Form (your IELTS score certificate) that is older than 2 years, but IELTS cannot look into one that is more than 3 years old.

Language skills change over time if you do not use them. IDP says research shows your skills can gradually decline the less you use a language that is not your first language.

The IELTS partners base their 2-year recommendation on this “second language loss”. That is why organisations want a recent result: it shows your English today, not your English several years ago.

The rules for Australia and New Zealand changed recently, and so did the test format. If you read an older article or forum post, its dates may be out of date.

Australia’s change also affects how you take the test. For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Australia’s immigration department (Home Affairs) accepts IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, including One Skill Retake (a way to retake just one part of the test), taken at a secure test centre. It does not accept IELTS Online.

Count from your test date, the day you sat the test, not the day your results arrive. IDP (one of the companies that runs IELTS) says IELTS results are valid for 2 years from the test date.

The NMC counts from your test date, not your certificate date. UK visa rules use the date your test was awarded. New Zealand’s 2-year rule uses the date your result was issued. Canada and Ahpra only say how old the result can be.

If you are not sure, use your test date. It is the earliest date, so it gives you the safest deadline. The calculator at the top of this page counts from your test date.

Your test date is printed on your Test Report Form (TRF). If you combine scores from two NMC test sittings, the tests must be within 12 months of each other. Both must also be no more than 2 years old when the NMC reviews your application.

No. IDP says your Test Report Form (your score certificate) cannot be extended or revalidated. If your result is too old for your organisation, you need to take the full test again.

A few organisations accept older results with extra proof. The IELTS partners recommend that a result older than 2 years is accepted only with proof that your English stayed at the same level or got better. Ahpra may accept an older result in limited cases.

One case is continuous work since your test, as a registered health practitioner (or in another health, disability or aged-care role). The work must be in a recognised country where English was the main language of practice. The other case is continuous study on a Board-approved program that started within 12 months of your test date. In both cases, you must apply within 12 months of finishing.

IELTS said in March 2026 that it would stop offering paper tests from mid-2026, with different dates in each country. Paper IELTS has ended in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. In Pakistan, paper is only for candidates with special approval on medical grounds. See our guide to computer-delivered IELTS.

This does not cancel your old result. The IELTS partners say current paper-based results stay valid until the end of the recommended 2-year period. Use the same rules in the table above. If your paper result is close to its end date, check it in the calculator at the top of this page.

In some countries, a new ‘Writing on Paper’ option lets you handwrite only the Writing part of the computer test. The UK visa test (IELTS for UKVI) stays fully digital. One Skill Retake is only for computer-delivered tests, so it is not open to an old paper test.

Your validity does not depend on where you took the test. It depends on where you send the result. A test taken in Dhaka, Delhi or Lahore follows the same rule as any other test.

So if you apply to Canada from Pakistan, use the Canada rule. If you apply for an Australian visa from India, use the Australia rule. If you send your result to more than one place, plan around the shortest deadline. The chart below compares them (AU means Australia).

What can matter is how you take the test. Australian visas, Ahpra and New Zealand skilled residence do not accept at-home or online tests. If you might use your result for any of them, take the test in person at a test centre.