How to Reschedule or Cancel CELPIP: Fees and Refunds

You can reschedule your CELPIP test yourself, online, as long as you do it at least 7 calendar days before the test. CELPIP calls this a transfer. Your first transfer is free, and each one after that costs $50 plus tax.

Cancelling runs on the same 7-day line. Cancel at least 7 calendar days ahead and you get half your fee back, which is $149.50 on a $299 booking. Cancel any later and you get nothing.

Inside 7 days, a transfer has to go through CELPIP customer service. You may need to send proof, like a doctor's note, and CELPIP decides. Here's how that plays out on a real calendar, for a test on Saturday, November 21, 2026.

The rules for a CELPIP transfer

Make the transfer at least 7 days before your test date. You can move to a different date, time or location, then follow the prompts in your account to finish. You can reschedule for free once: the first transfer costs nothing, and the CELPIP reschedule fee for every transfer after that is CAD $50 plus tax. celpip.ca doesn't list a limit on how many times you can move.

There are two things a transfer can't do. It can't change your test type: a CELPIP-General booking moves only to another CELPIP-General sitting, and an LS booking only to another LS sitting. It also can't pass your seat to someone else. In celpip.ca's words, "Test registrations cannot be transferred to another person."

Booked the wrong test? A transfer won't switch you between General and LS, so the only route we can find on celpip.ca is to cancel (half back if you're 7 or more days out) and register for the right test. Our CELPIP General vs General LS guide tells you which one your application needs.

The CELPIP cancellation policy

Can you cancel your CELPIP test and get a refund? Half of it, if you're early enough. When CELPIP receives your cancellation at least 7 calendar days before the test, you get "fifty percent (50%) of the fee you paid" back. That's $149.50 on a $299 CELPIP-General booking, or $99.50 on a $199 LS booking. celpip.ca doesn't say whether the tax you paid comes back at the same rate.

Less than 7 calendar days before, the cancellation still goes through. You just don't get any money back.

How to cancel your CELPIP test online

1. Sign in to your CELPIP Account.

2. Under the heading "Upcoming test", click "Actions".

3. Click "Cancel test registration", then confirm when you're prompted.

Why moving the date usually beats cancelling

Run the numbers on a $299 booking. Cancel at Day -7 and you lose $149.50. Move the date instead and your first transfer costs $0, and even a second one is $50 plus tax. So if you still plan to take CELPIP at some point, move it. Cancel when you're finished with the test or when you booked the wrong version. Re-evaluation and retake fees are in our CELPIP cost guide.

If CELPIP cancels the sitting

Sometimes the cancellation comes from CELPIP's side. In that case, if you ask, CELPIP either refunds what you paid or puts it toward another sitting, so you don't lose money. A test cancelled for misconduct is different: there's no refund, and the fee can't move to another sitting.

Once you're past the 7-day line, Policies & Forms tells you to contact CELPIP customer service at 778-327-6854 or [email protected]. Get in touch as soon as you know you can't make it.

Have your reason and your proof ready. Policies & Forms says CELPIP "may require" documentation such as a doctor's note or evidence of bereavement, and the contact FAQ is firmer: it says CELPIP "will require" it. Then CELPIP decides. The FAQ says it can "grant a transfer with a fee or FREE or refuse your request". You may read online that illness gets no special treatment at all. That isn't what celpip.ca says. Each request is decided case by case.

Test-day problems mean no refund and no transfer

A phone call can't fix everything. celpip.ca asks you to arrive 45 minutes before your test, and check-in closes 15 minutes before the start. If you're late, you'll be denied entry, with no refund and no transfer. It's the same if you don't show valid ID at check-in.

Not turning up at all isn't covered by a no-show rule on any celpip.ca page we read. But a cancellation inside 7 days refunds nothing, so plan on a missed test costing the full fee. Our CELPIP test day checklist goes through ID and check-in, so you don't lose your seat at the door.

We read these pages side by side on October 12, 2026. Policies & Forms and the contact FAQ both give the click path, and both say the first transfer is free. The Canada page and the city test-centre pages say something else: their FAQ says a granted transfer means paying "a transfer fee of $50.00 CAD plus applicable taxes", with no free first move. An older paragraph on Policies & Forms itself says the same thing.

That leftover wording is probably why AI answers get the fee wrong. When we checked Google's AI summaries for "celpip reschedule" in October 2026, they said a transfer costs $50, with no mention of the free first one.

We treat the free first transfer as the current rule, because it's on the pages that describe the actual steps. Still, the price that counts is the one your CELPIP Account shows before you confirm. If it asks for a fee on your first transfer, stop and contact customer service before you pay.

India uses a 9-day line

If you're testing in India, the cut-off moves. The India page says "at least nine (9) calendar days" before the test, for cancelling and for transferring, and it lists the transfer fee as $50.00 CAD plus tax. Fees outside Canada vary, so check the celpip.ca page for your country before you book.

A later test means later results

Moving your test moves your results too. Scores reach your account 2 to 4 business days after the new date. CELPIP scores are valid for two years, and for Express Entry, IRCC needs them to be less than 2 years old when you complete your profile and again when you apply for PR. If you're working to a deadline, check that the new date still fits. Our guide to how long CELPIP is valid has the full rules.