How to Register for the TOEFL iBT

By Muntasir Jul 17, 2026 8 min read

TL;DR

You register for the TOEFL iBT online through an ETS account at ets.org, or by phone using the contact number for your country. Create your account with your name and date of birth exactly as they appear on your ID, since a mismatch stops you from testing and the fee is not refunded. During booking you choose a test center or Home Edition, pick a date, and pay online. Regular registration closes 7 full days before your test date. Express registration stays open until 2 days before the test date, for an added fee. Book at least 4 months ahead of your target date and 2 to 3 months before your earliest admissions deadline.

Registering for the TOEFL iBT starts and ends inside one place: your ETS account. You use the same account to book your test, choose between a test center or Home Edition, pay the fee, and later view or reschedule your appointment.

This guide walks through account setup, ID rules affecting what you type at registration, the booking steps, and the deadlines controlling rescheduling and cancellation. For date selection and pricing details, see our TOEFL test dates guide and TOEFL cost and fees guide.

Create Your ETS Account

You need an ETS account before you are allowed to register, reschedule an appointment, view your scores, or buy official prep materials. Go to ets.org/toefl, select Create an Account, and complete the signup form, as described in the ETS registration guide. Account creation follows a fixed order:

Enter your name exactly as it appears on your ID, excluding accents.
Enter your gender, date of birth, username, password, address, phone number, and email.
Enter your native language, country of citizenship, and country of birth.
Opt in or out of the free TOEFL Search Service.
Review your name, gender, and date of birth on the Review and Submit page, since these are hard to change later, then accept the terms and click Submit.
Check your email for a confirmation message.

You are allowed to register through your ETS account online, or by phone using the country-specific contact information at ets.org/toefl/contact, per the ETS registration guide. Online booking shows live seat availability, so account setup, scheduling, and payment happen in one session. Express phone booking stays open later than express online booking, as listed in the deadlines table below. Set up the account before you start comparing dates, since scheduling runs inside the account.

ID Rules Affecting Your Registration Details

The name and date of birth you enter at registration must exactly match the ID you present on test day. If they do not match, you are not allowed to test and the fee is not refunded. Contact TOEFL Services before you register if you expect a name discrepancy.

How to Enter Your Name

Enter your full first or given name in full, with no nicknames or initials, and your full last or family name exactly as it appears on your ID, excluding accents. A middle initial is optional. Two-part last names go in full, for example Fernandez de Cordova.

Acceptable ID Documents

Your ID must be an original physical document, not a photocopy or a digital ID, with limited exceptions in South Korea. It must be government-issued, valid in your country of citizenship or residence, currently unexpired, and show your full name, date of birth, a recent photo, and a signature matching the name on the ID. Check the expiry date at registration rather than on test day, since an expired document is refused.

The following primary ID documents are accepted, provided they are issued in your country of citizenship or permanent residence, according to the TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin:

Passport
Passport Card, U.S. only, needs a supplemental ID
Driver's license
State or province ID card
National ID card

If your primary ID has no signature, bring a supplemental ID showing a photo and signature, or a second government-issued photo ID. A supplemental ID cannot fix a mismatched last or family name, so raise any name problem with TOEFL Services well before test day. Test takers age 15 or younger are recommended to bring a parent or authorized adult aged 18 or older, who signs a release form at the test center, according to the ETS ID requirements. Both the test taker and the accompanying adult present their own valid ID.

Home Edition Identity Checks

If you book Home Edition, you present valid government-issued ID to your proctor, and you might need to verify your identity through a mobile app at least 48 hours before your test time, per the TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin. The ID rules above apply to Home Edition as well, so the name on your registration must match the ID you show your proctor. See our TOEFL Home Edition guide for the full setup process.

Choosing Test Center or Home Edition

The TOEFL iBT registration hub separates the two paths. Home Edition test takers complete an at-home testing requirements check, covering your computer and room, before scheduling. Test-center test takers schedule directly against center availability. You choose which path to take when you schedule your test inside your ETS account.

Booking Steps and Confirmation

Once your account is set up, booking a seat follows these steps:

Log in to your ETS account and start a new registration.
Choose test center or Home Edition.
Search available dates and locations, or available Home Edition time slots.
Select your date and confirm the appointment.
Pay the test fee online.
Receive a confirmation, which stays available in your ETS account.

Accepted payment methods include credit and debit cards from American Express, Discover, JCB, China UnionPay, Diners Club, Mastercard, RuPay, and Visa. Visa is the only card accepted in Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Togo. E-check in USD covers banks in the US, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, or Canada, and PayPal and Alipay are also accepted, according to the TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin.

Registration Deadlines

ETS recommends picking your test date at least 2 to 3 months before your earliest admissions deadline, and registering 4 months before your desired test date to secure a seat, per the ETS registration guide. The table below lists the closing windows for each registration method.

Registration type	Deadline
Regular online registration	7 full days before the test date
Regular phone registration	7 full days before the test date
Express online registration	2 days before the test date, for example a Saturday test needs registration by Thursday
Express phone registration	5pm local test-center time the day before the appointment

Express registration carries an added fee on top of the standard test fee. Booking inside the regular 7-day window avoids the extra charge. See our TOEFL cost and fees guide for current pricing.

Retake Spacing

There is no limit on the number of times you are allowed to retake the TOEFL iBT, but you cannot take it more than once in any 3-day period, according to the TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin. This rule applies even if you canceled your scores from an earlier attempt, and it blocks you from booking a new date within 3 days of an existing appointment. Leave more than 3 days between two appointments when you plan a second attempt.

Rescheduling and Cancellation

You must reschedule or cancel your test at least 4 full days before the test date. For a Saturday test, the deadline is the preceding Tuesday. Reschedule or cancel through your ETS account at ets.org/mytoefl, or by phone. Mail, email, and in-person requests at the test center are not accepted, according to the TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin.

Canceling by the 4-day deadline gives an automatic 50 percent refund of your original test fee to your original payment method, with no cash refunds. Canceling after the deadline, or not presenting the required ID on test day, results in no refund. Test takers in Korea follow a different refund schedule:

Korea cancellation timing	Refund
0 to 7 days after registering	100 percent
Day 8 after registering, up to 4 days before the test	50 percent
Within 3 days of the test date, or after	No refund

If ETS cancels or reschedules a test administration, you are not charged a rescheduling fee. You are allowed to rebook at no cost or take a full refund instead, according to the TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin. The free rebooking applies only when ETS makes the change, so a reschedule or cancellation you request still follows the 4-day deadline and the 50 percent refund rule above.

What Your ETS Account Handles After Registration

Once you register, your ETS account, also called MyTOEFL, handles the rest of the process. From it you are allowed to:

View, reschedule, or cancel your registration
Apply for or view testing accommodations
Buy official TOEFL prep materials
View and download your scores
Order extra official score reports
Update your contact information

Registration policies change from year to year, so confirm current fees and deadlines on the official ETS registration page before you book. The published TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin covers the 2025 to 2026 testing year and states its terms are subject to change without notice. Check for a newer edition when you book a later test date.

Once your seat is booked, work through our TOEFL test day checklist so nothing is left to figure out on test morning. Then build your pacing with our free full-length TOEFL mocks and section drills on the TOEFL practice page. No signup required.