TEF Canada and TCF Canada in Dubai and Abu Dhabi: fees, dates and booking

The UAE has two centres for the French tests IRCC accepts: Alliance Française Dubai and Alliance Française Abu Dhabi. Both run TEF Canada (as the computer-based e-TEF) and TCF Canada, and both charge AED 1,800 for all four skills. You book and pay online, upload a copy of your passport, and the seat is yours only when both are in.

Dubai has far more sessions than most centres in the world, yet the next few TCF dates are often full. The reason is simple: a large expat population applying for Canadian PR, and sessions capped at 9 to 18 people. Here is how each centre works and how to get a seat.

AED 1,800

TEF Canada or TCF Canada, 4 parts, at both centres

~weekly

TCF Canada sessions in Dubai (mostly Tuesdays)

9–18

Places per Dubai TCF session, depending on venue

AED 1,800 at both centres, for either exam, covering all four skills (listening, reading, writing, speaking). We checked the price on both centres’ booking systems on 9 October 2026, and AF Dubai’s Sept–Dec 2026 calendar shows the same figure. There is no member discount on these exams. IRCC needs all four skills, so always book the full test.

Fees are not refunded or transferred under any circumstances once the registration period is over, including if you miss the exam. Before that date, contact the centre if your plans change. Our reschedule and refund guide covers other centres, and the fee guide compares prices in India and Canada.

Both centres open a whole term at once. AF Dubai opened registration for every TEF and TCF Canada date from September to December 2026 on 15 June 2026. AF Abu Dhabi opened its October to December dates on 22 July 2026. Each date then stays on sale until its own deadline, about 9 days before the exam in Dubai and about 10–11 days before in Abu Dhabi.

The deadline is not the real limit. On 9 October 2026, Dubai’s TCF Canada sessions on 20, 21 and 27 October were already full, days before their registration closed. Abu Dhabi had one TCF Canada place left for 23 October. A two-place e-TEF Canada session in Al Ain, which opened on 8 October, was full the next day. Later dates in November and December still had places.

1. 1Choose TEF Canada, TCF Canada, or eitherIRCC treats them equally. Watching both doubles your dates. Unsure? Try the TEF or TCF quiz or read TEF vs TCF Canada.
2. 2Open the centre’s exam listOn afdubai.org or afabudhabi.org, open the TEF Canada or TCF Canada page and scroll to the date list. In Dubai, check whether your date is at Oud Metha or Dubai Knowledge Park.
3. 3Pick a date that shows “Add to cart”Dates marked “Full” can’t be booked. Look a month or two ahead, not just at next week.
4. 4Pay and upload your passport copyRegistration is confirmed only once the payment and passport copy are both received. For e-TEF Canada in Abu Dhabi, also upload the completed and signed registration form.
5. 5Wait for the convocationIt comes by email before the exam with the timing and rules. Pack the exam-day documents the night before.

You can also register in person at either centre during the registration period. AF Abu Dhabi’s offices are closed on Saturdays, so don’t plan a walk-in then.

Plan on your passport. Both centres ask for a passport copy to confirm the booking, and neither centre’s booking page we checked mentions Emirates ID as an alternative. Register with your name exactly as it appears in your passport and bring the same passport on exam day. If your passport is due for renewal, ask the centre before booking.

AF Abu Dhabi says TEF Canada results are emailed from about 2 weeks after the exam. For TCF Canada on computer, France Éducation international aims for about 10 working days once it has the session’s material, so allow two to four weeks. Nothing is sent to IRCC; you enter the scores yourself. AF Dubai states that re-marking is not accepted for TCF Canada. If you miss your target, see the retake rules.