What to Do If Your English Test Has Expired

Test Validity Periods

Most secure English language tests says: “Test results are valid for 2 years from the date the test is awarded.” It is 2 years for every approved provider, and it runs from the award date rather than the day you sat the test.

The approved providers inside the UK are Trinity College London, the IELTS SELT Consortium, LanguageCert and Pearson. Outside the UK they are PSI Services (UK), the IELTS SELT Consortium, LanguageCert and Pearson. Trinity College London tests count only if taken in the UK, so a Trinity result from abroad does not meet the requirement at any age.

The Life in the UK test is a separate requirement and works differently: that pass does not expire.

Your Options If Your Test Has Expired

Option 1: Retake the Test

Book a new test with one of the approved providers. For citizenship and settlement the test is speaking and listening only. For most work and study routes it is all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Option 2: Use a Qualifying Degree

A degree taught or researched in English can be used instead of a test, and a degree does not expire. A UK degree needs only the certificate. For a degree from anywhere else, GOV.UK asks for an assessment from Ecctis — the body formerly called UK ENIC, and before that NARIC — confirming it is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or above. See our guide on English for citizenship.

Option 3: A Settlement Pass Carried Forward to Citizenship

This is the exception that catches people out, and it works in your favour. The Home Office caseworker guidance says: “A person who successfully made an indefinite leave to remain (ILR) application on the basis of a B1 level qualification can meet the English language requirement for naturalisation without needing to pass another qualification but will be required to pass the Life in the UK test if they have not already done so.”

The same guidance says caseworkers can only accept qualifications that remain valid “unless the qualification was accepted in an application for settlement”. So the expiry date matters for a fresh qualification, and does not for one the Home Office has already accepted at the settlement stage.

Option 4: An Exemption

Circumstances change between applications. Being 65 or over on the date of the application removes the requirement, as does a long-term physical or mental condition that severely restricts your ability to learn English — for which the Home Office asks for its medical waiver form, completed by a doctor. See our exemptions guide.

Prevention: Timing Your Test

The 2 years runs to the date you apply. Two things follow:

• The date that matters is the date the result was awarded, not the day you sat the test.
• What counts is the date you submit the application, so a long decision does not eat into the 2 years.

The settlement stage has its own timing: the earliest you can apply for settlement on a 5-year route is 28 days before the 5 years are up.

Specific Situations

Expired Test for Settlement

If your test has run out and you need it for settlement, see our guide on expired tests for settlement.

Expired Test for Citizenship

If a B1 qualification was accepted for your settlement application, the caseworker guidance says it meets the English requirement for naturalisation too, and its expiry date does not undo that. Keep the original certificate with your papers.

Test Used for an Earlier Visa Application

A test at a lower level does not carry up to a higher one. An A1 result used for a first family visa does not meet the B1 required at settlement, whether or not the A1 result is still within its 2 years.

Cost of Retaking

GOV.UK publishes no price for a secure English language test. Each approved provider sets its own fee, and the fee differs by level and by whether the test is all four skills or speaking and listening only, so check the price with the provider you book with. Factor it into your immigration budget. For preparation, consider English classes.

Further Resources

For the current approved test list, visit GOV.UK. See also our guides on citizenship requirements and community groups.

You may also find our English Language Tests for UK Visas andUK Visa Fees: Complete Guide helpful.

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