Guide · French tests

DELF, DALF, TCF or TEF: which French test is which?

Updated October 30, 2026 · 6 min read

French tests come in two families. The DELF and DALF are diplomas you pass once and keep. The TCF and TEF are tests that give you a score, and that score usually counts for two years. Which one an organisation asks for depends entirely on the program.

Short answerFor Express Entry, IRCC lists only two French tests: TCF Canada and TEF Canada. Québec's PEQ accepts a wider list, including DELF and DALF, as long as results are two years old or less. France accepts TCF or TEF results and certain diplomas, including DELF and DALF, for residence cards and naturalisation. Always check the official page for your own program.

Two families: scores and diplomas

A test (TCF or TEF) has no pass mark. You get a score for each skill, and the score is linked to a level. A score below what a program needs is not a "fail", it is just not enough for that program. Results generally expire after two years.

A diploma (DELF or DALF) is taken at one level. You either pass or you don't, and a passed diploma is valid for life. Some programs still set their own time limit on the proof they accept, as you'll see with Québec below.

The summary table

Test	Who runs it	Result type	Validity	Typical use
TCF Canada	France Éducation international	Score per skill	2 years	Canadian federal immigration, including Express Entry
TEF Canada	CCI Paris Île-de-France	Score per skill	2 years	Canadian immigration and citizenship, including Express Entry
TCF Québec	France Éducation international	Score per skill	2 years	Immigration to Québec
TEFAQ	CCI Paris Île-de-France	Score per skill	2 years	Immigration to Québec
TCF tout public	France Éducation international	Score and CEFR level per test	2 years	General proof of level (work, study, personal)
TCF IRN	France Éducation international	Score and CEFR level per test	2 years	French residence cards and nationality
TEF IRN	CCI Paris Île-de-France	Score and CEFR level, A1 to B2	2 years	French resident card and naturalisation
DELF (A1 to B2)	France Éducation international, for the French Ministry of Education	Diploma, pass or fail	For life	Study, work, some immigration programs
DALF (C1, C2)	France Éducation international, for the French Ministry of Education	Diploma, pass or fail	For life	Advanced study and work, some immigration programs

Validity is the issuer's general rule. A program can set its own limit, so the rule on your program's official page is the one that counts.

Canada: TCF Canada and TEF Canada

For Express Entry, IRCC's language testing page lists two approved French tests: TEF Canada and TCF Canada. Your results must be less than two years old when you create your Express Entry profile and when you submit your permanent residence application.

Both tests cover listening, reading, writing and speaking. On the TCF Canada, listening and reading are scored out of 699 and writing and speaking out of 20. On the TEF Canada, all four parts are scored out of 699. IRCC converts each score to an NCLC level using its own charts. For the details of each format, see TCF Canada or TEF Canada: which one should you take? To see how NCLC levels relate to CRS points, read our guide to French and CRS points or try the free converter on our tools page.

Other federal programs and Canadian citizenship have their own pages and lists. CCI Paris Île-de-France says the TEF Canada and TEFAQ can both be used for citizenship, but check IRCC's page for the program you are applying to.

Québec: a wider list, with a two-year rule

Québec runs its own selection. For the Programme de l'expérience québécoise (PEQ), quebec.ca lists eight accepted tests and diplomas: TCF Québec, TCF Canada, TCF, DALF, DELF, TEFAQ, TEF Canada and TEF. Only results issued by France Éducation international or CCI Paris Île-de-France are accepted.

Two points stand out:

Two years, even for diplomas. quebec.ca says your results must be two years old or less on the date you submit your application. The page makes no exception for the DELF or DALF.
Québec has its own scale. The PEQ asks for oral French at level 7 or higher. For the Québec graduates stream, it also asks for written French at level 5 or higher. These levels are on Québec's scale, so check the conversion on quebec.ca.

The TCF Québec and TEFAQ are modular, so you can take only the parts a program asks for.

France: residence cards and naturalisation

France raised its language requirements on January 1, 2026. According to service-public.fr:

Application	Minimum level (CEFR)
First multi-year residence card (carte de séjour pluriannuelle)	A2
First resident card (carte de résident)	B1
Naturalisation, spoken and written	B2

Sources: service-public.fr pages F34501 (updated February 10, 2026) and F11926 (checked January 1, 2026). The residence card rules apply to applicants under 65 in the categories the page lists, with some exemptions.

For the residence cards, the only tests the Ministry of the Interior recognises are the TCF and the TEF, and the result must be less than two years old. Diplomas also count, including the DELF, DALF and DELF Pro, as well as the DCL, the DUEF and some French school and professional diplomas. Diplomas from other countries are not accepted, even French-speaking ones.

For naturalisation, service-public.fr accepts a TCF or TEF result less than two years old, or a diploma that shows at least B2. The TCF IRN and TEF IRN are the versions built for these applications.

DELF and DALF: diplomas for life

The DELF and DALF are official diplomas of the French Ministry of Education, designed by France Éducation international. There are six of them, one per CEFR level:

DELF A1, A2, B1 and B2;
DALF C1 and C2.

Each exam tests four skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. Each skill is marked out of 25, for a total of 100. To pass, you need at least 50 out of 100 overall and at least 5 out of 25 in every skill. A score below 5 in any one skill means no diploma, even with a high total.

A DELF B1 shows you reached B1, not how far above it you are. A TCF or TEF score shows where you sit on the scale.

The other TCF and TEF versions

TCF tout public: a general test. Listening, reading and language structures are scored from 0 to 699; speaking and writing, which are optional, out of 20. Each result is linked to a CEFR level from A1 to C2.
TCF IRN: for people over 16 applying for French nationality, a resident card or a multi-year residence card.
TEF IRN: for the French resident card and naturalisation. Since April 1, 2025, it certifies levels A1 to B2.
TEF Études: for enrolling at a school or university in France or another French-speaking country.

The names look alike, so check you are booking the exact version your program asks for.

Francora prepares you for the format you book. Lessons run from A1 to C1, with AI-corrected speaking and writing practice and timed mock exams in TCF Canada, TEF Canada and DELF format. A study plan works back from your test date, and your first chapters are free.

Open the app

Starting from zero? Our zero to NCLC 7 timeline shows what a realistic study path looks like.

Sources

Francora is an independent course, not affiliated with France Éducation international, CCI Paris Île-de-France, IRCC, the Gouvernement du Québec or the French government. This guide is general information, not immigration advice.