The short answer: bring the ID you booked with, and ask your centre about changes
ielts.com.kw, which describes itself as IDP IELTS Kuwait, says to bring the valid, original identity document you used when booking, either a passport or a Civil ID, and that it must not be expired. ielts.org says you will not be able to take your test if you bring the wrong ID or forget it. For moving or cancelling, the sources quote different windows, so your booking confirmation and your centre come first.
Pages read on 24 October 2026. Rules change, so check the provider's own page and your booking confirmation before you act. This page quotes no exam fee, refund amount, percentage or test date.
Whose words are these? Each rule below is credited to the site that states it. Where sources differ, this page says so instead of choosing one. It is not advice about your own booking.
Which ID to bring: Civil ID or passport
ielts.com.kw and ielts.org agree on the principle: bring the ID you booked with. The Arabic version of ielts.com.kw uses the wording "وثيقة الهوية الأصلية السارية", an original, valid identity document, with passport or Civil ID as the options.
| Source | What it says about ID |
|---|---|
| ielts.com.kw's what-to-bring page (the site describes itself as IDP IELTS Kuwait) | Bring the valid, original identity document (passport or Civil ID) that you used when booking. It must not be expired. |
| ielts.org, on test day | Bring the same identification document you used when booking. With the wrong ID, or none, you cannot take the test. |
| IDP's general test-day guidance, shown on its Kuwait site | Your ID is checked before you enter the Speaking interview room and again during the interview. This is a generic IDP page, not a Kuwait-specific rule. |
Among the sources used here, only ielts.com.kw names the Civil ID. ielts.org and IDP's general guidance speak of the identification document you booked with, so rely on the Kuwait site's wording for the Civil ID and on your booking confirmation for anything else.
General advice, not a provider rule: choose the document before you book, carry that one, and check its expiry date against your test date, not today's date.
Booking online and paying: what ielts.com.kw's payment page says
ielts.com.kw's home page says you can choose your test date, type and venue online and reserve a seat. Its separate "Make a payment" page, for an amount you have been asked to pay, lists KNET, card or a digital wallet at checkout. That page does not say which fees it covers, so check the payment methods shown at your own booking checkout. Band Booster takes no part in exam payments: the exam fee belongs to the provider you book with, so this page quotes none.
To book, IDP's general booking guidance, shown on its Kuwait site, says you need to upload a clear copy of your identification document.
If you are under 18
The same IDP booking guidance says candidates under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian to book. It is generic IDP guidance rather than a Kuwait-specific rule, and this page cannot say what form of consent a centre expects, so ask the centre before you book.
Special requirements: ask before you book
ielts.com.kw's special-requirements page lists extra time, a separate room, supervised breaks, and enlarged, amplified or modified formats. It asks you to tell it as early as possible, well before your preferred test date. IDP's general booking guidance, shown on its Kuwait site, advises contacting your test venue before booking your test if you need special arrangements.
This page does not say who qualifies, what evidence a centre asks for or how a request is decided, and it promises no outcome. Ask the centre, and ask early.
Test-day rules: what stays outside the room
| Rule | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Watches are not allowed in the test room. | ielts.org, test-day page |
| Water may be taken in if it is in a clear (transparent) bottle. | ielts.org, test-day page |
| Mobile phones or other electronic devices kept with you lead to disqualification. | IDP's general test-day guidance, shown on its Kuwait site |
| Personal belongings must be left outside the examination room. | IDP's general test-day guidance, shown on its Kuwait site |
These are general rules from ielts.org and IDP's generic guidance, not a list written for one Kuwait venue, so your booking confirmation says what applies to you.
Moving or cancelling a booking: four sources, different windows
The published rules do not line up, and this page shows that instead of resolving it. The rule that applies to you is the one in your booking confirmation and at your centre.
| Source | Moving to a new date (a transfer) | Cancelling |
|---|---|---|
| ielts.org | A new date, where available, within three months of the original date. The same booking can be transferred only once. A transfer made close to the test date may be treated as a cancellation. | You can cancel at any time before the test by notifying your test centre. Whether you get a refund depends on timing and on exceptional circumstances. If the centre has to cancel or postpone, you are offered a refund or a transfer to a future date. |
| ielts.com.kw, transfer page and refund and cancellation page | Submit the request before the minimum notice period, commonly five weeks before the test, with a valid reason. An administration fee may apply. | Cancelling before the minimum notice period is refunded minus an administration charge. Later cancellations are generally non-refundable, except for evidenced medical or exceptional circumstances submitted within a short window. The page says this is subject to the notice periods and fees in the IELTS terms. |
| IDP's general booking checklist, shown on its Kuwait site | Postponing is grouped with cancelling (next column). | Describes a five-week cut-off for a refund, minus an administration fee, when you cancel or postpone more than five weeks before the test date. It also refers to a medical certificate within five days of the test date. |
| IDP's general reschedule page, shown on its Kuwait site | A different scheme: a transfer at no charge 15 or more days before the test; a transfer with an administration fee from 5 to 14 days before (the amount is not repeated here); and no transfer in the last four days, when a transfer counts as a cancellation. It tells you to check your local IDP IELTS Test Centre for the in-country transfer and cancellation policy. | That page also lists refund lines by days before the test. They are the provider's figures, can change, and are not repeated here. |
No administration fee, refund amount or percentage is repeated here: those figures belong to the provider and can change. Two pages also limit their own scope: ielts.org says detailed terms vary by test centre location and that UKVI test takers should use the UKVI terms, which are specific to those tests, and IDP's reschedule page covers IELTS on computer, excluding IELTS for UKVI. For a UKVI booking, see the UKVI page below.
Why the windows differ
On this page's reading, the figures answer different questions. ielts.org's three months limits how far away the new date can be. The five-week figure (ielts.com.kw and IDP's checklist) and the 15-day figure (IDP's reschedule page) are about how early you ask, and they do not match each other. A request that is in time under one reading could be late under another, so ask the centre which rule it applies to your booking.
Special consideration and exceptional circumstances
ielts.org says you may apply to your test centre for special consideration due to exceptional circumstances. IDP's general reschedule page says you can apply before the test and up to two calendar days after the test date. An application is a request, and nothing here promises an outcome. If something has gone wrong, ask the centre straight away, because the transfer and cancellation windows quoted above differ.
Before you ask for a change
General advice built from the points above, not a provider rule:
- Open your booking confirmation and note the centre, the test type and the test date.
- Count the days to the test date, so you know which quoted window (15 days, five weeks) you are inside.
- Ask the centre in writing which rule it applies, and what evidence it wants if the reason is illness.
Where Band Booster fits, and its separate lesson rule
Band Booster IELTS is a private online tutor, not a test centre. It does not register you for the test, check your ID, take exam payments, set exam fees or dates, or issue results, and it is not connected to IDP, the British Council, ielts.com.kw, any university or any government body. A change to a test booking is made with the centre you booked with.
Lessons with Mike follow Band Booster's own rule, which is not a test rule: you can reschedule a lesson at no charge up to 12 hours before the slot, and a cancellation inside 12 hours is not refunded. That rule covers lessons booked with Band Booster only and has no effect on a test booking. If your test date moves, book lessons as you need them: there is no subscription and no package to commit to.
What Band Booster does offer is preparation: Mike teaches every lesson himself, one-to-one and live on Google Meet in English, with Speaking practised in the real three-part format and Writing marked against the public band descriptors. See about Mike, IELTS Speaking coaching and IELTS Writing feedback.
Kuwait is in the higher regional price tier, and the booking page shows your price in your own currency before you pay. A paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions. The online IELTS tutor page for Kuwait City sets out the time difference with Hanoi.
Related pages for Kuwait
- IELTS test venues in Kuwait by area: what IDP, the British Council and the ielts.org finder list.
- IELTS results, the Test Report Form and re-marking in Kuwait, for after the test.
- IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills in Kuwait, which has its own page.
- Kuwait University graduate studies: department scores and the pre-registration route that the College of Graduate Studies links to. Worth reading before you book if you are applying there.
- Ministry of Higher Education scholarships: what each page says about IELTS scores.
- Computer-delivered IELTS in five Gulf countries, and One Skill Retake or a full retake: what to consider after you have your result.