Test information was read on the organisers' own sites, on ielts.org and on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page in October 2026. Age rules and booking steps change, so confirm them with the organiser before you book.
Three organisers, three sets of age rules
You book IELTS in Japan with a test organiser, not with Band Booster, and each organiser sets its own rules for young candidates. The pages this one draws on belong to Eiken Foundation of Japan, to a second operator of test centres, and to JSAF (Japan Study Abroad Foundation). Their rules differ in places, and in one case an organiser's own pages give two different ages. If you are a high-school student, or the parent or guardian of one, this page sets the rules side by side so that you know what to look for on your organiser's page. The organiser pages used here are in Japanese.
It covers the test organisers' rules only. Find the organiser behind your test centre first: the test centres page explains who runs which centre.
The rules side by side
Each cell summarises what that organiser's page says. "Not covered here" means the lines used for this page do not say, not that no rule exists.
| Topic | Eiken | A second operator | JSAF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | Nobody who has not turned 11 on the test day can take the computer test (test page) | Not covered here | Not covered here |
| Aged 18 and over | Not covered here (its guardian rules are written for younger candidates) | Candidates book for themselves | Not covered here (its policy is for test takers under 18) |
| Aged 16 to 17 | Test page: a parent or guardian must make the application. FAQ: that is required under 16. The two pages differ for these ages | The candidate creates their own account and books; a guardian then completes steps on the booking site (the terms, the pick-up choice and payment) to finish the booking | A parent or guardian must make the booking |
| Aged 15 and under | A parent or guardian must make the application (both pages agree) | The candidate cannot book for themselves: a parent creates the account and books from it | A parent or guardian must make the booking |
| On the test day | Not covered here | Not covered here | The test centre arranges a chaperone for test takers under 18; the Speaking time may change for that reason, and Speaking may be held as a video-call test |
| Consent form | Not covered here | Not covered here | JSAF says no consent form needs to be submitted |
| What a guardian agrees to when booking | Not covered here | The terms (aged 16 to 17, see above) | The terms, the privacy policy and the collection of biometric (identity) data |
Follow the organiser's page and your booking confirmation. The organisers differ from one another, and Eiken's two pages differ from each other, so this page shows the differences and does not settle them.
Eiken: a minimum age of 11, and two ages for guardian booking
Eiken's test page says that nobody who has not turned 11 on the test day can take the computer test. The same page says that when the test taker is under 18, the application must be made by a parent or guardian, which it describes as a matter of protecting minors.
Eiken's FAQ gives a different age. In its answer on age limits it says that test takers under 16 must be applied for by a parent or guardian rather than by the test taker.
For a candidate aged 15 or under the two pages agree. For a 16- or 17-year-old they do not: the test page asks for a guardian's application, while the FAQ's rule covers only those under 16. This page does not guess which applies. Read both Eiken pages, and use your booking confirmation.
A second operator: three age bands
The second operator's booking guide says that the way to book depends on the candidate's age, and it sets out three bands: candidates aged 18 and over book for themselves; those aged 16 to 17 create their own account and book, after which a guardian completes steps on the booking site to finish the booking; and those aged 15 and under cannot book for themselves, because a parent has to create the account and book from it.
For 16- and 17-year-olds this is a different arrangement from the other two organisers. Here the candidate starts the booking and a guardian completes it, while JSAF asks a guardian to make the booking for everyone under 18, and Eiken's test page asks for a guardian's application for under-18s while its FAQ says under 16. For candidates aged 15 and under the three organisers agree that a parent or guardian makes the booking.
JSAF: a guardian books for every test taker under 18
JSAF's page on test takers under 18 says that a parent or guardian must make the test booking for anyone under 18. It adds that on the test day the test centre arranges a chaperone for test takers under 18, that the Speaking time may change because of that arrangement, and that Speaking may be held as a video-call test.
Those are JSAF's own statements. Speaking is an interview with an examiner lasting 11 to 14 minutes in three parts, face to face or by video call, but the organisers' pages describe how it is held in different ways; the Speaking tutor page for Japan compares them.
The same page says no consent form needs to be submitted. When booking, the guardian must agree to the terms, the privacy policy and the collection of biometric (identity) data for confirming who the test taker is. JSAF's booking site shows the steps themselves.
IELTS Online: aged 18 and over
IELTS Online has its own age line. ielts.org says IELTS Online is currently available to test takers aged 18 and above, so on that wording it is not open to under-18s at present. "Currently" is ielts.org's word and the rule may change, so check that page. The ielts.org line is a general one and does not say where IELTS Online is offered, so check with the provider whether and how it is offered to you. The sections above concern booking at an organiser's test centre; the computer-delivered IELTS in Japan page and the Japan tutoring page say more about the formats, including IELTS Online.
Passport applications by unmarried under-18s: a parent's or guardian's signature
Our page on passport and ID for IELTS in Japan sets out what the organisers say about identity documents. One rule on the government side concerns minors. On its page about applying for a passport (the first-time-application example), Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) says that when an unmarried applicant under 18 applies, a person with parental authority (both parents, or either of them) or a guardian must sign the "legal representative" box on the back of the application form.
This is MOFA's rule, not an IELTS organiser's, and MOFA words it for unmarried applicants under 18, not for every person under 18. MOFA's page has the detail; this page gives no passport-application advice.
What to check before a booking is made
- Which organiser runs the test centre you will use (see the test centres page).
- That organiser's own age rules, on its own pages and not only in the summary above. For Eiken, read both the test page and the FAQ.
- Which age band you fall in at that organiser, and who must make the booking: you, a guardian, or you first and a guardian second.
- Which date the age counts from. Eiken counts the minimum age on the test day; the lines used for this page do not say which date the other two organisers count from.
- What a guardian has to do on the booking site (the table above summarises each organiser's wording).
- Your booking confirmation, which is what applies to you once you have booked.
How booking works organiser by organiser is on the booking and test day page.
Where Band Booster fits
Band Booster IELTS is a private online tutor, independent of Eiken, the second operator and JSAF. It is not a test centre: it does not register anyone for the test, set exam fees or issue results, and this page quotes no exam fee or test date, because the organiser you book with sets both. Mike is a CELTA-certified teacher based in Hanoi who scored 8.5 in IELTS Speaking (About Mike). Lessons are one-to-one on Google Meet and taught in English only. The booking page shows your lesson price in your own currency before you pay, and no band score is promised.