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How to Register for TOPIK in Korea: Steps, ID, Photo, Entry Times and Banned Items

This guide walks you through registering for the paper-based TOPIK (PBT) in Korea and explains what you need on the day. Every rule below was checked on 20 October 2026 against the official topik.go.kr notices for the 108th and 109th tests and the TOPIK regulations. Rules can change from one test round to the next, so read the notice for your own round before you pay.

Who registers where

If you take the test in Korea, registration is online only, on the official TOPIK website (application procedure on topik.go.kr). This online system is only for people who sit the test inside Korea. If you live abroad, the test is run by a local host institution, and registration follows that institution’s own rules and dates. The TOPIK site lists the overseas test sites by country (overseas test sites).

Test dates, registration windows and result dates change every year. We do not copy them here because they go out of date quickly; check the official schedule instead (TOPIK schedule).

Registration step by step (Korea)

The registration notice for the 109th test lists these eight steps:

1. Log in to the TOPIK website. An existing TOPIK account is enough; you do not need a second one.
2. Choose the test (TOPIK I or TOPIK II) and its level.
3. Enter your basic information: English name, date of birth and gender.
4. Choose a test venue. Venues fill up and can close early.
5. Upload your photo (required) and enter the additional information such as email, address and phone number.
6. Choose a payment method.
7. Pay the test fee.
8. Check your registration. During the registration period this is shown only on the registration site (register.topik.go.kr).

For the 109th test the fee was ₩40,000 for TOPIK I and ₩55,000 for TOPIK II. You had to choose a payment method within 1 hour of registering, or the registration was cancelled. Payment was by credit card or a virtual bank account; a virtual account had to be paid by 23:59:59 the same day. Cards issued abroad and transfers from abroad were not accepted.

Rules that catch people out

• Your basic information is locked. Once you choose a venue, your English name, date of birth and gender can no longer be changed. To fix a mistake you must request a refund and register again.
• The English name must match your ID exactly. If the English name on the ID you bring differs even partly from the name on your registration and admission ticket, you cannot sit the test.
• Use a PC, not a phone. The notice says Mac OS is not supported and there is no mobile registration. Use a Windows PC; the Chrome browser is recommended.
• Registration hours. New registrations are accepted only from 10:00 to 16:00 on each day of the registration period.
• One account, one venue. One person may apply with one account at one venue. Applying for both TOPIK I and TOPIK II at the same venue is allowed.
• No macros and no mass bookings. Registering with macro programs, many registrations from the same IP address, or temporary email addresses can lead to account suspension and cancellation, and the notice warns that such cases may be reported to the police.
• Changes. During the registration period you may move to another venue with free seats (same level) up to 5 times. The level itself cannot be changed after you register; for that you need a refund and a new registration.
• Under 14. Children under 14 cannot open an account in their own name. A parent opens the account, and the child’s own details are entered when registering for the test.

The photo

Your photo is compared with your face on the test day, and you are responsible for it. The official photo notice lists photos that are not accepted: a photo of someone else, a face covered by sunglasses, a scarf, a mask or a hat, a photo of two or more people, a photo of an ID card, and any photo that makes identification hard, for example because it is heavily edited or blurry. With a non-standard photo the supervisor may refuse to let you sit the test, and the fee is not refunded after the refund period (official photo notice).

Refunds

How much you get back depends on when you apply. For the 109th test it was 100% until 10:00 on the last day of registration, 50% for about one more week, and 40% after that until 13:00 on the day before the test. You apply on the TOPIK website under My page, then Registration status, then Refund. A refund request cannot be cancelled, and after a refund you cannot sit that test.

Accepted ID in Korea

You need an original, valid ID; a photo or scan of an ID is not accepted. Apart from passports, every ID must be issued in Korea. The poster for the 108th test lists these IDs:

• If you have handed your ID to the immigration office, for example to extend your visa, you may sit the test with the receipt you were given (such as a stay permit application confirmation or a visa issuance confirmation), but only if it shows your English name, date of birth and photo.
• A student ID must show the school name, your name, date of birth, photo and the school’s official seal.
• Mobile ID cards are checked only through the apps approved by the issuing government agencies.

Entry times on the test day (Korea)

These times are from the poster for the 108th test. After the entry time nobody is let into the room. Only candidates may enter the test building, and candidates without a valid ID are turned away. You cannot leave during the test except with the supervisor’s permission, and then you wait elsewhere until the end. During the break after TOPIK II period 1 you may not leave the building.

Devices you must hand in

From the start of period 1 until the end, breaks included, you may not keep these items on you or store them anywhere else: wristwatches (both analogue and digital), smartwatches, AI or smart glasses, mobile phones, power banks, e-cigarettes, earphones and every other electronic or communication device. Switch them off and hand them to the supervisor before period 1; keeping one is treated as cheating. The notice adds that you are responsible for any damage while they are collected, so leave them at home if you can.

After you register

• Print your admission ticket (수험표) when printing opens. For the 109th test it could be printed from 2 November at 10:00 until the test began.
• Check your details during the correction period. After that period nothing can be corrected at all.
• Results are published on topik.go.kr; certificates are not sent by post, email or fax. A score is valid for 2 years from the results date.

Prepare while you wait

Registration is the easy part. Use the weeks before the test to sit at least one full mock test against the clock. Our free TOPIK I mock tests follow the 40 + 60 minute paper format, and TOPIK II writing practice covers questions 51–54 with a character counter. Read the test-day checklist the night before, and TOPIK I time management if you take TOPIK I.

For life in Korea beyond the test, such as visas, KIIP and work, see the OByeolLab guides, including TOPIK structure and pass marks.

Sources, checked on 2026-10-20: topik.go.kr notices “제109회 한국어능력시험(TOPIK) 접수 안내[대한민국]” (notice), “제108회 한국어능력시험(TOPIK) 응시자 준수사항 안내” and its poster (notice), the photo notice, and the TOPIK regulations, articles 10–11 (regulations). TOPIK Prep is not affiliated with NIIED.