In the JEE Main 2027 form you choose up to four exam cities in order of preference, only in the state of your present or permanent address. NTA tries to give your first choice but can allot another city. The Session 1 city slip is due on 30 December 2026, and the exact centre comes on the admit card.
JEE Main 2027 Exam City and Centre
The official rules for choosing cities, how your exam language limits them, centres abroad and when you will know your centre.
What are the rules for choosing JEE Main exam cities?
You choose up to four cities from the list in the information bulletin, in order of priority. These rules are from the latest (2026) bulletin; NTA will publish the 2027 city list with the new bulletin.
- Cities can be chosen only in the state of your permanent address or present address. In some cases only one option may be available.
- NTA tries to allot a city in your order of choice, but for administrative reasons it can allot a different city.
- If very few candidates choose a city, NTA can merge it with another city.
- Allotment is done by the system, with no human intervention, and NTA’s decision is final. Requests to change the city are not entertained.
- Candidates abroad also choose from the bulletin list, based on their present and permanent address.
Does your exam language limit your city?
Yes. English is offered at every centre, Hindi and Urdu at every centre in India, and each other language only at centres in certain states or union territories.
| Language (with English) | Exam centres where it is offered (2026) |
|---|---|
| Hindi | All centres in India |
| Urdu | All centres in India |
| Assamese | Assam |
| Bengali | West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| Gujarati | Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli |
| Kannada | Karnataka |
| Malayalam | Kerala, Lakshadweep |
| Marathi | Maharashtra |
| Odia | Odisha |
| Punjabi | Based on address in Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi (including Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Noida and Greater Noida) |
| Tamil | Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| Telugu | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
If too few candidates choose a regional-language centre in a city, NTA may allot a centre in another city. The question paper comes in English and your chosen language, and the language cannot be changed after the form is submitted. Read our guide on how to choose your JEE Main exam language before you decide.
Can you take JEE Main outside India?
Yes. The 2026 bulletin listed centres abroad including Manama, Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Kathmandu, Muscat, Riyadh, Kuwait City, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Lagos, West Java, Washington and Munich. The paper abroad is in English only, and the fee is higher: Rs 5,000 for one paper for a general male candidate in 2026.
How do you pick your four cities well?
- Put your home city first if it is on the list, then the nearest cities you can reach easily on the morning of the exam.
- Check road and rail links: Shift 1 reporting starts at 7:00 am, so a city you can reach the evening before is safer than one needing an early train.
- If you will write in a regional language, choose cities in the state where that language is offered.
- Use all four choices. An empty choice does not stop NTA from allotting a city it picks.
- Make sure your present and permanent address in the form are correct, since they decide the states you can choose from.
- If you take Session 2, check your city choices again when you apply for it.
When will you know your JEE Main 2027 exam city?
You learn the city from the city intimation slip, about two weeks before the exam, and the exact centre from the admit card, 3 to 4 days before. In 2026 the Session 1 slip came on 8 January and the Session 2 slip on 21 March. The 2027 Session 1 slip is due on 30 December 2026, and the Session 2 slip on 12 March 2027 (tentative).
The slip is not an admit card. Download steps and exam-day rules are on the JEE Main 2027 admit card page.