NAATI runs the Credentialled Community Language (CCL) test in 55 languages in 2026, and Russian and Ukrainian are both on the list. A pass is worth 5 points in the Australian points test — the same 5 points whatever language you sit it in. The test costs 814 AUD, you need 63 marks out of 90 with at least 29 in each of the 2 dialogues, and results arrive in 4–6 weeks.
Everything below was checked on 25 September 2026 on naati.com.au and on the Department of Home Affairs points table. Whether these points apply to your own application is a question for your own registered migration agent — this page sets out the published rules only.
The 55 languages, as NAATI lists them
| Afrikaans | Arabic | Bangla | Bosnian | Bulgarian |
| Burmese | Cantonese | Croatian | Czech | Dari |
| Dutch | Dzongkha | Filipino | Finnish | French |
| German | Greek | Gujarati | Hazaragi | Hindi |
| Hungarian | Indonesian | Igbo | Italian | Japanese |
| Kannada | Khmer | Korean | Macedonian | Malay |
| Malayalam | Mandarin | Marathi | Nepali | Odia |
| Pashto | Persian | Polish | Portuguese | Punjabi |
| Romanian | Russian | Serbian | Sinhalese | Somali |
| Spanish | Swahili | Tamil | Telugu | Thai |
| Turkish | Ukrainian | Urdu | Vietnamese | Yoruba |
The list moves. Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan, was added in 2024 and is the newest entry as at this check. That is the practical reason to look at the live list on naati.com.au before you plan around it, rather than trusting a list someone published a year ago.
The test, in numbers
| Languages available (2026) | 55 |
| What you interpret | 2 pre-recorded dialogues, about 300 words each, roughly half in English and half in the other language |
| Segment length | 35 words or fewer |
| Marks available | 90 in total, 45 per dialogue |
| Pass mark | 63 or more overall, and at least 29 in each dialogue |
| Results | By email within 4–6 weeks |
| Test review | Available from a score of 58, requested within 30 days through myNAATI |
| CCL test fee | 814 AUD |
| Test review fee | 187 AUD per application |
| Practice test marked by an examiner | 165 AUD |
The fee schedule NAATI publishes is dated: it is "valid from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2027". Prices before or after that window are different numbers, which is why a fee you read on a forum is worth nothing without a date next to it. We checked every published English exam fee in English test fees in Australia in 2026.
Note the shape of the pass mark, because it decides how you prepare. 63 out of 90 is 70 per cent, but the 29-per-dialogue floor means a strong first dialogue cannot rescue a weak second one. Both have to clear the bar.
What the 5 points are worth next to everything else
The Home Affairs points table for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) lists the community language item at 5 points. Here is where that sits against the other language-related items in the same table:
| Points test item | Points |
|---|---|
| Competent English | 0 |
| Credentialled community language (a CCL pass qualifies) | 5 |
| Proficient English | 10 |
| Superior English | 20 |
This is the uncomfortable arithmetic and we would rather you read it here than discover it later: English scores are worth more than your community language. Moving from Competent to Proficient is 10 points, Competent to Superior is 20, and CCL is 5. If you are choosing where to spend the next 3 months, the English side usually moves the total further. CCL earns its place as the cheap, fast, self-contained 5 — one sitting, one fee, no band to climb — not as a substitute for an English score. The score tables behind those 3 English levels are in the 5 English levels for an Australian visa, and how the 2 sources of points stack together is in PTE Academic and NAATI CCL: where your migration points actually come from.
Each visa subclass publishes its own points table, so check the one for the subclass you are applying under rather than assuming the subclass 189 numbers carry across.
If your language is not among the 55
This is the part almost nobody writes about, and it comes straight from the Home Affairs page rather than from us. The points item is not "passed the CCL test". It is broader. Word for word:
"To be credentialled in a community language and eligible for the award of points you must have been accredited at the paraprofessional level or above, certified at the certified provisional level or above, or have a community language credential for interpreting or translating by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters."
So there are 3 routes named in that sentence, and the CCL credential is 1 of them. A NAATI certification for interpreting or translating at certified provisional level or above is another. If your language is not in the CCL list, the 5 points are not automatically out of reach — the question becomes which NAATI credential exists in your language and what it takes to get it, and that is a conversation to have with NAATI and with your own registered migration agent, not one to settle from a blog.
What we will not do is tell you which route applies to you. That is migration advice, and it is regulated.
The spelling trap that hides the page from you
Home Affairs writes credentialled, with 2 l's. NAATI writes Credentialed, with 1. Both are correct in their own house style, and the mismatch is why people search one spelling, find half the material, and conclude the rules are contradictory. If you are checking a claim, search both spellings before deciding a source is wrong.
What NAATI says, word for word
On what the test measures:
"The Credentialed Community Language (CCL) test is an assessment of your ability to communicate at a community level between two languages (English and another language)."
On what a pass does not give you — and this catches people who assume the test is a career qualification:
"This test is not a professional certification. If you pass the CCL test, you are not certified to work as an interpreter or a translator."
And on whose job it is to confirm the points:
"NAATI does not provide any migration advice. Before applying to sit the test, you should confirm (with the Department of Home Affairs or your migration agent) that the NAATI CCL test is accepted to claim the Credentialed Community Language points at the time of application."
What this means for you
- Check the live list, not a copy of it. 55 languages is the count as at 25 September 2026, and the list has grown before. Your language being absent from an article is not the same as it being absent from NAATI.
- The 29-mark floor is the real exam. Both dialogues have to clear it, so preparation that only builds general fluency misses the point: what is tested is holding 35-word segments in memory and rendering them accurately, twice, under time.
- Do the points arithmetic before you book. 5 points for 814 AUD is good value only if 5 points is what your total is short of. If you are 10 or 20 short, the English side is where the numbers are.
- A pass is not a licence. NAATI says so itself: the CCL test does not certify you to work as an interpreter or translator.
- Confirm the rule at the time you apply. Both NAATI and Home Affairs frame the points as something to verify at application time. Rules and lists both move.
Green School, an online school in Australia, has taught these exams since 2018 to more than 3,500 students. Our NAATI CCL Russian course is written and taught by Tatiana Green, Director of Green School and author of the NAATI CCL course, with dialogues recorded with native speakers; we report a 95% pass rate, measured on results students report back to us. There is a Russian-language version of this material in our Russian guide to NAATI CCL and the 5 points, and if you are still deciding which exam to sit at all, start with our hub page, the best English tests in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is my language available for NAATI CCL?
There are 55 languages on the 2026 list, from Afrikaans to Yoruba, including Russian, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Spanish, Vietnamese and Persian. The full list is in the table above. Because NAATI adds languages from time to time, check the live page before planning around it.
How many points do you get for NAATI CCL?
5 points, under the "Credentialled community language" item in the points table. The number is the same for every language — there is no bonus for a rarer one.
How much does the NAATI CCL test cost in 2026?
814 AUD for the test, on the fee schedule valid from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2027. A test review is 187 AUD per application, and a practice test marked by an examiner is 165 AUD.
What is the NAATI CCL pass mark?
63 or more out of 90 overall, with at least 29 marks in each of the 2 dialogues. Each dialogue is worth 45 marks, so both have to be solid — a strong first dialogue does not compensate for a weak second one.
How long do NAATI CCL results take?
NAATI sends results by email within 4–6 weeks. If you scored 58 or more and did not pass, you can request a test review within 30 days through your myNAATI account.
Can I claim the 5 points if my language is not on the CCL list?
The points item is not limited to a CCL pass. Home Affairs also names accreditation at paraprofessional level or above, and certification at certified provisional level or above, for interpreting or translating with NAATI. Which of those exists in your language, and whether it fits your application, is a question for NAATI and for your own registered migration agent.
Does passing NAATI CCL let me work as an interpreter?
No. NAATI states plainly that the CCL test is not a professional certification and that passing it does not certify you to work as an interpreter or a translator. It exists for the points test.
Sources
- NAATI, Credentialed Community Language (CCL) test — language list, test format, pass mark, results and review rules, checked 25 September 2026.
- NAATI, Fees — CCL test 814 AUD, test review 187 AUD, practice test 165 AUD, schedule valid 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, checked 25 September 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs, Points table for Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) — credentialled community language 5 points, English language skills 0 / 10 / 20, checked 25 September 2026.
This page sets out published rules only. It is not migration advice. For your own circumstances, check with your own registered migration agent.