Texas does not automatically convert an out-of-state teaching certificate into a Texas certificate. An educator who holds a standard certificate from another U.S. state or territory must first complete a Texas Education Agency Review of Credentials. Texas then determines which certificate areas can be recognized and whether Texas examinations are still required. [Texas certification rule]
Rule change effective August 2, 2026: the certificate submitted for an out-of-state credentials review must be valid and active when the completed application is received. An expired certificate should be renewed with the issuing state before the Texas review is filed. [2026 rule change]
Who Can Use the Out-of-State Certification Route
The Texas out-of-state route is intended for educators who already hold a valid standard or professional educator certificate issued by another U.S. state or territory. The Texas State Board for Educator Certification rules also require at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution for this route. Texas reviews the certificate area, grade level, educator preparation, examinations, and experience rather than granting a Texas certificate solely because another state issued one. [Eligibility]
| Starting Credential | Texas Route |
|---|---|
| Valid, active standard certificate from another U.S. state or territory | Apply for a Review of Credentials. |
| Expired out-of-state certificate | Renew or reactivate it with the issuing state before filing the Texas review. |
| Temporary, substitute, emergency, or local permit only | Do not assume it qualifies as a standard out-of-state certificate. Confirm eligibility with TEA before paying the review fee. |
| Degree or teacher-preparation coursework but no standard certificate | The Review of Credentials route is not available. A Texas educator preparation program may be required. |
| U.S. state certificate with a degree earned outside the United States | Use the out-of-state route and submit an original course-by-course evaluation from a recognized foreign evaluation service. [Foreign degree] |
TEA does not use this process for every school-based profession. School psychology, speech-language pathology, nursing, social work, and daycare credentials are regulated through other licensing or credential systems. Applicants seeking only principal, superintendent, school counselor, librarian, educational diagnostician, or reading specialist certification may also face experience requirements because those credentials are not classroom-teaching certificates. [Credential scope]
Step 1: Submit the Review of Credentials
Create a TEA Login account and enter the Educator Certification Online System, commonly called ECOS. TEA recommends using a personal email address rather than a school or district address so access is not lost after an employment change. The name in the account should match the legal name used on certification records.
In ECOS, open Applications, choose Out-of-State Certified Applicants, and select the application for a Review of Credentials from another state or U.S. territory. The review is not complete until TEA has the application, fee, certificate copy, and required academic record. [Application step]
- Out-of-state certificate: upload a clear copy of the valid standard certificate in ECOS.
- Official transcript: arrange for the issuing college or university to send the official transcript directly to TEA. A transcript uploaded by the applicant does not replace the institution-to-TEA submission requirement.
- Experience verification: if experience may support a test exemption, ask the employer to complete and submit the TEA verification form.
- Out-of-state test evidence: submit official score reports or state-agency verification when prior certification examinations may qualify for an exemption.
- Application fee: TEA’s out-of-state checklist lists the Review of Credentials application at $164. The fee is nonrefundable. [Application fee]
The issuing institution or transcript service must send the official transcript directly to OSC75@tea.texas.gov. TEA states that emailed transcripts sent by the educator are not accepted. Applicants should still check the current TEA instructions before ordering the record because submission procedures can change. [Required document]
Step 2: Send Test-Exemption Evidence With the Initial Review
A Review of Credentials does not automatically waive Texas certification examinations. TEA evaluates whether prior examinations and verified professional experience support an exemption. Sending the evidence with the initial review can prevent a second document cycle after the evaluation is finished. [Test exemption]
| Applicant Situation | What TEA Reviews | Typical Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom teacher with at least one year of acceptable experience and required out-of-state certification exams | Test-based exemption plus experience | Official exam verification or score reports and employer experience verification |
| Principal, superintendent, counselor, librarian, diagnostician, or reading specialist with at least two years of acceptable experience and required certification exams | Test-based exemption plus experience | Official exam verification or score reports and employer experience verification |
| Educator with at least three years of acceptable experience in the certificate area | Experience-based exemption | Employer verification of the qualifying experience |
| Applicant who does not meet an exemption route | Texas testing requirements identified after review | Texas examination results after the Review of Credentials |
For private-school experience or experience earned outside the United States, TEA may also require evidence that the school was appropriately accredited or recognized. Experience must be tied to the certificate area being evaluated; years in an unrelated assignment do not automatically satisfy an exemption requirement.
Science of Teaching Reading is treated separately. Applicants seeking certification in areas that carry the Science of Teaching Reading requirement cannot rely on classroom experience alone to avoid that examination. TEA may consider a comparable reading examination required by another state, but completing Texas Reading Academies does not by itself qualify as an STR examination exemption. [STR requirement]
Step 3: Read the Credential Review Results Before Applying for a Texas Certificate
TEA places a Review of Credentials into the processing queue only after the required application materials have been received. During the busiest months, TEA advises applicants to allow about six to eight weeks. The agency also publishes a live processing-status page showing which completed applications are being worked. [Processing status]
When the review is finished, the evaluation letter is placed in ECOS under My Documents. The letter identifies the Texas certificate areas for which the educator is eligible and the examinations, if any, that must still be passed. Do not register for a Texas certification examination merely because it appears related to the out-of-state certificate; use the examination requirements stated in the completed Texas review.
TEA gives applicants a limited period to complete an out-of-state application file. The current certification page states that if required materials are not submitted within one year, a new application and fee may be required. Test-exemption records should therefore be requested early, especially when a former employer or another state agency must complete the verification. [Application deadline]
Step 4: Apply for the One-Year Certificate Only When It Fits the Employment Timeline
After a successful Review of Credentials, an educator who still needs time to complete Texas testing may be eligible for a one-year Texas certificate. TEA’s ECOS instructions place this application under Out-of-State Certified Applicants and Initial One-Year Certificate. The out-of-state checklist lists the application fee at $52. [One-year certificate]
The certificate is nonrenewable and expires 12 months after its effective date. Because that period runs whether or not the educator is continuously employed, applying too early can use part of the available year before the intended job begins. A confirmed employment start date is a better point for choosing the requested effective date than the day the credential review letter arrives. [Certificate term]
The rules adopted in 2026 allow the one-year certificate to be issued after the out-of-state credentials review is successfully completed and the required fingerprint-based criminal history review is satisfied. A job offer does not replace those state certification steps, and the one-year certificate does not guarantee employment. [Certificate issuance]
Step 5: Complete Fingerprinting and Any Required Texas Examinations
Texas educator certification applicants must complete a fingerprint-based national criminal history check. Fingerprints taken for another state, employer, immigration process, or unrelated licensing purpose are not automatically shared with TEA. [Fingerprinting]
TEA offers an electronic fingerprint route through IdentoGO, including selected locations outside Texas, and a fingerprint-card route for applicants who cannot use an electronic location. The card process is slower; TEA states that mailed card processing takes at least four weeks. Fingerprint charges are separate from educator certificate application fees and can vary by method or location, so the current TEA fingerprinting page should be checked before payment.
If the credential review assigns Texas examinations, complete those tests before applying for the standard certificate. An applicant whose review grants an exemption should follow the exemption reflected in the TEA record rather than taking an unnecessary Texas exam.
Step 6: Apply for the Standard Texas Certificate
Once all examination requirements are satisfied through passing scores or approved exemptions, return to the out-of-state applicant menu in ECOS and submit the application for the Standard Certificate. TEA’s out-of-state checklist lists the standard certificate application at $78. The standard certificate issued through this route is a renewable five-year certificate. [Standard certificate]
| Step | Current TEA Amount or Cost Type | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| Review of Credentials | $164 | Initial Texas evaluation of the out-of-state certificate |
| One-Year Certificate | $52 | Only if eligible and the temporary Texas credential is needed |
| Standard Certificate | $78 | After Texas testing or approved exemptions are complete |
| Fingerprinting | Separate charge | Required before an initial Texas educator credential can be issued |
| Texas certification examinations | Separate charge | Only for examinations assigned after review and not exempted |
The three certificate-related amounts above come from TEA’s out-of-state application checklist and include the agency’s listed online application totals. Fingerprinting and examination charges are separate and can change. [Fee schedule]
Problems That Delay an Out-of-State Credential Review
- Submitting an expired certificate: under the rule effective August 2, 2026, the credential used for the review must be valid and active when the complete application is received.
- Uploading a personal copy of the transcript as the only transcript: TEA requires the official academic record to come from the issuing institution through the accepted submission method.
- Waiting until after the review to request experience or test records: employer and state-agency verification can take time, so exemption evidence is better requested during the initial filing.
- Assuming years of classroom work automatically waive every test: STR has separate exemption rules, and other exemptions depend on the certificate area and qualifying evidence.
- Starting the one-year certificate too early: its 12-month term runs from the effective date and is not extended because the educator started work later.
- Using a district job offer as proof of state certification: hiring and state certification are related but separate. TEA determines whether the educator holds the required Texas credential.
Before Submitting the Review
- Confirm that the out-of-state standard certificate is still valid and active.
- Use the legal name that matches certification and academic records when creating the TEA account.
- Upload a readable copy of the out-of-state certificate.
- Order the official transcript from the college or university using TEA’s current submission instructions.
- Request employer experience verification and out-of-state examination records if either may support an exemption.
- Check ECOS after submission to make sure required documents appear in the account.
- Wait for the completed Review of Credentials before applying for the one-year or standard Texas certificate.
Official Sources and Verification Notes
Official Sources and Verification Notes
Official pages and rule materials listed below were checked on October 17, 2026.
- Return to: Texas certification rule, required transcript, credential scope — Texas Education Agency — Out-of-State Certified Educators. Used to support the Review of Credentials route, the absence of automatic certificate transfer, required application records, transcript submission, and the credential types outside this review process.
- Return to: 2026 rule change, one-year certificate issuance — Texas Register — Adopted Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 230. Supports the August 2, 2026 effective rule requiring a valid and current out-of-state credential and the conditions for issuance of the one-year certificate.
- ↩ Texas Education Agency — 19 TAC Chapter 230, Subchapter G. Provides the rule requirements used in “Who Can Use the Out-of-State Certification Route,” including degree and credential-review conditions.
- ↩ Texas Education Agency — Certification Based on Credentials from Another Country. Supports the foreign-degree row in the credential table: an educator who holds a U.S. state certificate but earned the degree abroad uses the out-of-state application and submits an original course-by-course evaluation.
- Return to: credential review application, one-year application — Texas Education Agency — Out-of-State Application Instructions. Provides the ECOS menu sequence for the Review of Credentials, Initial One-Year Certificate, and Standard Certificate applications.
- Return to: test exemptions, STR requirement — Texas Education Agency — Out-of-State Educator Test Exemption Review. Supplies the experience thresholds, examination-verification routes, employer verification requirements, and the separate Science of Teaching Reading exemption conditions.
- Return to: processing time, application deadline — Texas Education Agency — Out-of-State Certifications. Used in “Step 3” for the processing queue, seasonal six-to-eight-week guidance, and the one-year limit for completing required application materials.
- ↩ Texas Education Agency — Fingerprinting Process for Texas Educator Certification. Supports the fingerprint-based national criminal history requirement and the electronic and fingerprint-card options described in “Step 5.”
- Return to: credential review fee, one-year certificate, standard certificate, fee table — Texas Education Agency — Out-of-State Application Checklist. Provides the listed application totals of $164 for the Review of Credentials, $52 for the one-year certificate, and $78 for the standard certificate, and describes the one-year certificate term.