Out-of-State Teachers

We’re excited you want to Teach in the Peach!

If your out-of-state teacher certificate meets certain requirements, you may be able to get a Georgia certificate based on interstate reciprocity. To qualify, you must hold a valid or expired certificate in a field comparable to one of Georgia’s certificate fields. The certificate also requires meeting the following conditions:

• Issued by another U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or another qualifying jurisdiction such as the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA); if you hold an educator certificate in a U.S. territory or another country, please visit the International Teachers page.
• Is a professional certificate based on completion of a state-approved educator preparation program including pedagogy and clinical practice in the base field of certification. If you do not know if your out-of-state certificate is considered “professional,” please click here to view a table of some acceptable out-of-state certificates.

Please note that reciprocity doesn’t mean an out-of-state educator automatically qualifies for a Georgia certificate. You may need to fulfill some Special Georgia Requirements before receiving your Georgia certificate, or within a certain period of time after receiving it. However, if you hold a professional out-of-state certificate and submit a complete application package for Georgia certification, the GaPSC will evaluate your documents and outline any outstanding requirements you may need to fulfill. Visit the GaPSC Out-of-State Educators page for more information and application instructions.