Step 1: Completing Your Initial Application Package

All complete application packages must have:

• A completed online application (More Info?)
• Appropriate processing fee for each subject you request (More Info?)
• Official transcripts showing all degrees and credits (More Info?)
• If applicable, copies of teaching certificate(s) you hold from U.S. states or territories (More Info?)

Your application package cannot be evaluated until it is completed, submitted and all items received in the Bureau of Educator Certification.

Completing the Application

The best way to complete and submit your application is via the Online Licensing Service site. At the end of the Steps to Certification, you will be given instructions on how to complete your application online or, if necessary, how to obtain a hard copy application form. If you completed an education program from an institution outside the United States, special information about documenting your educational training will be found under Applicants with Foreign Academic Training.

Read and follow the application instructions carefully! Applications with blank or improperly completed sections will not be evaluated.

Common Errors

• If you acknowledge (select "Yes") a criminal offense record or sanction of a certificate in the Legal Disclosure section, you must provide the details of the offense record or sanction. If no information is listed to explain an offense or sanction, the application will be considered incomplete and will not be evaluated.
• You must acknowledge all criminal offense records and certificate sanctions on each application you submit, even if you acknowledged them and they were previously reviewed. Acknowledgement is required in accordance with the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida.

Submitting the Correct Processing Fee

When you apply for a Florida Educator's Certificate your application package must include the appropriate processing fee for each subject or endorsement you request on your application. The online application will automatically calculate the appropriate processing fees for the application actions you select.

• You may submit your payment online using a VISA or MasterCard debit or credit card.
• Processing fees are nonrefundable.
• If necessary, you may submit payment by cashier's check, personal check or money order.

Common Errors

• Place your social security number or Florida DOE License# on your check or money order to ensure proper accounting. If you do not have a U.S. social security number or Florida DOE License# then include your date of birth.
• If a personal check is returned by your bank, a $30.00 bad check fee will be assessed in addition to the amount of the check you submitted. Your application will not be evaluated until all fees have been received.

Submitting Official Transcripts

• You must submit an official transcript showing at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited or approved U.S. institution to apply for a certificate. College level credits awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) are also acceptable.
• It is recommended that you submit official transcripts from all accredited or approved U.S. institutions at which you earned postsecondary credit.
• If you have earned your degree(s) from outside the United States, you must hold a degree that is determined to be equivalent to a U.S. accredited bachelor's degree. This initial determination of degree equivalency is made by a credential evaluation agency. For step by step information about documenting foreign credentials for certification, visit Applicants with Foreign Academic Training.

Common Errors

• Only official transcripts will be evaluated. Do not submit photocopies, grade reports, or internet printouts.
• Submit official transcripts from all colleges attended. Your evaluation may be incomplete and you may be deemed ineligible for certification without all of your postsecondary credit and relevant credentials officially documented in your file.
• Be sure that your social security number or Florida DOE License# is on each transcript. Some institutions do not display the social security number without a specific request from the student. Therefore, ask the registrar's office when you request transcripts that your social security number be shown on your transcript. You may also write your social security number or Florida DOE License# on the document.

Submitting Out-of-State Certificates

If you hold a valid standard certificate from a state other than Florida or a U.S. territory, submit a photocopy of the front and back of your valid certificate with your completed application. The certificate photcopy must include:

• a certificate or license title that clearly designates its stage or level;
• the subject area(s) and endorsement(s) for which you qualified;
• the ages and/or instructional grade levels of students for each subject or endorsement;
• the date(s) the certificate or license is valid; and
• the educator's name and unique identification number.

This documentation must be sufficient for validation of the certificate or license against official records maintained by the state or national issuing authority.

Common Errors

• Be sure that your social security number or Florida DOE License# is shown on each page you submit.
• Submit all valid certificates that you hold, regardless of whether you have recently taught in that state. Your evaluation may be incomplete and you may be deemed ineligible for certification without all of your relevant credentials officially documented in your file.
• If your certificate shows any information in code (i.e., numbers or letters that are not defined on the certificate), submit a list of what the codes represent.

For a review of Florida's reciprocity provisions for certified educators from other states, see our Certified Teacher or Administrator section.