If you have completed an educator preparation program in a U.S. territory or another country without obtaining certification in another U.S. state, you may qualify for a Georgia educator certificate. It is important to note that you may have to fulfill some Special Georgia Requirements before receiving your Georgia certificate, or within a certain period of time after receiving your first certificate.

For those holding a J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa who are employed and sponsored to teach in Georgia, see Exchange Visitor Program Teachers.

For educators not participating in an international exchange who wish to apply for an evaluation, please submit the following:

• Online Certification Application – Must be completed through your MyPSC account.
• Verification of Lawful Presence Documentation;
• Experience Verification Form:
  • Please use this form to verify any educator experience earned in another country while holding a professional certificate in the same field and country;
  • The form must be filled out completely, including indication of satisfactory performance evaluations, by a representative of the Human Resources/Personnel department of your current or former employing school system;
  • For how experience may be used towards exempting certain tests or coursework, see Special Georgia Requirements;
  • If you have less than one year of educator experience, you do not need to submit this form.
• Statement of professional standing from the governing, regulatory education body for certification held outside the U.S.:
  • Fields held and validity dates must be listed along with confirmation the credential has not had an adverse action taken against it such as a suspension or revocation.
• Foreign credential report for coursework completed outside of the U.S. The report must be course-by-course with U.S. grade and degree equivalency listed and be completed by an approved company. Foreign credential reports may be submitted in one of the following ways:
  • Emailed directly by the provider to mail@gapsc.com;
  • Delivered directly by the provider through a secure portal the company may provide.
• $20 processing fee:
  • You must pay this fee online through your MyPSC account.
  • If you are employed in Georgia, your employer must submit an Employer Assurance Form through their institution’s GaPSC account. If you are employed at a private school without a GaPSC account, they may complete the pdf Employer Assurance Form. Either Employer Assurance Form negates the $20 processing fee.

If you have completed an educator preparation program and you submit a complete application package for Georgia certification, the GaPSC will evaluate your documents and outline any outstanding requirements you may need to fulfill. For instructions on how to apply, please see Application Forms and Procedures.