Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Teaching License from Georgia to Louisiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) — Division of Teacher Certification ↗

A teaching certificate transfers from Georgia to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) — Division of Teacher Certification, verify your Georgia license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. Louisiana requires the Praxis series (Core Academic Skills for Educators, the Praxis subject-area assessment, and the Principles of Learning and Teaching/PLT); incoming teachers may transfer comparable out-of-state passing scores, and experienced applicants holding a valid out-of-state certificate or National Board Certified Teachers may qualify for testing waivers. An Out-of-State (OS) certificate — valid up to three years and non-renewable — is issued to allow time to complete any outstanding Louisiana exams before the standard certificate..

Verify this exact pair in the checker

Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The honest version of Georgia to Louisiana: your Georgia teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Louisiana will review your credential, issue a provisional certificate so you can begin teaching, and then require its own tests and coursework within its completion window before the full license. Nothing about holding an Georgia license waives Louisiana's requirements — plan them into your first year.

What changes, Georgia → Louisiana

Side-by-side: Georgia vs Louisiana (Teaching (K-12)), verified 2026-08-07
Georgia (current)Louisiana (destination)
Application fee$0–$20 ($20 processing fee payable via MyPSC for all certification transactions; waived for an applicant's first Georgia certificate when the application is supported by an employing Georgia local unit of administration (LUA). GACE exam fees and fingerprinting costs are additional.)certificate/application fee not confirmed on an official LDOE page during this pass; verify on teachlouisiana.net before publishing
Processing time~2 weeks (GaPSC publishes no fixed range; it posts a live queue date and asks applicants to 'wait at least two weeks after completing your application' before contacting the office. On 2026-08-07 the site stated it was processing complete application packages received on or before July 27, 2026.)LDOE does not publish a fixed processing timeframe; application status is trackable in the Teacher Certification Help Portal
Licensing authorityGeorgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC)Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) — Division of Teacher Certification

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Louisiana sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Louisiana's current requirements on the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) — Division of Teacher Certification website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) — Division of Teacher Certification (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Apply for certification through the LDOE Teacher Certification portal (teachlouisiana.net / Teacher Certification Help Portal).
  5. Hold a valid standard out-of-state teaching certificate and have completed a state-approved teacher preparation program.
  6. Meet Louisiana's Praxis testing requirements, transfer comparable passing scores, or qualify for an experience/National-Board-based waiver.
  7. Submit official transcripts and direct verification of your out-of-state certificate.
  8. Complete a fingerprint-based criminal background check.
  9. Pay the fees (certificate/application fee not confirmed on an official LDOE page during this pass; verify on teachlouisiana.net before publishing) and allow LDOE does not publish a fixed processing timeframe; application status is trackable in the Teacher Certification Help Portal.

Official links

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Does Louisiana accept a Georgia teaching license?

A teaching certificate transfers from Georgia to Louisiana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) — Division of Teacher Certification, verify your Georgia license, and meet Louisiana's endorsement requirements. Louisiana requires the Praxis series (Core Academic Skills for Educators, the Praxis subject-area assessment, and the Principles of Learning and Teaching/PLT); incoming teachers may transfer comparable out-of-state passing scores, and experienced applicants holding a valid out-of-state certificate or National Board Certified Teachers may qualify for testing waivers. An Out-of-State (OS) certificate — valid up to three years and non-renewable — is issued to allow time to complete any outstanding Louisiana exams before the standard certificate..

Will I have to retake tests moving from Georgia to Louisiana?

Louisiana requires the Praxis series (Core Academic Skills for Educators, the Praxis subject-area assessment, and the Principles of Learning and Teaching/PLT); incoming teachers may transfer comparable out-of-state passing scores, and experienced applicants holding a valid out-of-state certificate or National Board Certified Teachers may qualify for testing waivers. An Out-of-State (OS) certificate — valid up to three years and non-renewable — is issued to allow time to complete any outstanding Louisiana exams before the standard certificate.. Holding a Georgia license does not by itself waive Louisiana's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.

Can I teach in Louisiana right away?

Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Louisiana certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.

What does the Georgia-to-Louisiana transfer cost and how long does it take?

certificate/application fee not confirmed on an official LDOE page during this pass; verify on teachlouisiana.net before publishing; processing LDOE does not publish a fixed processing timeframe; application status is trackable in the Teacher Certification Help Portal.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]