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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) - Office of Licensure ↗

A teaching certificate transfers from Georgia to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) - Office of Licensure, verify your Georgia license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. Virginia does not exchange another state's scores. Under universal licensure by reciprocity (8VAC20-23-100 / Code of Virginia 22.1-298.1) an applicant holding a valid, full out-of-state teaching license without deficiencies that has been in force at least three years before and at the time of application faces NO Virginia licensing assessments and no service requirement. An applicant who does not meet the three-year threshold must satisfy the Board-prescribed professional teacher's assessments unless separately exempt..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The honest version of Georgia to Virginia: your Georgia teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Virginia 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 Virginia's requirements — plan them into your first year.

What changes, Georgia → Virginia

Side-by-side: Georgia vs Virginia (Teaching (K-12)), verified 2026-08-07
Georgia (current)Virginia (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.)$100–$150 (VDOE Fee Schedule for Licensure (revised January 2025) sets the initial license fee by the address on the application - 100 USD in-state, 150 USD out-of-state; an applicant still living out of state pays 150 USD. Background-check costs are charged separately by the hiring division.)
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.)~3 weeks (Statutory, and specific to the universal-reciprocity path - VDOE must determine and communicate eligibility for licensure by reciprocity within 15 business days (about 3 weeks) of receiving a complete application packet, and must prioritize those applications. VDOE publishes no general week range for other licensure applications.)
Licensing authorityGeorgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC)Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) - Office of Licensure

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

Step by step

  1. Confirm Virginia's current requirements on the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) - Office of Licensure website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) - Office of Licensure (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Apply to the VDOE Office of Licensure with a copy of the valid out-of-state license and official transcripts.
  5. For the streamlined path, hold that out-of-state license in force at least three years before and at the time of application.
  6. Otherwise document completion of a state-approved teacher preparation program at a regionally accredited four-year institution.
  7. Pass the Board-prescribed professional teacher's assessments if you do not qualify for the three-year assessment exemption.
  8. Complete a fingerprint-based background check through the employing Virginia school division.
  9. Pay the fees ($100–$150 (VDOE Fee Schedule for Licensure (revised January 2025) sets the initial license fee by the address on the application - 100 USD in-state, 150 USD out-of-state; an applicant still living out of state pays 150 USD. Background-check costs are charged separately by the hiring division.)) and allow ~3 weeks (Statutory, and specific to the universal-reciprocity path - VDOE must determine and communicate eligibility for licensure by reciprocity within 15 business days (about 3 weeks) of receiving a complete application packet, and must prioritize those applications. VDOE publishes no general week range for other licensure applications.).

Official links

Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) - Office of Licensure ↗Virginia application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Virginia → GeorgiaTeaching in GeorgiaTeaching in VirginiaAll teaching states

Frequently asked questions

Does Virginia accept a Georgia teaching license?

A teaching certificate transfers from Georgia to Virginia by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) - Office of Licensure, verify your Georgia license, and meet Virginia's endorsement requirements. Virginia does not exchange another state's scores. Under universal licensure by reciprocity (8VAC20-23-100 / Code of Virginia 22.1-298.1) an applicant holding a valid, full out-of-state teaching license without deficiencies that has been in force at least three years before and at the time of application faces NO Virginia licensing assessments and no service requirement. An applicant who does not meet the three-year threshold must satisfy the Board-prescribed professional teacher's assessments unless separately exempt..

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

Virginia does not exchange another state's scores. Under universal licensure by reciprocity (8VAC20-23-100 / Code of Virginia 22.1-298.1) an applicant holding a valid, full out-of-state teaching license without deficiencies that has been in force at least three years before and at the time of application faces NO Virginia licensing assessments and no service requirement. An applicant who does not meet the three-year threshold must satisfy the Board-prescribed professional teacher's assessments unless separately exempt.. Holding a Georgia license does not by itself waive Virginia's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.

Can I teach in Virginia right away?

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

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

$100–$150 (VDOE Fee Schedule for Licensure (revised January 2025) sets the initial license fee by the address on the application - 100 USD in-state, 150 USD out-of-state; an applicant still living out of state pays 150 USD. Background-check costs are charged separately by the hiring division.); processing ~3 weeks (Statutory, and specific to the universal-reciprocity path - VDOE must determine and communicate eligibility for licensure by reciprocity within 15 business days (about 3 weeks) of receiving a complete application packet, and must prioritize those applications. VDOE publishes no general week range for other licensure applications.).

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]