Teaching License from Illinois to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure, verify your Illinois license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. Montana accepts a current out-of-state educator license plus two years of teaching experience as one of four ways to satisfy the assessment requirement, in place of a minimum qualifying score on the Montana-required PRAXIS subject assessment. Applicants without that license-plus-experience combination must post a qualifying PRAXIS score, pass a student-teaching portfolio, or show a 3.0 or higher GPA in the relevant coursework..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Illinois to Montana: your Illinois teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Montana 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 Illinois license waives Montana's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Illinois → Montana
| Illinois (current) | Montana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $150 ($150 PEL application fee for out-of-state (and out-of-country) applicants, assessed electronically in ELIS; license registration fees are additional and required before employment) | $80–$95 (First-time Montana license: $80 for a Class 2 Standard Teaching license and $95 for a Class 1 Professional Teaching license (each includes a $10 non-refundable processing fee); subsequent licenses are $70/$85. Fees are non-refundable and paid electronically in TeachMT. Fingerprint background-check costs are additional.) |
| Processing time | Not stated on the reviewed ISBE application page | OPI publishes no processing-time range for new licenses. It warns only that summer is the busiest period and that applications left incomplete are purged after 90 days. Not estimated here. |
| Licensing authority | Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) - Educator Licensure | Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Apply electronically through the TeachMT licensing system — OPI accepts no paper applications.
- Submit official transcripts and a copy of your current out-of-state educator license.
- Submit a university recommendation verifying completion of a teacher preparation program, student teaching, and the endorsements you qualify for.
- Complete a fingerprint background check.
- Complete the course 'An Introduction to Indian Education for All in Montana'.
- Have foreign degrees evaluated course-by-course by a NACES member agency.
- Pay the fees ($80–$95 (First-time Montana license: $80 for a Class 2 Standard Teaching license and $95 for a Class 1 Professional Teaching license (each includes a $10 non-refundable processing fee); subsequent licenses are $70/$85. Fees are non-refundable and paid electronically in TeachMT. Fingerprint background-check costs are additional.)) and allow OPI publishes no processing-time range for new licenses. It warns only that summer is the busiest period and that applications left incomplete are purged after 90 days. Not estimated here..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Montana accept a Illinois teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Illinois to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure, verify your Illinois license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. Montana accepts a current out-of-state educator license plus two years of teaching experience as one of four ways to satisfy the assessment requirement, in place of a minimum qualifying score on the Montana-required PRAXIS subject assessment. Applicants without that license-plus-experience combination must post a qualifying PRAXIS score, pass a student-teaching portfolio, or show a 3.0 or higher GPA in the relevant coursework..
Will I have to retake tests moving from Illinois to Montana?
Montana accepts a current out-of-state educator license plus two years of teaching experience as one of four ways to satisfy the assessment requirement, in place of a minimum qualifying score on the Montana-required PRAXIS subject assessment. Applicants without that license-plus-experience combination must post a qualifying PRAXIS score, pass a student-teaching portfolio, or show a 3.0 or higher GPA in the relevant coursework.. Holding a Illinois license does not by itself waive Montana's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Montana right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Montana certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Illinois-to-Montana transfer cost and how long does it take?
$80–$95 (First-time Montana license: $80 for a Class 2 Standard Teaching license and $95 for a Class 1 Professional Teaching license (each includes a $10 non-refundable processing fee); subsequent licenses are $70/$85. Fees are non-refundable and paid electronically in TeachMT. Fingerprint background-check costs are additional.); processing OPI publishes no processing-time range for new licenses. It warns only that summer is the busiest period and that applications left incomplete are purged after 90 days. Not estimated here..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Montana OPI — Educator Licensure (out-of-state applicants; 'Montana does not have reciprocity with any state for teacher licensure') ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana OPI — Educator Licenses (Class 1 and Class 2 requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Montana OPI — Educator Licensure Fees, effective July 27, 2026 ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- ISBE - Educator Licensure Application (Reciprocity / Out-of-State supporting documentation and fees) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- ISBE - Educator Licensure (requirements hub) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]