Transfer Your Teaching License to Maryland: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) — Division of Educator Effectiveness (Educator Licensure) ↗
A Maryland teaching license is not automatically exchanged for your out-of-state one. Under the NASDTEC agreement, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) — Division of Educator Effectiveness (Educator Licensure) reviews your credential, issues a provisional certificate so you can start teaching, and requires its exams and any missing coursework within a set window before the full license. Application fee: $10 ($10 processing fee for issuance of a license, paid through the TEACH Dashboard only after MSDE determines eligibility; Visa and Mastercard accepted).
Moving to Maryland from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The framing that saves relocating teachers real trouble: Maryland is giving you a runway, not a transfer. The provisional credential lets you take a classroom immediately, but the clock on Maryland's tests and coursework starts with it. Map the requirements below to a timeline the day you accept a position — the deadline inside your provisional window is the thing that trips people, not the difficulty of any single requirement.
Reciprocity is a misnomer — Maryland does not auto-exchange an out-of-state license. You apply through TEACH and MSDE reviews your credentials against a defined route. A valid out-of-state professional license or approved out-of-state program covers the preparation and content requirements, but Maryland still imposes its own performance-based pedagogy assessment (waivable by National Board certification, two years of effective evaluations, or an effective Maryland evaluation) and a reading instruction assessment for early childhood, elementary, generic special education, and ESOL. MSDE issues four professional licenses — Temporary Professional, Initial Professional, Professional, and Advanced Professional — and determines which one you receive. marylandpublicschools.org blocks some automated clients; pages were read directly with a standard browser user agent on 2026-08-07.
Maryland requirements at a glance
| Exam | Maryland does not require its own content-area licensure tests from applicants who hold a valid out-of-state professional license or completed an approved out-of-state preparation program; instead every such applicant must submit a passing score on a performance-based pedagogy assessment (edTPA or PPAT), which may be satisfied instead by a current National Board Certificate, two years of effective (or comparable) evaluations, or an effective rating on one Maryland local school system year-end evaluation. An approved reading instruction assessment (Pearson Foundations of Reading, passing score 240, or Praxis Teaching Reading: Elementary 5205, passing score 159) is additionally required for early childhood, elementary, generic special education (any grade band), and ESOL PK-12. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $10 ($10 processing fee for issuance of a license, paid through the TEACH Dashboard only after MSDE determines eligibility; Visa and Mastercard accepted) |
| Processing time | ~8 weeks (MSDE states it will process a licensure application within 8 weeks of submission if all required documents have been provided; service members, veterans, and their spouses are entitled to expedited processing) |
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) — Division of Educator Effectiveness (Educator Licensure) website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) — Division of Educator Effectiveness (Educator Licensure) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Apply online through the Educator Application and Certification Hub (TEACH).
- Hold a bachelor's degree or higher plus either a valid out-of-state professional license or completion of an out-of-state approved preparation program including a clinical internship, in the license area sought.
- Submit a passing performance-based pedagogy assessment score, OR two years of effective evaluations, OR a current National Board Certificate, OR an effective Maryland year-end evaluation rating.
- Pass an approved reading instruction assessment when applying for early childhood, elementary, generic special education, or ESOL licensure.
- Submit official transcripts showing the degree conferred and the conferral date.
- Pay the fees ($10 ($10 processing fee for issuance of a license, paid through the TEACH Dashboard only after MSDE determines eligibility; Visa and Mastercard accepted)) and allow ~8 weeks (MSDE states it will process a licensure application within 8 weeks of submission if all required documents have been provided; service members, veterans, and their spouses are entitled to expedited processing).
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Maryland:
Frequently asked questions
Does my teaching license transfer to Maryland?
A Maryland teaching license is not automatically exchanged for your out-of-state one. Under the NASDTEC agreement, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) — Division of Educator Effectiveness (Educator Licensure) reviews your credential, issues a provisional certificate so you can start teaching, and requires its exams and any missing coursework within a set window before the full license. Application fee: $10 ($10 processing fee for issuance of a license, paid through the TEACH Dashboard only after MSDE determines eligibility; Visa and Mastercard accepted).
Is teaching reciprocity automatic in Maryland?
No. Maryland reviews your out-of-state credential and issues a provisional certificate; you complete its tests and coursework within a set window before the full license. It is the right to apply, not an instant swap.
What tests or requirements does Maryland add?
Maryland does not require its own content-area licensure tests from applicants who hold a valid out-of-state professional license or completed an approved out-of-state preparation program; instead every such applicant must submit a passing score on a performance-based pedagogy assessment (edTPA or PPAT), which may be satisfied instead by a current National Board Certificate, two years of effective (or comparable) evaluations, or an effective rating on one Maryland local school system year-end evaluation. An approved reading instruction assessment (Pearson Foundations of Reading, passing score 240, or Praxis Teaching Reading: Elementary 5205, passing score 159) is additionally required for early childhood, elementary, generic special education (any grade band), and ESOL PK-12..
What does a Maryland out-of-state teaching certificate cost and how long does it take?
$10 ($10 processing fee for issuance of a license, paid through the TEACH Dashboard only after MSDE determines eligibility; Visa and Mastercard accepted); processing ~8 weeks (MSDE states it will process a licensure application within 8 weeks of submission if all required documents have been provided; service members, veterans, and their spouses are entitled to expedited processing).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- MSDE — Educator Licensure Frequently Asked Questions ($10 processing fee; 8-week processing commitment; TEACH application system) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- MSDE — Pathways to Initial Licensure (Out-of-State Teacher Preparation Program and Out-of-State Professional License routes) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- MSDE — Out-of-State Candidate Assessment Requirements (performance-based pedagogy assessment options and reading instruction assessment passing scores) ↗ (accessed 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]