Transfer Your Teaching License to New Hampshire: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
New Hampshire does not simply swap your teaching license — "reciprocity" here means the New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education reviews your credential and issues its own New Hampshire certificate. Initial teacher and instructional specialist candidates must pass a basic academic skills assessment — the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators or a comparable out-of-state test, with comparability decided during application review; alternatively a score at or above the 50th percentile on a nationally recognized test such as the SAT, ACT or GRE satisfies the requirement (Ed 505.01). Fee: $150 (Ed 505.09 fee schedule — $150 for an initial Beginning Educator License or Experienced Educator License including one licensure area endorsement by any licensure pathway, and $150 to add another endorsement. A separate $100 Criminal History Record Check Clearance fee applies to first-time applicants).
Moving to New Hampshire from a specific state?
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The framing that matters for New Hampshire: you are applying for a New Hampshire certificate, not carrying yours across. The New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education issues its own certificate on review of your out-of-state one, so the work is to have every document and test score it asks for ready when you apply — gaps are what slow a review. The requirements below are New Hampshire's list.
Reciprocity is a misnomer — New Hampshire does not auto-exchange an out-of-state license. The Bureau of Credentialing evaluates the applicant against Ed 505 and issues its own credential, normally a Beginning Educator License valid for 3 years and renewable under Ed 509. Out-of-state reciprocity in NH covers any U.S. state, DC, Puerto Rico, a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, DoDEA, and U.S. territories and possessions. Two hard windows govern the out-of-state route: the comparable out-of-state endorsement must not have been expired more than 3 years at application, and an applicant relying on the preparing institution's recommendation must apply within 3 years of that recommendation. New Hampshire is not listed among the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact member states published by member-state licensing authorities as of this check.
New Hampshire requirements at a glance
| Exam | Initial teacher and instructional specialist candidates must pass a basic academic skills assessment — the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators or a comparable out-of-state test, with comparability decided during application review; alternatively a score at or above the 50th percentile on a nationally recognized test such as the SAT, ACT or GRE satisfies the requirement (Ed 505.01) |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $150 (Ed 505.09 fee schedule — $150 for an initial Beginning Educator License or Experienced Educator License including one licensure area endorsement by any licensure pathway, and $150 to add another endorsement. A separate $100 Criminal History Record Check Clearance fee applies to first-time applicants) |
| Processing time | The Bureau of Credentialing does not publish a stated processing time; applicants are directed to the Credentialing Knowledge Base / Help Desk for status. Set to null rather than guess |
Step by step
- Confirm New Hampshire's current requirements on the New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Complete a state-approved educator preparation program in another state, whether or not that state is a NASDTEC signatory.
- Either hold full out-of-state licensure in a comparable endorsement area not expired more than 3 years, or apply within 3 years of the preparing institution's recommendation.
- Pass the basic academic skills assessment or an approved substitute score.
- Pass a criminal history records check and a DCYF Central Registry check before any credential is issued (required of all first-time applicants since January 11, 2023).
- Apply and pay through the NH Department of Education credentialing system administered by the Bureau of Credentialing.
- Pay the fees ($150 (Ed 505.09 fee schedule — $150 for an initial Beginning Educator License or Experienced Educator License including one licensure area endorsement by any licensure pathway, and $150 to add another endorsement. A separate $100 Criminal History Record Check Clearance fee applies to first-time applicants)). Processing time: The Bureau of Credentialing does not publish a stated processing time; applicants are directed to the Credentialing Knowledge Base / Help Desk for status. Set to null rather than guess.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into New Hampshire:
Nearby states
Teaching license transfer into the states bordering New Hampshire:
New Hampshire for other professions
- Nursing in New Hampshire
- Cosmetology / Barber in New Hampshire
- Real Estate in New Hampshire
- Contractor in New Hampshire
- CPA / Accounting in New Hampshire
- Electrician in New Hampshire
- Plumber in New Hampshire
- Engineering in New Hampshire
- Pharmacy in New Hampshire
- Physical Therapy in New Hampshire
- Psychology in New Hampshire
- Counseling in New Hampshire
- Social Work in New Hampshire
- Occupational Therapy in New Hampshire
Frequently asked questions
Does my teaching license transfer to New Hampshire?
New Hampshire does not simply swap your teaching license — "reciprocity" here means the New Hampshire Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing, Division of Educator Support and Higher Education reviews your credential and issues its own New Hampshire certificate. Initial teacher and instructional specialist candidates must pass a basic academic skills assessment — the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators or a comparable out-of-state test, with comparability decided during application review; alternatively a score at or above the 50th percentile on a nationally recognized test such as the SAT, ACT or GRE satisfies the requirement (Ed 505.01). Fee: $150 (Ed 505.09 fee schedule — $150 for an initial Beginning Educator License or Experienced Educator License including one licensure area endorsement by any licensure pathway, and $150 to add another endorsement. A separate $100 Criminal History Record Check Clearance fee applies to first-time applicants).
Is teaching reciprocity automatic in New Hampshire?
No. New Hampshire reviews your out-of-state certificate and issues its own; it is the right to apply, not an instant swap.
What tests or requirements does New Hampshire add?
Initial teacher and instructional specialist candidates must pass a basic academic skills assessment — the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators or a comparable out-of-state test, with comparability decided during application review; alternatively a score at or above the 50th percentile on a nationally recognized test such as the SAT, ACT or GRE satisfies the requirement (Ed 505.01).
What does a New Hampshire out-of-state teaching certificate cost and how long does it take?
$150 (Ed 505.09 fee schedule — $150 for an initial Beginning Educator License or Experienced Educator License including one licensure area endorsement by any licensure pathway, and $150 to add another endorsement. A separate $100 Criminal History Record Check Clearance fee applies to first-time applicants). Processing time: The Bureau of Credentialing does not publish a stated processing time; applicants are directed to the Credentialing Knowledge Base / Help Desk for status. Set to null rather than guess.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- NH Department of Education — Bureau of Credentialing ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NH Code of Administrative Rules Ed 500-514 — Certification Standards (Ed 505.01 basic academic skills; Ed 505.05 out-of-state approved program) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NH Department of Education — Ed 505.09 adopted rule text (credential fee schedule) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]