Teaching License from New York to Washington: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) - Certification (standards set by PESB) ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from New York to Washington by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) - Certification (standards set by PESB), verify your New York license, and meet Washington's endorsement requirements. Out-of-state applicants must pass a basic-skills test (WEST-B or an OSPI-approved alternative) and a content-area test for the endorsement sought (WEST-E/NES or an approved alternative); comparable out-of-state tests can satisfy these as approved alternatives. Testing is not waived by out-of-state experience. Separately, an advanced-level out-of-state certificate that PESB has approved as comparable, or National Board certification, is a route to the second-tier Professional Teacher certificate..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of New York to Washington: your New York teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Washington 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 New York license waives Washington's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, New York → Washington
| New York (current) | Washington (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 ($100 per certificate title or extension for an Initial/Professional classroom teaching certificate awarded on alternate requirements (transcript/individual evaluation) — the route interstate applicants use. The $50 rate applies only to certificates based on completion of a New York State-registered approved program requiring a college recommendation. Additional: $104.50 fingerprint fee as of 2026-02-02 (DCJS $75.00 + FBI $12.00 + IDEMIA $17.50). An application is valid for three years or two evaluations, whichever comes first, and the fee is non-refundable once evaluated.) | $93 (93 USD for the Residency Teacher first issue per the OSPI Professional Certification Fee Schedule; that total includes the 51 USD OSPI processing fee plus the PESB certification fee. The Professional Teacher certificate is 81 USD. Fingerprint and background-check costs are paid separately to the vendor.) |
| Processing time | NYSED publishes no processing-time estimate for certification applications. The Office of Teaching Initiatives states only that it 'can not determine eligibility for certification until an application has been submitted, and a review of your credentials has been completed.' | OSPI publishes no fixed week range; it maintains a live Application Processing Status page showing the current pending-application count and the month of applications under review, and districts may submit rush requests through E-Certification. |
| Licensing authority | New York State Education Department (NYSED) — Office of Teaching Initiatives | Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) - Certification (standards set by PESB) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Washington sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Washington's current requirements on the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) - Certification (standards set by PESB) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) - Certification (standards set by PESB) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Apply in E-Certification for the Residency Teacher (First Issue) certificate as an out-of-state applicant.
- Document either completion of an accredited out-of-state preparation program with supervised student teaching, or a full out-of-state teaching certificate (valid or expired) plus three years of out-of-state teaching experience.
- Pass the WEST-B basic-skills test and the WEST-E/NES content test for the endorsement, or approved alternatives.
- Submit fingerprints for a Washington State Patrol and FBI background check unless you already hold a valid Washington certificate.
- Pay the fees ($93 (93 USD for the Residency Teacher first issue per the OSPI Professional Certification Fee Schedule; that total includes the 51 USD OSPI processing fee plus the PESB certification fee. The Professional Teacher certificate is 81 USD. Fingerprint and background-check costs are paid separately to the vendor.)) and allow OSPI publishes no fixed week range; it maintains a live Application Processing Status page showing the current pending-application count and the month of applications under review, and districts may submit rush requests through E-Certification..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Washington accept a New York teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from New York to Washington by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) - Certification (standards set by PESB), verify your New York license, and meet Washington's endorsement requirements. Out-of-state applicants must pass a basic-skills test (WEST-B or an OSPI-approved alternative) and a content-area test for the endorsement sought (WEST-E/NES or an approved alternative); comparable out-of-state tests can satisfy these as approved alternatives. Testing is not waived by out-of-state experience. Separately, an advanced-level out-of-state certificate that PESB has approved as comparable, or National Board certification, is a route to the second-tier Professional Teacher certificate..
Will I have to retake tests moving from New York to Washington?
Out-of-state applicants must pass a basic-skills test (WEST-B or an OSPI-approved alternative) and a content-area test for the endorsement sought (WEST-E/NES or an approved alternative); comparable out-of-state tests can satisfy these as approved alternatives. Testing is not waived by out-of-state experience. Separately, an advanced-level out-of-state certificate that PESB has approved as comparable, or National Board certification, is a route to the second-tier Professional Teacher certificate.. Holding a New York license does not by itself waive Washington's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Washington right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Washington certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the New York-to-Washington transfer cost and how long does it take?
$93 (93 USD for the Residency Teacher first issue per the OSPI Professional Certification Fee Schedule; that total includes the 51 USD OSPI processing fee plus the PESB certification fee. The Professional Teacher certificate is 81 USD. Fingerprint and background-check costs are paid separately to the vendor.); processing OSPI publishes no fixed week range; it maintains a live Application Processing Status page showing the current pending-application count and the month of applications under review, and districts may submit rush requests through E-Certification..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- OSPI - Residency Teacher Out-of-State (two routes; WEST-B and WEST-E/NES; fingerprint requirement) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- OSPI - Out-of-State Applicants, Teachers (issues-of-abuse coursework applies to Professional Teacher applicants, not Residency; PESB-comparable advanced certificate and National Board routes to Professional) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- OSPI - Professional Certification Fee Schedule (Residency Teacher 1st issue 93 USD; Professional Teacher 81 USD; 51 USD OSPI processing fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- OSPI - Application Processing Status ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED OTI — Applicants from Other States (Interstate Reciprocity) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED OTI — Application Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED OTI — Workshops Required for Educator Certification ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- NYSED — Fingerprinting (fee effective 2026-02-02) ↗ (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]