Teaching License from Pennsylvania to Maine: Does It Transfer? (2026)
A teaching certificate transfers from Pennsylvania to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine Department of Education — Certification Office, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. Maine requires the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (basic skills) and the applicable Praxis subject-area assessment; passing scores from another state may transfer, and experienced or nationally certified teachers may qualify for exemptions. A conditional/transitional certificate lets you teach while completing outstanding testing or coursework.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Pennsylvania to Maine: your Pennsylvania teaching license gets you in the door, not a Maine license on its own terms. Maine reviews your credential and, if you still owe its requirements, can issue a conditional/transitional certificate so you can teach while you complete them. Plan those requirements into your first year.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Maine
| Pennsylvania (current) | Maine (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $150 ($150 total for an out-of-state applicant's new credential (program completed outside PA: Instructional, Career and Technical, Educational Specialist, Administrative/Supervisory, LOE, CQL) per PDE's Fees and Forms schedule effective 11/12/25 — a $50 standard certification fee (capped at $50 by Act 47 of 2025) plus the separate $100 Professional Educator Discipline fee, which Act 47 did not waive. Charged inside TIMS at submission. Veterans and their spouses are exempt from both fees. Separate from this: Praxis/PECT test fees paid to the testing provider, transcript costs, and background-check clearances. Adding an endorsement is billed separately ($100). On the same PDE schedule, experience-based credentials and their add-ons are $0, but testing add-ons (Instructional I/II, Career and Technical Instructional I/II, Administrative) are $150 — add-ons are not uniformly free, so check which kind yours is.) | certificate fee not confirmed on an official Maine DOE page during this pass; verify at maine.gov/doe/cert before publishing |
| Processing time | NOT VERIFIED — PDE publishes no processing timeframe for out-of-state certification applications on the reviewed page | Maine DOE does not publish a fixed processing timeframe |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) — Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality | Maine Department of Education — Certification Office |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Maine sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Maine's current requirements on the Maine Department of Education — Certification Office website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Maine Department of Education — Certification Office.
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Apply to the Maine DOE Certification Office (online credential-review system) for evaluation of your out-of-state credentials.
- Hold a valid out-of-state teaching certificate and/or completion of an approved educator preparation program.
- Complete the required Praxis basic-skills and subject-area assessments (experience/National-Board exemptions possible).
- Receive a conditional/transitional certificate to teach while completing any outstanding Maine requirements within the allowed window.
- Complete a fingerprint-based Criminal History Record Check.
- Pay the fees (certificate fee not confirmed on an official Maine DOE page during this pass; verify at maine.gov/doe/cert before publishing). Processing time: Maine DOE does not publish a fixed processing timeframe.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Maine accept a Pennsylvania teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Pennsylvania to Maine by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Maine Department of Education — Certification Office, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Maine's endorsement requirements. Maine requires the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (basic skills) and the applicable Praxis subject-area assessment; passing scores from another state may transfer, and experienced or nationally certified teachers may qualify for exemptions. A conditional/transitional certificate lets you teach while completing outstanding testing or coursework.
Will I have to retake tests moving from Pennsylvania to Maine?
Maine requires the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (basic skills) and the applicable Praxis subject-area assessment; passing scores from another state may transfer, and experienced or nationally certified teachers may qualify for exemptions. A conditional/transitional certificate lets you teach while completing outstanding testing or coursework.
Can I teach in Maine right away?
Possibly. Maine can issue a conditional/transitional certificate so you can teach while you complete its remaining requirements; ask the Maine Department of Education — Certification Office whether you qualify for it.
What does the Pennsylvania-to-Maine transfer cost and how long does it take?
certificate fee not confirmed on an official Maine DOE page during this pass; verify at maine.gov/doe/cert before publishing. Processing time: Maine DOE does not publish a fixed processing timeframe.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-01.
- Maine DOE — Certification & Credentialing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Pennsylvania Department of Education — Out-of-State Educators (TIMS application, transcripts, test-score reporting, PDE338V/PDE338A forms, citizenship requirement) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-08)
- Pennsylvania Department of Education — Certification Fees and Forms (fee schedule effective 11/12/25: out-of-state new credential $50 standard + $100 Professional Educator Discipline fee = $150; veteran/spouse exemption) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-01)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-09-01
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]