Teaching License from Texas to Alabama: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section ↗
A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to Alabama by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section, verify your Texas license, and meet Alabama's endorsement requirements. Alabama relies on your valid out-of-state professional educator certificate; Rule 290-3-2-.20 (Certificate Reciprocity) does not list a separate Alabama Praxis passing score for teaching fields, but Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) requirements — ACT WorkKeys basic-skills, prescribed Praxis II subject test(s), and the Pearson performance assessment — apply as prescribed 'for this approach', and a 6-month window is allowed to submit any required passing scores..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The honest version of Texas to Alabama: your Texas teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Alabama 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 Texas license waives Alabama's requirements — plan them into your first year.
What changes, Texas → Alabama
| Texas (current) | Alabama (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $160–$164 (19 TAC Sec. 230.101 (SBEC rules currently in effect) sets the nonrefundable fee for 'Review of a credential issued by a jurisdiction other than Texas' at $160, the standard certificate at $75, and the 'One-year certificate based on a credential issued by a jurisdiction other than Texas' at $50. TEA's out-of-state application materials state $164 is collected for the credentials review; the $4 difference is not explained on any TEA page reviewed, so the range is reported rather than a single figure. The national criminal history check fee (a $10 criminal history review fee plus the current DPS/FBI fingerprint scanning and processing cost) and TExES exam fees are additional) | $30 ($30.00 nonrefundable application fee per Ala. Code 16-23-4; additional fee for each extra area; fingerprint/background-check costs additional) |
| Processing time | 6–8 weeks (TEA: 'Applicants should allow 6 to 8 weeks for processing.' Reviews and test-exemption determinations run longer in the busy season, which TEA pages describe variously as March-October and April-September. TEA's out-of-state certification page reported 531 applications awaiting review as of August 5, 2026 with four specialists assigned) | Not stated; rule allows a 60-day window to complete an incomplete application and a 6-month window to submit any required AECAP scores |
| Licensing authority | Texas Education Agency (TEA) - Educator Certification | Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Alabama sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Alabama's current requirements on the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a valid professional educator certificate from another state, DC, a U.S. territory, or DoDEA in an area, grade level, and degree level comparable to an Alabama certificate.
- Verify an earned bachelor's or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution on official transcripts (teaching fields).
- Complete a criminal-history (fingerprint) background check under the Alabama Child Protection Act.
- Verify U.S. citizenship or lawful nationality/immigration status (Beason-Hammon Act).
- Meet the AECAP testing requirements prescribed for this approach; a 6-month window applies if testing is required.
- Apply online through the ALSDE ACE / AIM certification system.
- Pay the fees ($30 ($30.00 nonrefundable application fee per Ala. Code 16-23-4; additional fee for each extra area; fingerprint/background-check costs additional)) and allow Not stated; rule allows a 60-day window to complete an incomplete application and a 6-month window to submit any required AECAP scores.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Alabama accept a Texas teaching license?
A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to Alabama by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) — Educator Certification Section, verify your Texas license, and meet Alabama's endorsement requirements. Alabama relies on your valid out-of-state professional educator certificate; Rule 290-3-2-.20 (Certificate Reciprocity) does not list a separate Alabama Praxis passing score for teaching fields, but Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) requirements — ACT WorkKeys basic-skills, prescribed Praxis II subject test(s), and the Pearson performance assessment — apply as prescribed 'for this approach', and a 6-month window is allowed to submit any required passing scores..
Will I have to retake tests moving from Texas to Alabama?
Alabama relies on your valid out-of-state professional educator certificate; Rule 290-3-2-.20 (Certificate Reciprocity) does not list a separate Alabama Praxis passing score for teaching fields, but Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) requirements — ACT WorkKeys basic-skills, prescribed Praxis II subject test(s), and the Pearson performance assessment — apply as prescribed 'for this approach', and a 6-month window is allowed to submit any required passing scores.. Holding a Texas license does not by itself waive Alabama's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.
Can I teach in Alabama right away?
Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Alabama certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.
What does the Texas-to-Alabama transfer cost and how long does it take?
$30 ($30.00 nonrefundable application fee per Ala. Code 16-23-4; additional fee for each extra area; fingerprint/background-check costs additional); processing Not stated; rule allows a 60-day window to complete an incomplete application and a 6-month window to submit any required AECAP scores.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- ALSDE — Out of State Certificate (Certificate Reciprocity approach) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alabama Administrative Code 290-3-2 (Educator Certification) — Rule 290-3-2-.20 Certificates Issued by Another State Approach and 290-3-2-.02 ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Texas TEA - Out-of-State Certified Educators (no reciprocity; Review of Credentials; certificate must be valid and active; 6-8 weeks) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Texas TEA - Out-of-State Educator Test Exemption Review (1 year classroom / 2 years administrative-student services / 3+ years verifiable; STR not exemptible by experience or Reading Academies) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Texas SBEC rules currently in effect - 19 TAC Chapter 230 Subchapter G PDF, Sec. 230.101 Schedule of Fees ($160 review of an out-of-jurisdiction credential; $75 standard certificate; $50 one-year certificate; $10 criminal history review fee plus fingerprint costs) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Texas TEA - Out-of-State Certifications overview (ECOS account required; 6 to 8 weeks in busiest months April-September; current review backlog) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Texas TEA - Out-of-State Application Instructions (three-step TEAL sequence: Review of Credentials, One-Year Certificate, Standard Certificate) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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