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LicenseReciprocity

Teaching License from Texas to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)

Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure ↗

A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure, verify your Texas license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. Montana accepts a current out-of-state educator license plus two years of teaching experience as one of four ways to satisfy the assessment requirement, in place of a minimum qualifying score on the Montana-required PRAXIS subject assessment. Applicants without that license-plus-experience combination must post a qualifying PRAXIS score, pass a student-teaching portfolio, or show a 3.0 or higher GPA in the relevant coursework..

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

The honest version of Texas to Montana: your Texas teaching license gets you in the door, not into the classroom on its own terms. Montana 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 Montana's requirements — plan them into your first year.

What changes, Texas → Montana

Side-by-side: Texas vs Montana (Teaching (K-12)), verified 2026-08-07
Texas (current)Montana (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)$80–$95 (First-time Montana license: $80 for a Class 2 Standard Teaching license and $95 for a Class 1 Professional Teaching license (each includes a $10 non-refundable processing fee); subsequent licenses are $70/$85. Fees are non-refundable and paid electronically in TeachMT. Fingerprint background-check costs are additional.)
Processing time6–8 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)OPI publishes no processing-time range for new licenses. It warns only that summer is the busiest period and that applications left incomplete are purged after 90 days. Not estimated here.
Licensing authorityTexas Education Agency (TEA) - Educator CertificationMontana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

  1. Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure website (linked below) — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure (application linked below).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Apply electronically through the TeachMT licensing system — OPI accepts no paper applications.
  5. Submit official transcripts and a copy of your current out-of-state educator license.
  6. Submit a university recommendation verifying completion of a teacher preparation program, student teaching, and the endorsements you qualify for.
  7. Complete a fingerprint background check.
  8. Complete the course 'An Introduction to Indian Education for All in Montana'.
  9. Have foreign degrees evaluated course-by-course by a NACES member agency.
  10. Pay the fees ($80–$95 (First-time Montana license: $80 for a Class 2 Standard Teaching license and $95 for a Class 1 Professional Teaching license (each includes a $10 non-refundable processing fee); subsequent licenses are $70/$85. Fees are non-refundable and paid electronically in TeachMT. Fingerprint background-check costs are additional.)) and allow OPI publishes no processing-time range for new licenses. It warns only that summer is the busiest period and that applications left incomplete are purged after 90 days. Not estimated here..

Official links

Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure ↗Montana application ↗

Related guides

Reverse: Montana → TexasTeaching in TexasTeaching in MontanaAll teaching states

Frequently asked questions

Does Montana accept a Texas teaching license?

A teaching certificate transfers from Texas to Montana by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) — Educator Licensure, verify your Texas license, and meet Montana's endorsement requirements. Montana accepts a current out-of-state educator license plus two years of teaching experience as one of four ways to satisfy the assessment requirement, in place of a minimum qualifying score on the Montana-required PRAXIS subject assessment. Applicants without that license-plus-experience combination must post a qualifying PRAXIS score, pass a student-teaching portfolio, or show a 3.0 or higher GPA in the relevant coursework..

Will I have to retake tests moving from Texas to Montana?

Montana accepts a current out-of-state educator license plus two years of teaching experience as one of four ways to satisfy the assessment requirement, in place of a minimum qualifying score on the Montana-required PRAXIS subject assessment. Applicants without that license-plus-experience combination must post a qualifying PRAXIS score, pass a student-teaching portfolio, or show a 3.0 or higher GPA in the relevant coursework.. Holding a Texas license does not by itself waive Montana's tests — experience or National Board certification is what typically does.

Can I teach in Montana right away?

Generally yes on a provisional or one-year Montana certificate issued while you complete its requirements; districts hire on that credential.

What does the Texas-to-Montana transfer cost and how long does it take?

$80–$95 (First-time Montana license: $80 for a Class 2 Standard Teaching license and $95 for a Class 1 Professional Teaching license (each includes a $10 non-refundable processing fee); subsequent licenses are $70/$85. Fees are non-refundable and paid electronically in TeachMT. Fingerprint background-check costs are additional.); processing OPI publishes no processing-time range for new licenses. It warns only that summer is the busiest period and that applications left incomplete are purged after 90 days. Not estimated here..

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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]