Transfer Your Teaching License to West Virginia: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Moving your teaching license to West Virginia means applying to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) - Office of Certification for its own certificate, not transferring the one you hold. West Virginia issues its certificate on review of your out-of-state one; plan for the requirements below. Application fee: WVDE does not publish the Form 20R (reciprocity) fee on any page reachable on 2026-08-07 - wvde.us returns HTTP 403 to automated requests and the fee sentence does not appear in official-domain search results for that form. For calibration, the parallel out-of-state route Form 20A is stated at 100 USD, and several unrelated WV forms (20T, 20WV, 28) are stated at 35 USD, so the 20R amount cannot be inferred safely. Fingerprinting is 47.25 USD paid directly to IdentoGo and is not submitted with the application.
Moving to West Virginia from a specific state?
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
The framing that matters for West Virginia: you are applying for a West Virginia certificate, not carrying yours across. The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) - Office of Certification 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 West Virginia's list.
Reciprocity is a partial misnomer - West Virginia does not auto-exchange a license; a holder of a valid, renewable out-of-state professional teaching certificate applies on Form 20R for a West Virginia-issued Professional Teaching Certificate valid three school years, while an out-of-state program completer without a certificate uses Form 20A and must pass all WVBE-required exams. The Form 20R fee is deliberately left null - wvde.us blocks automated access and no official page reachable today states it; two earlier drafts asserted 100 USD and 35 USD respectively and neither figure is verifiable for Form 20R.
West Virginia requirements at a glance
| Exam | The route depends on the form. Form 20R (reciprocity) is for an applicant who already holds a valid, renewable out-of-state professional teaching certificate equivalent to the West Virginia Professional Teaching Certificate; WVDE's published Form 20R conditions are the equivalent certificate, GPA, citizenship and recommendation items and do not list West Virginia examinations. Form 20A (out-of-state program completer, no out-of-state certificate) expressly requires passing all WVBE-required exams for the certificate and endorsement sought. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | WVDE does not publish the Form 20R (reciprocity) fee on any page reachable on 2026-08-07 - wvde.us returns HTTP 403 to automated requests and the fee sentence does not appear in official-domain search results for that form. For calibration, the parallel out-of-state route Form 20A is stated at 100 USD, and several unrelated WV forms (20T, 20WV, 28) are stated at 35 USD, so the 20R amount cannot be inferred safely. Fingerprinting is 47.25 USD paid directly to IdentoGo and is not submitted with the application |
| Processing time | WVDE publishes no numeric processing range; the Office of Certification does not begin processing until the online payment clears |
Step by step
- Confirm West Virginia's current requirements on the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) - Office of Certification website — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) - Office of Certification (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Apply through the WVDE Certification Portal on Form 20R if you hold a valid renewable out-of-state professional teaching certificate, or Form 20A if you only completed an out-of-state preparation program.
- Meet the minimum cumulative GPA - 2.5 for a bachelor's degree or 3.0 for a master's degree.
- Be a U.S. citizen or hold eligible documentation.
- Obtain a county superintendent recommendation if employed by a West Virginia county school system, or submit Form 4B if not.
- Complete a fingerprint-based state and federal background check through IdentoGo.
- Pay the non-refundable application fee online through the Certification Portal.
- Pay the fees (WVDE does not publish the Form 20R (reciprocity) fee on any page reachable on 2026-08-07 - wvde.us returns HTTP 403 to automated requests and the fee sentence does not appear in official-domain search results for that form. For calibration, the parallel out-of-state route Form 20A is stated at 100 USD, and several unrelated WV forms (20T, 20WV, 28) are stated at 35 USD, so the 20R amount cannot be inferred safely. Fingerprinting is 47.25 USD paid directly to IdentoGo and is not submitted with the application). Processing time: WVDE publishes no numeric processing range; the Office of Certification does not begin processing until the online payment clears.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into West Virginia:
Nearby states
Teaching license transfer into the states bordering West Virginia:
West Virginia for other professions
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Frequently asked questions
Does my teaching license transfer to West Virginia?
Moving your teaching license to West Virginia means applying to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) - Office of Certification for its own certificate, not transferring the one you hold. West Virginia issues its certificate on review of your out-of-state one; plan for the requirements below. Application fee: WVDE does not publish the Form 20R (reciprocity) fee on any page reachable on 2026-08-07 - wvde.us returns HTTP 403 to automated requests and the fee sentence does not appear in official-domain search results for that form. For calibration, the parallel out-of-state route Form 20A is stated at 100 USD, and several unrelated WV forms (20T, 20WV, 28) are stated at 35 USD, so the 20R amount cannot be inferred safely. Fingerprinting is 47.25 USD paid directly to IdentoGo and is not submitted with the application.
Is teaching reciprocity automatic in West Virginia?
No. West Virginia 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 West Virginia add?
The route depends on the form. Form 20R (reciprocity) is for an applicant who already holds a valid, renewable out-of-state professional teaching certificate equivalent to the West Virginia Professional Teaching Certificate; WVDE's published Form 20R conditions are the equivalent certificate, GPA, citizenship and recommendation items and do not list West Virginia examinations. Form 20A (out-of-state program completer, no out-of-state certificate) expressly requires passing all WVBE-required exams for the certificate and endorsement sought.
What does a West Virginia out-of-state teaching certificate cost and how long does it take?
WVDE does not publish the Form 20R (reciprocity) fee on any page reachable on 2026-08-07 - wvde.us returns HTTP 403 to automated requests and the fee sentence does not appear in official-domain search results for that form. For calibration, the parallel out-of-state route Form 20A is stated at 100 USD, and several unrelated WV forms (20T, 20WV, 28) are stated at 35 USD, so the 20R amount cannot be inferred safely. Fingerprinting is 47.25 USD paid directly to IdentoGo and is not submitted with the application. Processing time: WVDE publishes no numeric processing range; the Office of Certification does not begin processing until the online payment clears.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- WVDE - Professional Teaching Certificate (Reciprocity from Out-of-State), Form 20R - valid out-of-state professional certificate, GPA 2.5/3.0, superintendent recommendation or Form 4B, certificate valid three years ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WVDE - Professional Teaching Certificate (Out-of-State), Form 20A - 100 USD application fee; must pass all WVBE-required exams ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WVDE - Out-of-State Teachers (chooses between Form 20R and Form 20A) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- WVDE - Certification Application Process (fees non-refundable, online payment only; IdentoGo fingerprinting 47.25 USD paid directly) ↗ (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]