United States of America

*For information about teacher education programs that do not qualify in BC, see "Potential Results" at the bottom of this page.

To determine whether or not you qualify for a BC certificate, we assess three main areas: your suitability in working with children, your teaching experience, and your academic qualifications.

Required Items

You will need to send us several documents as part of your application. However, transcripts, statements of professional standing, and character reference forms must be sent directly to us from the institutions and individuals.

You will notice that some documents need to be verified. A verified copy is a photocopy on which a notary public or lawyer writes that it is “a true copy of the original” and signs the copy. Anyone who holds a current, valid BC teaching certificate can also verify your documents. He or she must include his or her full name, certificate number, and signature on the photocopy.

1. Application for Teacher's Certificate of Qualification form

Please complete all four pages of the Application for Teacher's Certificate of Qualification form and submit it to us.
You must answer all of the questions on the form, and you must sign and date the Declaration of Professional Committment on page 4. If you have a criminal record, this does not automatically make you ineligible for a certificate. However, you may not qualify if you make false statements or do not tell us about a criminal record.

2. Consent to a Criminal Record Check form

You must complete the Consent to a Criminal Record Check form and submit it to us. We cannot accept any other checks you have completed or provide you with the results of our check.
We will send your form and $20 fee (included in our application fee) to the Criminal Records Review Agency (CRRA). The CRRA identifies any criminal record that indicates a risk to children.

3. Statement of Professional Standing

A Statement of Professional Standing is a document that states you are a teacher in good standing and that your teaching license has never been revoked, cancelled, or suspended for any disciplinary reasons. This document usually comes from the government body that oversees teachers. All Statements of Professional Standing must be mailed directly to us.
A Statement of Professional Standing is required from the state where you completed your initial teacher education program. This is required whether or not you have taught there as it confirms that your program qualified for teaching in the public school system. Click on the appropriate state for contact information.

Alabama Alabama Please include your Alabama teaching license number and your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we may request the Statement of Professional Standing from the Alabama Department of Education on your behalf.	Louisiana Louisiana As Louisiana no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, we will obtain the information we require regarding your certification in Louisiana directly from the website of the Department of Education. Please write your Louisiana teaching license number on page 2 of the application form so that we can retrieve the necessary information.	Ohio Ohio As Ohio no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, we will obtain the information we require directly from the Ohio Department of Education website.
Alaska Alaska Professional Teaching Practices Commission Department of Education and Early Development 801 W 10th Street, Suite 200 P.O. Box 110500 Juneau, Alaska 99811-0500 www.eed.state.ak.us Phone: 684.633.5234 Fax: 684.633.4240	Maine Maine Department of Education Attn: Certification Certification Office 23 State House Station Augusta, Maine 04333-0023 www.state.me.us Phone: 207.624.6600 Fax: 207.624.6700 You will need to fax your request to the Maine office and indicate your full name, date of birth, and Maine Department of Education number. Clearly state in your fax that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.	Oklahoma Oklahoma Professional Standards Teacher Certification 2500 N Lincoln Blvd Rm 212 Oklaoma City, OK 73105-3301 www.sde.state.us Phone: 405.521.3337 You will need to mail your request to the Oklahoma office and indicate your full name, Social Security Number, and Virginia Department of Education number. Clearly state that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.
Arizona Arizona Teacher Certification Unit Arizona Department of Education Attn: Verification P.O. Box 6490 Phoenix, Arizona 85005 www.ade.az.gov Phone: 602.364.2300 Fax: 602.542.1141	Maryland Maryland Maryland State Department of Education Attn: Certification Branch 200 W. Baltimore Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201 www.certification.msde.state.md.us Phone: 410.767.0412 Fax: 410.333.8963	Oregon Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission 465 Commercial St. NE Salem, OR 97301 www.tspc.state.or.us Phone: 503.378.3586 Fax: 503.378.4448
Arkansas Arkansas Office of Professional Licensure Arkansas Department of Education Four Capitol Mall Room 107-B Little Rock, AR 72201 www.arkansased.org Phone: 501.682.4342 Fax: 501.682.4898	Massachusetts Massachusetts Please write your Massachusetts teaching license number and your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we may request the Statement of Professional Standing from the Massachusetts Department of Education on your behalf.	Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality 333 Market Street, 3rd floor Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 www.teaching.state.pa.us Phone: 717.787.3356 Fax: 717.783.6736
California California Please write your California teaching license number and your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we may request the Statement of Professional Standing from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing on your behalf.	Michigan Michigan As Michigan no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, we will obtain the information we require regarding your certification in Michigan directly from the website of the Department of Education. Please write your Michigan teaching license number on page 2 of the application form so that we can retrieve the necessary information.	Rhode Island Rhode Island Teacher Certification, Preparation and Professional Development Rhode Island Department of Education Shepard Bldg 225 Westminster St Providence RI 02903-3400 www.ride.ri.gov Phone: 401.222.4600 Fax: 401.222.2048
Colorado Colorado Colorado Department of Education State Office Building 201 East Colfax Avenue Denver, Colorado 80203-1799 www.cde.state.co.us Phone: 303.866.6628 Fax: 303.830.0793	Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota Department of Education Attn: Educator Licensing 1500 Highway 36 West Roseville, MN 55113-4266 www.education.state.mn.us Phone: 651.582.8691 Fax: 651.582.8809 We cannot accept the information available from the Minnesota website. We will accept only the original document sent to us directly from the Minnesota Department of Education. You will need to fax your request to the Minnesota office and indicate your full name and Social Security Number. Clearly state that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.	South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina Department of Education Office of Educator Certification 3700 Forest Drive Suite 500 Columbia, SC 29204 www.scteachers.org Phone: 803.734.9929 Fax: 803.734.2873
Connecticut Connecticut Bureau of Educator Preparation, Certification, Support and Assessment Connecticut State Department of Education P. O. Box 150471 - Room 243 Hartford, Connecticut 06115-0471 teacher.cert@ct.gov www.state.ct.us Phone: 860.713.6969 Fax: 860.713.7017	Mississippi Mississippi Office of Educator Licensure Mississippi Department of Education P.O. Box 771 Jackson, MS 39205-0771 www.mde.k12.ms.us Phone: 601.359.3483 Fax: 601.359.2778	South Dakota South Dakota Office of Accreditation and Teacher Quality South Dakota Department of Education 700 Governors Drive Pierre, SD 57501-2291 www.doe.sd.gov Phone: 605.773.3134 Fax: 605.773.6139
Delaware Delaware Delaware Department of Education The Townsend Building 401 Federal Street Suite 2 Dover, Delaware 19901-3639 www.doe.state.de.us Phone: 302.735.4120 Fax: 302.739.5894	Missouri Missouri Educator Certification PO Box 480 Jefferson City, MO 65102 www.dese.mo.gov Phone: 573.751.0051 or 573.751.3847 Fax: 573.522.8314	Tennessee Tennessee As Tennessee no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, we will obtain the information we require regarding your certification in Tennessee directly from the website of the Department of Education. Please write your Tennessee teaching license number on page 2 of the application form so that we can retrieve the necessary information.
Florida Florida Florida Department of Education Attn: Verification and Certification Suite 201, Turlington Building 325 West Gaines Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400 www.fldoe.org Phone: 800.445.6739 Fax: 850.245.0602 We cannot accept the information available from the Florida website. We will accept only the original document sent to us directly from the Florida Department of Education. You will need to fax your request to the Florida office and indicate your full name, Social Security Number, and Florida Department of Education number (if known). Clearly state in your fax that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.	Montana Montana As Montana no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, we will obtain the information we require regarding your certification in Montana directly from the website of the Office of Public Instruction. Please write your Montana teaching license number on page 2 of the application form so that we can retrieve the necessary information.	Texas Texas As Texas no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, we will obtain the information we require regarding your certification in Texas directly from the website of the State Board for Educator Certification. Please write your Texas teaching license number on page 2 of the application form so that we can retrieve the necessary information.
Georgia Georgia Professional Standards Commission Attn: Maggie Cole Two Peachtree Street Suite 6000 Atlanta, Georgia 30303 www.gapsc.com Phone: 404.232.2500 Fax: 404.232.2560 We cannot accept the information available from the Georgia website. We will accept only the original document sent to us directly from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. You will need to fax or mail your request to the Georgia office and indicate your full name and Social Security Number. Clearly state that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.	Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Department of Education 301 Centennial Mall South P.O. Box 94987 Lincoln, NE 68509-4987 www.nde.state.ne.us Phone: 402.471.0739 Fax: 402.471.9735	Utah Utah Educator Licensing Utah State Office of Education 250 East 500 South Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200 www.usoe.k12.ut.us Phone: 801.538.7500 Fax: 801.538.7521 You will need to mail your request to the Utah office and indicate your full name, Social Security Number, and Utah Department of Education number. Clearly state that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address. Utah also requires that a cheque in the amount of $15 be enclosed with this request.
Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii Teacher Standards Board 650 Iwilei Rd, #201 Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 www.htsb.org Phone: 808.586.2600 Fax: 808.586.2606	Nevada Nevada As Nevada no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, we will obtain the information we require regarding your certification in Nevada directly from the website of the Department of Education. Please write your Nevada teaching license number on page 2 of the application form so that we can retrieve the necessary information.	Vermont Vermont Office of Educator Licensing Vermont Department of Education 120 State Street Montpellier, VT 05620-2501 DOE-LicensingInfo@state.vt.us www.education.vermont.gov Phone: 802.828.2445 Fax: 802.828.5107
Idaho Idaho Idaho Department of Education Attn: Teacher Certification P.O. Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0027 www.sde.idaho.gov Phone: 208.332.6881 Fax: 208.334.2228 You will need to fax your request to the Idaho office and indicate your full name, Social Security Number, and Idaho Department of Education number (if known). Clearly state in your fax that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.	New Hampshire New Hampshire Please write your New Hampshire teaching license number and your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we may request the Statement of Professional Standing from the New Hampshire Bureau of Credentialing on your behalf.	Virginia Virginia Teacher Education and Licensure Virginia Department of Education PO Box 2120 Richmond, VA 23218 licensure@doe.virginia.gov www.doe.virginia.gov Phone: 804.225.2022 You will need to mail your request to the Virginia office and indicate your full name, Social Security Number, and Virginia Department of Education number. Clearly state that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.
Illinois Illinois As Illinois no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, we will obtain the information we require regarding your certification in Illinois directly from the website of the ISBE Educator Certification System. Please write your Illinois Identification Number (IEIN) and your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we can retrieve the necessary information.	New Jersey New Jersey Please write your New Jersey teaching license number and your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we may request the Statement of Professional Standing from the New Jersey Department of Education on your behalf.	Washington Washington Office of Professional Practices Superintendent of Public Instruction Old Capitol Building PO Box 47200 Olympia, WA 98504-7200 cert@k12.wa.us www.k12.wa.us Phone: 360.725.6130 Fax: 360.586.0145
Indiana Indiana Division of Professional Standards Attn: Certification Department Indiana Department of Education Room 229, State House Indianapolis, IN 46204-2798 www.doe.state.in.us Phone: 317.232.9010 Fax: 317.232.9042	New Mexico New Mexico Please write your New Mexico teaching license number and your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we may request the Statement of Professional Standing from the New Mexico Public Education Department on your behalf.	Washington DC Washington DC Please write your Washington DC teaching license number and your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we may request the Statement of Professional Standing from the Office of Educator Licensing and Accreditation on your behalf.
Iowa Iowa Iowa State Board of Educational Examiners Attn: Dave Morgan 400 East 14th Street Grimes State Office Building Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0146 www.boee.iowa.gov Phone: 515.281.6896 Fax: 515.281.7669 You will need to fax your request to the Iowa office and indicate your full name and Social Security Number. Clearly state that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.	New York New York New York City: International Recruitment Office The New York City Department of Education 65 Court Street, Room 306 Brooklyn, NY 11201 www.teachnyc.net Phone: 718.935.4000 New York State: As New York State no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, please write your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we may obtain the information we require directly from the New York State Education Department website. Note: If after your teacher education program, you immediately registered with the Ontario College of Teachers and did not register for certification in New York, please enclose a brief letter stating this with your application form.	West Virginia West Virginia Office of Professional Preparation Attn: Shawn Hawkins Building 6, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E. Charleston, WV 25305-0330 slhawkins@access.k12.wv.us www.wvde.state.wv.us Phone: 1.800.982.2378 Fax: 304.558.0048 You will need to email or mail your request to the West Virginia office and indicate your full name and Social Security Number. Clearly state that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.
Kansas Kansas As Kansas no longer issues Statements of Professional Standing, we will obtain the information we require regarding your certification in Kansas directly from the website of the Department of Education. Please write your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we can retrieve the necessary information.	North Carolina North Carolina NC Department of Public Instruction Licensure Section 6365 Mail Service Center Raleigh NC 27699-6365 www.ncpublicschools.org Phone: 919.807.3310 Fax: 919.807.3350	Wisconsin Wisconsin Teacher Education, Professional Developing and Licensing Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction PO Box 7841 Madison, WI 53707-7841 www.dpi.wi.gov Phone: 608.266.3390 Fax: 608.267.1052
Kentucky Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board Attn: Certification 100 Airport Road, 3rd Floor Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 www.kyepsb.net Phone: 502.564.4606 Toll Free: 888.598.7667 Fax: 502.564.7080 You will need to fax your request to the Kentucky office and indicate your full name and Social Security Number. Clearly state in your fax that you require a "verification of certification" and that the document must be mailed to our address.	North Dakota North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board 2718 Gateway Ave, Suite 303 Bismarck, ND 58503-0585 espbinfo@nd.gov www.dpi.state.nd.us Phone: 701.328.9641 Fax: 701.328.9647	Wyoming Wyoming Please write your Wyoming teaching license number and your Social Security Number on page 2 of the application form so that we may request the Statement of Professional Standing from the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board on your behalf.

Additional Statements of Standing are required from:
- all other jurisdictions where you have held or hold a teaching certificate, whether or not you have ever taught in that jurisdiction and whether or not the certificate has expired.
- all other jurisdictions where you have taught without registering with the government education body. In this case, you need to ask the employing school to write a brief letter answering the following questions: (1) What was the basis of your employment, for example, your degree or other teaching certificate? (2) Were there any concerns about your conduct or competence? (3) What were the details of your employment, including subjects and levels taught, dates of employment, and teaching load (full-time, part-time, teacher-on-call)? The letter must be signed, dated, written on letterhead, and mailed directly to us from the employer.

4. Teaching Certificate

You do not need to submit this document. Your Statement of Standing will supply this information.

5. Secondary School Graduation Diploma

You do not need to submit this document if you completed your secondary schooling in North America.
If you completed your secondary schooling outside North America, please provide a verified copy of your final secondary school diploma or a letter from the secondary school confirming completion of studies.

6. Official Transcripts of All Post-secondary Studies

Official transcripts must be mailed directly to us from every post-secondary institute you have attended. We will not accept transcripts submitted by you even if they are sealed or notarized. We will not accept transcripts by fax or email.
If your transcripts do not include all of the information we need, we may ask for additional details, such as a syllabus. Your transcripts must show that you successfully completed your teacher education program. They should also indicate:
- the dates you were enrolled
- the name of each course you completed
- your mark or grade in each course
- the number of credits or lecture hours you completed for each course
If we receive transcripts in languages other than English or French, we will send a copy to you. You will need to have the documents translated according to our Translation Policy and send the original translations to us.

7. Distance Teacher Education Program Details

If you completed any part of your teacher education program by distance or online education, please ask your Faculty of Education to send details about your program directly to us.
The details must state what courses you completed face-to-face and what courses you completed by distance or on-line. It must also provide the number of lecture hours you attended for each on-campus course and indicate how many days of practicum you completed in a classroom.
This information is required only for the studies you completed within your teacher education program. We do not require this information for academic courses you took outside the Faculty of Education.

8. Degree Verification

If your transcript does not show the qualification that you received, you will need to submit a verified copy of the degree, diploma, or certificate. We will also accept a letter from the institution confirming the award of the qualification.

9. Identification Documents

We require a verified copy of your birth certificate as proof of your full legal name and birth date. Passports and citizenship documents are not acceptable in lieu of the birth certificate.
We also require documentation for every other name you have used or are using. Please provide a verified copy of your marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or change of name certificate if any of these apply to you.
For more information, see Acceptable Proof of Identity.

10. Assessment Form

Please ask the principal, vice principal, or supervisor of your most recent teaching experience to complete the Assessment Form. She or he can print the form from our website and send it to us by mail or fax (604.731.9142). Assessments arriving by fax must have the school stamp or seal on the last page.
If you only have student teaching experience, please send us a copy of all of your final practicum reports instead of the Assessment Form.
If you have not taught in the last 10 years, please send us a copy of your last teaching report.
If you are unable to provide us with an assessment, please provide a written explanation. We will review the information and, if possible, inform you of an acceptable alternative.

11. Two Confidential Character Reference Forms

You will need to complete page 1 of each Confidential Character Reference Form. You will need to ask two referees to complete page 2. We do not accept letters of reference as a substitute for the character reference forms.
A referee must not be your relative, partner, or spouse (or equivalent) and must have known you for at least two years. Your referees do not need to be in BC, and they do not need to have seen you teach.
Your referees must submit the forms directly to our office by mail, fax, or scanned email.

12. Verification of Employment

We require verification of your teaching experience for each year of the last ten years. If you have not taught within the last ten years, we need verification for the last twenty years. If there has been a period of time in which you did not work, please provide a brief outline of your activities during this time.
The verification must indicate when you were employed, what you taught, and whether you worked full-time, part-time, and/or as a teacher-on-call. For part-time and teacher-on-call experience, we require the percentage of full-time or number of days you taught each year.
You can provide us with verification of your teaching experience in one of the following ways:

ask your employer(s) to send us a letter that clearly states the necessary information
ask your employer(s) to complete our Verification of Employment Form
send us copies of letters that you already have

If you only have student teaching experience, please ask your university to send us a letter stating the number of days of student teaching you completed.

12. Language Proficiency

You do not need to take a language proficiency test if you have completed all of your post-secondary education in the United States or in other countries where English or French is the only official language. For more information, see Acceptable Tests of Language Proficiency.

14. Application Fee

Please submit the non-refundable Application Fee of $395 with your application form. This amount includes the criminal record check fee. Please see Fee Information for more details.

Additional Information

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Expected Credentials

Degree names vary by country. However, it is expected that applicants will have the equivalence of an undergraduate degree and teacher education program, totaling at least four years of full-time post-secondary study.

Our Policy Regarding Your Documents and Fees

All documents we receive for your application become property of the Teacher Regulation Branch. We will not return any documents to you, and we will not send any of your documents to other individuals or organizations.
Some documents expire after a certain amount of time. We may ask for updated documents (such as a new application form and more recent employment records) if your file becomes inactive for longer than one year.

Potential Results

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Application Results

The outcome of your application will be one of the following:
- Eligible for a Professional Certificate
  The Professional Certificate signifies that you meet all of BC's standards for certification. It does not have an expiry date and does not require you to complete any additional coursework.
- Eligible for a Basic Certificate
  You may qualify for a Basic Certificate if you do not meet all of BC's coursework requirements for certification, but you have a current, valid, unrestricted teaching certificate in another Canadian province or territory. The Basic Certificate does not have an expiry date and does not require you to complete additional coursework.
- Eligible for a Conditional Certificate
  You may qualify for a Conditional Certificate if you are close to meeting BC's requirements for certification, and you do not have another valid Canadian teaching certificate. The Conditional Certificate is valid for up to 5 years and requires you to complete coursework before the certificate expires.
- Ineligible for certification
  You do not qualify for a BC teaching certificate, but we will explain what you need to do to qualify.

Teacher Education Programs Not Recognized for Certification

Teacher training varies greatly from country to country, and we do not recognize all programs for certification in BC. Some examples of programs that do not result in BC certification are:
- very short programs
- on-the-job or employment-based programs
- programs completed entirely by distance education or on-line
- programs that do not qualify for teaching in the kindergarten to grade 12 public school system
If you have completed an emergency or alternative credentialing process that does not include any university coursework, or if you received your teaching credential entirely on the basis of Praxis exams, you will not qualify for certification in BC.
If you have completed a teacher education program that we do not recognize, you will not qualify for a certificate. Once we have completed the evaluation, we will send you a letter explaining what you need to do to qualify. You will also be entitled to an appeal if you have more information to present that we could not consider in the initial evaluation.

Last Updated: Jan. 09, 2012

Home > Becoming A Teacher > International Graduates > Country-Specific Information

Country-Specific Information

Please click on the country where you completed your teacher education program to view more information about the application process.

Australia	New Zealand
Bulgaria	Northern Ireland
China	Philippines
England	Romania
France	Russia
Germany	Scotland
India	South Africa
Iran	Switzerland
Ireland	United States of America
Japan	Wales
Mexico	General