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Frequently Asked Questions

Submit official transcripts and other certification documents to the following address: Bureau of Educator Certification Room 201, Turlington Building - 325 West Gaines Street – Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400

Alternative Certification

No.  To enroll in an alternative certification program in Florida, you must have a bachelors degree and qualify for a Florida Temporary Certificate.  Alternative certification does not provide specific subject content preparation.  It instead provides professional pedagogical (teaching) preparation for newly hired educators who already qualify for a Florida Temporary Certificate.  To view options for meeting subject area requirements, visit Subject Area Knowledge.

All Florida school districts offer an alternative professional pedagogical (teaching) preparation program for newly hired educators. Admission into an alternative certification program is governed by each Florida school district.

For more detailed information regarding alternative certification, visit Alternative and Traditional Certification. 

Application Process

To apply online (the quickest way to go!) click on the following link: apply online.

You must select the subject(s) for which you are seeking certification.  To assist you in making this decision, you may wish to review the Certification Subjects List and the requirements for each subject. You may also wish to consult with certification personnel in your local school district office.

No.  The CG-10 form is just one part of the complete application package. For more information, visit Steps to Certification. 

A complete application package is one that includes:

  • a CG-10 Application Form with all sections filled out completely;
  •  payment in full of your processing fee ($75.00 for each subject you request);
  • official transcript showing all degrees and credits; and
  • if applicable, copies of the front and back of all teaching certificates you hold from U.S. states, territories, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), with your social security number indicated on each page.


 For more information, visit Steps to Certification. 

Your application is valid for one year from the day it is received in the Bureau of Educator Certification.  If you do not have a complete application package by the end of the one year period, your application will expire and your nonrefundable fee will be forfeited.

Yes. Applications are scheduled for processing by their completion date.  Only complete application packages are placed in line for processing. The longer you wait to complete your application package, the longer you will have to wait for your application to be processed.

Yes.  However, it is extremely important that all of your documents (transcripts, checks, letters, certificates, etc.) include your social security number.  If you do not have a social security number, include your current name and date of birth.

This information will help ensure the proper placement of each document in your file.

Only complete application packages are scheduled for evaluation. Applications are evaluated in date order based upon the date the application package is complete.

No. By law we must submit all certification payments to the Florida Comptroller's office within five business days of receipt in our Bureau.

Yes.  But remember that there is a $75.00 fee for each subject or endorsement requested.  You must submit payment in full for your application to be evaluated.

Please see our section entitled Applicants with Foreign Academic Training for a step by step explanation of how to document your education training.

If you have previously applied or held a Florida Educator Certificate you have been assigned a DOE number. Your DOE number is printed on your Florida Educator Certificate and may be printed on any official documents issued from our office. Your DOE number will also be displayed at the top of most screens within your account. If you do not currently have a DOE number, one will be assigned to you after you have successfully submitted an application, it will also be listed on the receipt that you can print out for your records at the end of the online application process.

SSN Statement: Collection of your social security number (SSN) is required pursuant to §1012.56, Florida Statutes, for the purpose of promoting the public policy of Florida relating to child support. Your SSN is used by the Department as a unique identifier for maintaining your certification and related personnel records as required under the same statute. Your SSN may be disclosed to the Department of Revenue, as authorized under §1012.21, Florida Statutes, as Florida’s agency for administration of the Title IV-D program of the federal Social Security Act for child support enforcement. Failure to provide your SSN to Educator Certification will prevent issuance of your Florida Educator’s Certificate.

You are paying for a professional certification specialist to evaluate your documents and determine if you are eligible for the subject(s) for which you applied.  

The specialist also prepares an Official Statement of Status of Eligibility for each subject. Each statement is valid for three years from the day it is prepared and outlines all remaining requirements for a Temporary and Professional Certificate.  

Your certificate will be issued during this three year period, IF

  • your statement indicates that you are eligible for a certificate; 
  • you are employed as an educator in Florida; and
  • we receive clearance of your fingerprints.

You are also paying for the ongoing professional support and information provided by our staff.

Transcripts previously submitted to the Bureau of Educator Certification are kept on file as part of an applicant's permanent record and generally do not have to be resubmitted.  However, if transcripts were submitted many years ago, they may be on microfiche which can deteriorate and become illegible over time. If your file has been inactive for a number of years, it may be to your advantage to resubmit transcripts.  Do submit an updated official transcript if you have completed any additional credits or degrees.

Do not submit duplicate applications. This will significantly delay the processing of your application!

Certificates

You must hold a certificate to teach in Florida's public schools and many private schools.

No. The CG-10 form is specially printed to interact with our computer software. You must either apply online or submit an original hard copy application.

Florida offers two types of Educator Certificates.

To hold a three-year non-renewable Temporary Certificate meet the subject content and GPA requirements for a requested subject, obtain instructional employment in Florida, and obtain fingerprint clearance.

To hold a five-year renewable Professional Certificate the applicant must:

  • demonstrate Mastery of General Knowledge;
  • demonstrate Mastery of Subject Knowledge for a requested subject;
  • demonstrate Mastery of Professional Preparation and Education Competence;
  • obtain instructional employment in Florida; and
  • obtain fingerprint clearance.
     

Not always.  Many individuals qualify for the Professional Certificate through Reciprocity.

No.  When an application is evaluated, we review all of the documents submitted to our Bureau. Eligibility for the Professional Certificate is stated on the Official Statement of Status of Eligibility, and the Professional Certificate is issued at the time of employment and fingerprint clearance. 

No. The Temporary Certificate is not renewable.

Yes.  This is a very important document!  The Official Statement of Status of Eligibility is the applicants blueprint to a Professional Certificate in a specific subject. The statement outlines all remaining Professional Certificate requirements and should be referenced on a regular basis to ensure timely completion of all requirements.

Employment

Each Florida school district makes decisions locally for employment of teachers.

No.  In Florida the Educator Certificate is not issued until instructional employment is obtained.

No.  While submitting a CG-10 Certification application and receiving the Official Statement of Status of Eligibility are important steps toward employment, you may also be required to complete an employment application in the Florida school districts of interest to you.

Fingerprints

If you are employed as an educator in a Florida public school district or charter school, you must be fingerprinted at the school district office. Many private schools can assist their employees with the fingerprint process. If not, our office will provide this assistance.

Before any certificate is issued by the Bureau of Educator Certification, your fingerprints must be processed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  If the results of that processing reflect a criminal offense record, the records must be reviewed by Professional Practices Services. Issuance of the certificate is contingent upon the results of that review.  Therefore, applicants with a criminal history do have a longer processing time.

Reciprocity

Florida offers two Reciprocal Routes to the Professional Certificate for applicants who hold valid standard certificates from other U.S. states, territories,  and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).  You must submit a copy of the front and back of each valid certificate.  Be sure to include your social security number on each page.  You should also carefully document your teaching experience on your CG-10 application form.

Testing

Your Official Statement of Status of Eligibility will outline any remaining test requirements. The Bureau of Educator Certification cannot determine which tests you will be required to take until you apply for certification.

Visit the Postsecondary Assessment webpage for more information about registration information (dates, times, places and fees), and study materials (guides, examination descriptions and complete lists of competencies and skills) for each test.  

Transcripts

Submit all application documentation including official transcript(s), out of state certificates and any other documents pertaining to your certification file to the Bureau at the following address:

Florida Department of Education
Bureau of Educator Certification
Room 201, Turlington Building
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

*Please be sure to include the last four digits of your social security number, or your complete DOE # on all (paper) documents submitted to our office.

No. Only official transcripts will be evaluated.

No. Official transcripts may be submitted by you or the university.

No. We must have an official degreed transcript on file to process your application. Be sure to ask the registrar to send your transcript after your degree has been posted.

Sorry, we can not provide free evaluations. You must submit a complete application package for us to determine your eligibility for a Certificate.

Please see our section entitled Applicants with Foreign Academic Training for a step by step explanation of how to document your education training.

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