A criminal background check is a requirement of all applicants for Nevada Department of Education licensure pursuant to NRS 391.033. In all cases, you will also have to background for your employer. Please note that your employer and the NDE do not share your information and you will (in most cases) be required to do two separate background checks. Failure to background check for the NDE will result in denial of licensure and then you will need to reapply and repay the fees.

• For more information about criminal background checks and fingerprinting, please visit the Background Process page link.

You must meet all requirements for academic preparation, student teaching, and competency testing for the specific area of licensure for which you are applying. In some cases, full-time contracted teaching experience may waive student teaching requirements, please see NAC 391.042 for more information.

• NAC 391.042
• Verification of Teaching/Work Experience Form

Nevada offers reciprocity for current, valid, non-provisional, and non-conditional licensees coming from other states. If you are applying for any Nevada educator license for the first time from out-of-state, including a substitute teaching licenses, you will need to first register for your online profile through OPAL and follow the checklist below:

• Foreign Applicants Checklist

An applicant for a Nevada educator license who submits a foreign transcript (i.e. any transcript issued by a college or university outside the United States) for consideration must submit an evaluation of that transcript performed by an independent evaluation agency which has been approved by the Nevada Commission on Professional Standards in Education (NAC 391.050). That evaluation must include:

• [A photocopy of the transcript(s) evaluated.
• [An original course-by-course evaluation showing degree equivalency, completed by an approved evaluation agency.
• [A photocopy of the translation of the transcript(s), if not in English.
• [A transcript from a Canadian college or university is only subject to the requirements above if it is in a language other than English.

The Nevada Department of Education will accept foreign transcript evaluations from the following credentialing services: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES, the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE), Global Education Group, Inc., or the Institute of Foreign Credential Services.

• Current NACES Members
• AICE Members
• Global Education Group, Inc.
• Institute of Foreign Credential Services
• NAC 391.050

If you are applying for an additional endorsement or area of licensure to your existing Nevada educator license, you will need to register for your online profile through OPAL add these endorsements on during the application process please make sure to include:

• Proof of completion of all academic requirements for licensure in the specified area(s), in the form of original transcripts issued by a regionally accredited college or university and bearing the college or university seal. Electronic transcripts are acceptable if sent directly to the Department of Education from the issuing institution or a recognized clearinghouse such as eScript. All electronic transcripts should be emailed to transcripts@doe.nv.gov.
• Competency testing score reports, if required.
• Verification of teaching experience or work experience (for Administrators, Business & Industry and Special Qualifications applicants only), if applicable.
• Additional endorsements are $50.00 each and payable with a credit or debit card through OPAL.

Please go back to the home page and look at the types of licenses and endorsements which the Nevada Department of Education offers.

If you are applying for a license with Nevada and currently hold valid, non-conditional, non-provisional licensure from another country, you may be eligible for reciprocal licensure. Reciprocal licensing, in most cases, will waive testing requirements for Nevada and allow NDE staff to do the evaluation based on a license-for-license basis. Staff will reciprocate licenses and endorsements applied for to the closest available through Nevada Regulations. When applying for reciprocal licensure, original transcripts and foreign transcripts evaluations are still required as well as a valid copy of any/all current licenses applicants hold through the other country. The license(s) held must be uploaded during the application process into the OPAL system as PDF document(s) in the “experience” section under the “out of state licensure” area in OPAL.

A Visiting International Teacher program is defined as a J-1 VISA Exchange Visitor Program officially approved by the United States Department of State. The Nevada Department of Education may issue a special license with an endorsement as a Visiting International Teacher to an individual who meets the conditions and requirements of regulation T009-22. To be eligible, applicants must have been instructed by their employer to apply for this license. This license is a special authorization, is non-renewable and not eligible for reciprocity in another jurisdiction.

• Visiting International Teacher Endorsement T009-22

Q: How do I know what testing is required for Nevada licensure. A: Please visit the Competency Testing link for more information on this.

• Competency Testing

Q: Which licenses or endorsements should I apply for? A: All licenses and endorsements are covered by clicking on the links from the main webpage under the standard license requirements, special license requirements, or licensed personnel requirements.

Q: Do I qualify for reciprocity through Nevada if I hold a license from another country? A: The NDE will attempt to work with applicants who hold foreign licensure to grant reciprocal licensure on a case-by-case basis. The process is more difficult due to the differences in requirements for Nevada to those from other countries. Reciprocity is not guaranteed.