Application/Fee Status FAQ's

If your application is no longer posted on the Application/Fee Status page, it may have processed. Please allow up to 30 minutes for the certificate to appear on your virtual certificate. If you cannot see your certificate, please refer to question 3 on viewing your certificate. If your certificate is not posted, please check your email to see if your application was removed by your program or school district by checking your email or contacting them. If you still need assistance, you may submit a help desk ticket.

Your application status will be posted under the Status column, next to the Fee column and will indicate one of the following statuses:

• Applied – You have submitted a certificate application but have not been recommended by your school district or approved educator preparation program. Contact them directly.

  • Out-of-State/Out-of-Country applications are processed by TEA staff and do not require recommendation. Please allow time for TEA staff to review and process your application(s).

• Recommended – Your request for certification has been approved by your school district or approved educator preparation program. If all fees have been paid and fingerprints are complete, the application will disappear once it is processed.

  • Out-of-State/Out-of-Country applicants are not recommended. Please allow time for TEA staff to review and process your application(s).
     

• Application has disappeared - Your application has processed or has been removed. See question 1.

  • Out-of-State/Out-of-Country Review of Credentials will change to Complete once it has been processed and will not disappear.

  • Out-of-State/Out-of-Country One-Year certificate and Out-of-State/Out-of-Country Standard certificate applications will disappear. See question 3.

Certificates can take up to 30 minutes to post after being processed. Click on the "View Certificates" tab, then "Official Certificate". Your certificate will open in a new window. To confirm you are viewing the up-to-date version of your certificate, check the date at the bottom of the page. It should show you today’s date. An older date means you are looking at an outdated certificate. To refresh, hold down Ctrl+R, or right click and select Reload. You may also want to clear your cache. 

To print your certificate from a PC, you can click on File and Print, or hold the Ctrl and press the P on your keyboard.  If you are using a Mac/Apple device, you will need to hold the Command button and press the P key.

TEA does not mail paper certificates.

Candidates and teachers pursuing certification in eligible Special Education or Bilingual Education fields may be eligible to have their fees automatically waived if they passed the examination after 6/4/2025. For additional information, please visit the following pages: 

• House Bill 2 (HB 2) Implementation: Teacher Candidate Certification Fee Waivers and Reimbursements
• House Bill 2, Article 3: Educator Rights Frequently Asked Questions. 

Fee Status:

• If you have passed at least one of the eligible tests, the fee will show as “Pending” as soon as you apply.
• Once you have been recommended by your Educator Preparation Program, the fee will change to “Fee waived”. If all requirements are met (fingerprinting, etc.), your certificate will issue right away and no longer appear on the App/Fee Status screen. See question 3 for additional information.
• "Pay Online Now" means you are not eligible for the House Bill 2 fee waiver. For additional information, please visit House Bill 2, Article 3: Educator Rights Frequently Asked Questions. 

If you applied for a certificate but made an error, such as selecting the:

• Incorrect application
• Incorrect entity (approved educator preparation program or school district)
• Incorrect route for your program from the drop-down list

You will need to log in to your account and apply again, choosing the correct entity or route. Do not pay again. Submit a help desk ticket and request a fee transfer. 

If your application shows recommended but is asking for you to submit payment and you have already paid, you will need to submit a help desk ticket or call 512-936-8400, option 2  for assistance. We can transfer funds over to new applications if they are like amounts. If you know you have not paid yet, please do so.

You will receive a system-generated email indicating your certificate has issued online. System generated emails can go to Junk and Spam mailboxes; you may want to check those boxes for notification. Prior to contacting our office, you should check the "View Certificates" tab. See question 3.

If you have not previously been fingerprinted, you will need to complete this step for a certificate to issue. If you have questions about this requirement, please contact the Fingerprinting Division directly at 512-936-8400, option 3 or submit a help desk request.

To verify your fingerprinting status, click on the "View Fingerprint Status" link below the Status column. If status says complete, no further action needed as it relates to fingerprinting.