In accordance with the Governor’s Proclamation 20-25, “Stay Home, Stay Healthy,” and to protect the health and safety of Washingtonians and our employees, at this time, there is restricted public access to the OSPI building. OSPI will continue serving the public via phone, email, and the website.
See OSPI’s COVID-19 guidance and resources for educators, students, and families.
The Professional Certification Office is experiencing a much higher volume of applications this renewal period. Due to this, response times will be longer than usual. We apologize for the delay and are working to answer inquires and process applications as quickly as possible. If you are emailing our office, prior to submitting a new request please allow the Customer Service Team time to respond to the original request. The Certification phone line wait times may also be slightly longer than usual.
The customer service representatives' regular telephone hours are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Tuesdays, 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If you choose to leave a voicemail you will receive a callback from one of our Customer Service Specialists within 2 business days. Please know we look forward to assisting you as quickly as we can.
There are nearly 200,000 certified educators in Washington state. This includes classroom teachers, principals, paraeducators, school counselors, superintendents, and more. Most certifications must be renewed by OSPI every five years. This page contains information about the certification and renewal processes, requirements for continuing education, emergency certifications, how military veterans and educators from out of state can teach in Washington, and more.
