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Tennessee Department of Education, Office of Educator Licensure: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes, through the evaluation: Tennessee TDOE asks for a credential evaluation, and WES, one of the agencies it accepts, takes certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Credential evaluation: NACES or AICE evaluation, emailed by service
- $24.95 per page
- Usually 24 h for 1–3 pages
- Signed certificate of accuracy, PDF
- See the price before you pay
How we know · policy checked on October 21, 2026
The Tennessee Department of Education requires every out-of-country degree to be evaluated by a service approved by NACES or AICE, which emails its report to the Educator Licensure office; it publishes no translation rule of its own.
WES, a NACES member, accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
We translate your diploma, transcripts and teaching certificate for the evaluation service; the report, any recommendation form and the license come from the service and TDOE.
Tennessee TDOE at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
Tennessee recognizes evaluation services approved by NACES or AICE for all out-of-country degrees (out-of-country checklist); WES is a NACES member and accepts a translation by a professional translator or certified translation agency (WES translation rules), so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets the evaluation agency's rule. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Through the evaluation; no TDOE rule
- Who may translate
- Set by the service; WES: professional translator
- Credential evaluation
- NACES or AICE evaluation, emailed by service
- Price
- $24.95 per pageUp to 250 words, certification included
- Delivery
- 24 hoursStandard for one to three pages
- Grades
- As recordedNever converted to a US GPA
Checked on October 21, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Tennessee TDOE's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about Tennessee TDOE
Evaluation first
TDOE suggests ordering it before any other step.
Teach in home country
The report should say the degree allowed it.
ITIN works as SSN
No licensure transaction is processed without one.
Tennessee TDOE requirements in detail
Translation
TDOE publishes no translation rule; your records are translated for the evaluation service, under that service's rule (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
Who may translate
Evaluation
All out-of-country degrees, to verify at least the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
Accepted services
Services approved by NACES or AICE, in line with evaluators accepted by the US Department of State (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026, NACES members).
How the report arrives
The service emails the report to educator.licensure@tn.gov (preferred) or mails it to the Nashville office (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
Preparation program
The evaluation must say you completed an educator preparation program abroad or that the degree allows you to teach in your country; otherwise the EPP or the evaluation service completes the Out of Country EPP Verification form in English (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026, form).
Social Security number
Required to process a license; an ITIN can be used in its place (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
The sentence your evaluation needs
Tennessee licenses out-of-country teachers who completed a preparation program by having them pass the required assessments, but only if the evaluation report says so: either that you completed an educator preparation program in another country, or that the degree allows you to teach in your country of origin (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
If the report is silent, the preparation program or the evaluation service can complete the Out of Country EPP Verification form, in English, and you upload it in TNCompass (Out-of-Country Teacher Candidate Recommendation Form).
The service can only write that if it can read your records. Translate the diploma, the full transcript, the practicum record and any document showing that the degree qualifies you to teach, such as your teaching certificate. We translate them exactly as issued; the conclusion is the service's.
Order of steps in Tennessee
TDOE encourages out-of-country applicants to request the transcript evaluation before anything else, and to write to educator.licensure@tn.gov once it arrives for assessment and preparation-program questions (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
The application itself is an Out of State Educator transaction in TNCompass.
Without a Social Security number or ITIN, the Licensure Team can start a transaction for you, but it will be closed with no action until one is added (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
Where Tennessee's pages differ
The out-of-state educators page says official transcripts must come from the institution through an approved clearinghouse or by mail (Out-of-state educators); the out-of-country checklist has the evaluation service send its report instead (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
For a foreign degree, follow the checklist, and send US transcripts the way the out-of-state page describes if you also studied in the US.
Need a certified translation for Tennessee TDOE?
$24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages. See the price before you pay.
Documents applicants usually translate
- University diploma or degree certificate
- Transcripts and mark sheets for every degree
- Teacher preparation and practicum records
- Teaching certificate or license from the other country
What an eVerbary translation includes
- A complete English translation of every page, stamps, seals and handwritten notes included, laid out like the original so each line can be matched.
- Grades, hours and credits exactly as recorded, with the grading scale the document prints. We never convert marks to a US GPA or equivalency.
- A signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead, with our contact details, delivered as a PDF you can upload or print.
- $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included; 24 hours for one to three pages as standard. Regular clients who need it can get delivery in as little as 30 minutes, on request.
- Notarization added at checkout ($34.90 per order) when the office asks for a notarized translation.
Submitting the translation to Tennessee TDOE
The translation goes to the NACES or AICE service with your documents, under that service's instructions (WES, for example, takes uploads in your WES account); the service then emails its report to educator.licensure@tn.gov (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
Your application and any Out of Country EPP Verification form go through TNCompass (Out-of-Country Teacher Candidate Recommendation Form).
What we do not do
eVerbary is a translation service, not a credential evaluation service or a licensing agency: we do not issue evaluations, US equivalencies or GPA conversions, we cannot send documents on behalf of the school or authority that issued them, and we do not file the license application.
For Tennessee TDOE that means we translate your records for the evaluation service; the evaluation, the EPP verification form, assessments and the license are outside what we do.
How to order
- Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
- Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
- Receive the PDF, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages, and submit it with the copy of the original wherever the office asks for it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee require a translation of my foreign degree?
TDOE requires an evaluation by a NACES or AICE service (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026); the service needs your records in English under its own rule. WES, for example, wants a professional translator (WES: translation requirements).
Which evaluation services does Tennessee accept?
Services approved by NACES or AICE (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
Who sends the evaluation to TDOE?
The service, by email to educator.licensure@tn.gov or by mail (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
What if my evaluation does not mention my teacher training?
Have your preparation program or the evaluation service complete the Out of Country EPP Verification form in English (Out-of-Country Teacher Candidate Recommendation Form).
Can I apply without a Social Security number?
A transaction can be started, but it will not be processed until an SSN or ITIN is on your account (Out-of-country applicants checklist, January 2026).
Sources
Tennessee Department of Education, Office of Educator Licensure's own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
Translating documents for Tennessee TDOE?
Upload a scan of your diploma, transcript or license and see the price and delivery time before you pay.