Submitting Documents

Last updated on November 29, 2024

After you have submitted your application form, we will review it and provide you with a list of documents. You will need to submit these documents as part of your application. Please do not start submitting documents before you receive the list.  

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Preparing Documents 

There are some documents that you will need to provide to us, and there are some documents that other people or organizations will need to provide on your behalf. Please do not start submitting documents until we tell you which documents you need to provide.

Make Sure Documents are Complete

Be sure all documents are clear and include your:

  • File number (if known)
  • Surname (Last name)
  • First name
  • Document name

For example, L199999_Surname_Firstname_Practicum_Report.pdf. Please use underscores to separate the words.

Make Sure Documents are Translated

Documents need to be translated if they are not in English or in French. Use one of the following approved services.

A statement from the translator is required – it should include:

  • That the translation is accurate and authentic
  • That the translator is an accepted translation service
  • The translator's full name (uppercase letters), identification number (or seal), address, phone number, and signature

Get Documents Notarized

Some documents must be notarized. A photocopied document can be notarized as a true copy by a notary public or lawyer.

Give Voluntary Consent

Submit the Voluntary Consent Form (PDF), if you want someone else to be able to discuss your application with the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

 

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit depend on the type of teaching certificate you are applying for.

After you submit your application form, an evaluator will review it. After the review, we will email you with a customized list of supporting documents that you'll need to submit.  

You can also find your document list and check the status of your application in Your Account. Do not send original documents (i.e., birth certificate, marriage certificate). Original documents will not be returned to you.  

To have your documents reviewed more quickly, upload your required documents in PDF format in Your Account, or email them as PDF or JPEG files.

Please note:

  • send copies of original identity documents (i.e., birth certificate, marriage certificate). Original documents will not be returned to you.
  • we cannot accept documents shared via cloud storage providers (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.).

If you have asked for official documents to be submitted on your behalf and we have not yet received them, please follow up with the third party to make sure the documents are sent.  

We cannot assess your eligibility until we have received and accepted all your required supporting documents. 

Certificate of Qualification

Independent School Teaching Certificate

(Subject Restricted, School and Subject Restricted, System Restricted)

First Nations Language Teaching Certificate 

Additional Documents for Trades Teachers

International Applicants

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Familiarization training

If you have completed training to become familiar with the Canadian education system, ask your institution to send a transcript to the Ministry of Education and Child Care.  

If you are applying to B.C. institutions to complete training to become familiar with the Canadian education system, you can request that the Ministry forward some documentation to those institutions (PDF). 

 

Country-specific documents

If you completed any of your studies or training in another country, you must submit the required documents plus any country-specific documents. Note that if you completed your teacher education program outside of Canada, we may ask you to send your credentials to Pathways to Teach Canada for assessment.

Choose a country to see the required country-specific documents:

If you do not see the country where you completed your studies or training, submit the following documents:  

  • Secondary school completion document: A photocopy of your graduation diploma or certificate. If it's not available, request a letter from your secondary school stating that you completed your studies.
  • Statement of Professional Standing: A document that states you are a teacher in good standing from the jurisdiction where you completed your initial teacher education program and all education authorities in all other jurisdictions where you have held or currently hold a teaching certificate.
  • Teaching certificate: A verified copy of your teaching certificate or diploma, if the jurisdiction where you completed your teacher education program does not issue Statements of Professional Standing.  

You may be asked to provide additional documentation by an evaluator when your application is reviewed.

 

Additional Teacher Education Program Documents

Additional teacher education program details: We require additional information about your teacher education program. The information must address the specific program you completed in the year you completed it. Please ask your institution to provide details about the program you completed:

  • The program duration 
  • The content of your program including course descriptions and syllabi if possible
  • Indication if your program leads to teacher certification in that jurisdiction

Ask your institution to send this information directly to the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

Practicum details: We require additional information about your teacher education program practicum experience. Please ask your institution to provide:

  • The total number of days of unpaid practice teaching you completed
  • The name(s) and location(s) of the school(s) where this practice teaching was completed
  • Indication if your unpaid practice teaching was supervised by a member of the institutions’ faculty and on-site mentor teachers

Ask your institution to send this information directly to the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

Distance teacher education program details: If you completed any part of a teacher education program by distance or online education, your institution will need to provide details about the studies you completed within your teacher education program:

  • The courses that you completed face-to-face
  • The courses that you completed by distance or online
  • The number of lecture hours you attended for each on-campus course

Ask your institution to send this information directly to the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

 

Inability to Submit Required Documents

You may find it impossible to obtain some of the documents or alternate forms of the documents that are required to qualify for a BC teaching certificate, despite your efforts and any assistance that we may be able to provide.

If this is the case, we may still be able to assess your application based on additional information that you provide, including the reason(s) why you can't obtain the documents. Your reasons may include circumstances that are outside your control:

  • An institution (such as a school or governmental organization) is unable to provide the required document(s) because it no longer exists, is not operational or has lost records due to war, upheaval, natural disaster or other crisis
  • An institution refuses to provide the required document(s)
  • You fear that you will be discriminated against or persecuted if you contact an institution to request the document(s)

Email us with a detailed explanation of your reasons for being unable to obtain the necessary documents. We will assess the information and respond to you with alternative options.  

Contact information

Contact the Service BC Help Desk by phone Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 5:00 pm Pacific time. 

Note: We cannot discuss the status of an application or an evaluation over the phone.

Vancouver Phone
604-660-2355
Toll Free Phone
1-888-356-2741
Teacher Regulation Branch Mailing
Ministry of Education and Child Care
201-828 8th Avenue W
Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1E2