Certificate of Clearance
A Certificate of Clearance is issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) to credential program candidates. Title 5 regulations require that an application for Certificate of Clearance be filed to determine whether or not a candidate meets the state standards for character and fitness to teach in California’s public schools. A Certificate of Clearance is valid for five years.
To apply for a Certificate of Clearance, please follow these three steps:
Please note; this is a brief guide, for a complete step-by-step guide, please refer to the “How to Submit your Online Application” video and downloadable pdf on the CTC website: www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/submit-online
- Go to: www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/fee-and-fingerprint
- Download the 41-LS form from the table
- Complete the Applicant Information Section and Enter your SSN or ITIN number as the OCA number. The Applicant Submission section at the top should be automatically populated and nothing else needs to be entered there and the Employer section at the bottom should also be left blank.
- Print 3 copies
- Take the 41-LS forms and your Government Issued ID to an agency providing fingerprinting services.
- For all California locations, including the CSULB University Police Department, go to: https://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/locations
- Your fingerprints will be transmitted electronically to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
- Go to: www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/submit-online
- Click on Submit Your Application Online
- Create/login to your profile on the secure Educator Page by entering your Social Security Number (SSN) and Date of Birth (DOB).
- If this is your first time logging in to the CTC website, you will need to enter your SSN and DOB again
- Click Create Person and enter your information
- Click Save
- Click Next
- If you have already created a profile, verify that your information is correct. Click on the Edit button if you need to make any changes to your profile. Make sure to click Save, if changes are made.
- Click Next
- If this is your first time logging in to the CTC website, you will need to enter your SSN and DOB again
- Under Web Applications click Create New
- Using the drop-down arrow under General Application Category select Certificate of Clearance/Activity Supervisor
- Using the drop-down arrow under Document/Authorization Title select Certificate of Clearance
- Scroll down and click Next
- Continue to follow the instructions, answering all Professional Fitness Questions
- Complete the Oath and Affidavit section
- Click Submit Payment
- Continue to follow the instructions to pay for your certificate
Approximately two to four weeks after filing your Certificate of Clearance application, you can monitor your status online.
- Go to: www.ctc.ca.gov
- Click on Search for an Educator
- Click on Secured Search, enter your SSN and DOB
- Click OK and your personal information should appear
- Click Next
- Under the Document section, you should see your Certificate of Clearance document
- Click on the document number to view/print your Certificate of Clearance
