Florida Frequently Ask Questions Real Estate License

As a real estate sales associate license applicant, you are required to complete a 63-hour pre-license course administered by an approved provider unless you are exempt from the education requirement.

You will need to complete a pre-license course from an approved institution that consists no more than 60 classroom hours of 50 minutes each plus a 3-hour exam, which is non-proctored. You cannot miss more than eight classroom hours if you opt for in-person learning.

The Florida Real Estate Commission has approved a number of providers for administering the required 63-hour course requirement for real estate sales associate candidates. It is offered both as an in-classroom course as well as online.

According to Florida Statute 475.17 (2)(a)(2), distance learning courses must be approved by the FREC. Satisfactory completion of a distance learning course includes a timed examination. The final exam is not monitored or given at a centralized location.

Yes, you can take the pre-license course while you are still in high school. However, you cannot apply for your real estate salesperson license in Florida until you are 18 years of age.

If you are an active member of the Florida Bar in good standing, you are exempt from the required pre-license coursework for a real estate sales associate.

Yes, if you have earned a baccalaureate degree or higher in real estate from an accredited institution of higher education, you are exempt from the 63-hour pre-license education requirement. You will need to include your official college transcript with your initial application for license.

If you fail the end-of-course exam (scoring less than 70%), you must wait 30 days before retaking a different version of the exam. If you do not pass on your second attempt, the Florida Real Estate Commission requires you to retake the pre-license course in full. You may only retest once a year.

No, the final course exam is not proctored.

The Florida pre-license course exam has 100 questions, each with a one-point value. The passing grade is 70%. If you do not pass on your first attempt, you must wait 30 days to retake the exam. In the event you fail twice, you must retake the pre-license course in full. You are only allowed one retake per year.

Your certificate of course completion will be available for download from your RealEstateU account immediately after you have passed the final course exam. You will need this certificate to sit for the state licensing exam.

Yes, one of the requirements for applying for a sales associate license is to provide proof of a high school diploma or equivalent.

You may still apply for a real estate license in Florida if you have a criminal history. Rather than restricting those with certain convictions from applying, the Florida Real Estate Commission considers each applicant on their own merits.

The State of Florida expects all real estate license applicants to disclose if the real estate applicant has been denied registration or a license or has been disbarred in any state or territory of the U.S, or has been revoked or suspended by any state or territory of the U.S.

Applicants must disclose: The details of convictions. Any pleas of nolo contendere.

The application process may be unaffected by any criminal activity disclosed by an applicant. The impact of criminal history generally depends on the length of time since the offense happened, and the nature of the offense.

A real estate applicant must disclose all information on the application and include documentation to support all facts. Nondisclosure of any criminal history or background will likely lead to a license denial.

You must be at least 18 years of age to apply for your Florida real estate sales associate license.

You will need to show proof of a high school diploma or equivalent when making your application for a Florida real estate sales associate license.

Yes. If you live outside Florida, you may still apply for a Florida real estate sales associate license. As a nonresident, you will need to meet the same eligibility, education and exam requirements as a resident, unless you live in one of the eight states in which Florida has real estate licensing reciprocity.

Yes, a social security number is required when you apply for a real estate sales associate license in Florida.

Yes, military veterans as well as active military members, and their spouses, can request waivers of some or all of the initial licensing fees.

In order to apply for a Florida real estate sales associate license, you must meet the following requirements: 1) Be at least 18 years of age. 2) Able to provide proof of a high school diploma or equivalent. 3) Must have a U.S. Social Security number.

The Florida Real Estate Commission carefully reviews all applications for real estate sales associates. If you have been convicted of, pled no contest to, or pled guilty to any criminal offense (other than parking, speeding, inspection, signal violations), you can expect your application to be especially scrutinized.

For the fastest service, you should make your application online at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation online services website.

Attorneys are exempt from the 63-hour pre-licensing course required of sales associate candidates if they are active members in good standing with the Florida Bar.

Candidates for the Florida real estate sales associate license must complete the 63-hour pre-license course and final exam. In addition, you will need to pass the Florida real estate sales associate state exam proctored by Pearson Vue.

Before applying for your real estate sales associate license in Florida, you must meet the following requirements: at least 18 years of age, able to provide proof of high school diploma or equivalent, possess a Social Security number.

According to Florida statutes, an applicant for a real estate license should be honest, truthful, trustworthy, and of good character, and have a good reputation for fair dealing.

It typically takes anywhere from 10 to 30 days to complete the application process, if the application is submitted as complete. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation must complete its process and provide notice of approval or denial within 90 days or less.

Yes, your Certificate of Completion for the 63-hour Salesperson course is only valid for up to 2 years. An expired certificate will not be accepted at the state licensing exam site and you will not be able to sit for your exam without a valid proof for the course completion.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation will notify you via email when your real estate license is due for renewal. The quickest and easiest way to renew is to use the Department’s online services to renew by accessing your account at myfloridalicense.com.

At renewal, a copy of your license will be forwarded to the email address associated with your online account. The current renewal fee for sales associates is $32.

Florida real estate licenses expire two years after issuance, either at the end of September or the end of March, depending on when you took the state exam for the license. The first license period for sales associates may cover 18 months to 2 years; the exact timing depends on when the licensee passed the state exam.

You are required to complete the 45-hour post-license education course by the initial expiration date displayed on your initial license.

Continuing education is only required for inactive licensees when they choose to reactivate their license.

Florida requires real estate licensees to complete 14 hours of continuing education in each licensing period. This coursework consists of 8 hours of specialty topics, 3 hours dedicated to an update of Florida law, and 3 hours of ethics and business practices.

A licensee may reactivate a real estate license that has been involuntarily inactive for one year (or less) by completing a minimum of 14 hours of FREC-prescribed continuing education courses.

The first license period for sales associates may cover 18 months to 2 years; the exact timing depends on when the licensee passed the state exam. Florida real estate licenses expire either at the end of March or the end of September, every two years.

Per the FREC, a licensee who holds a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in real estate from an accredited school will be exempt from the post-license education requirement.

A $25 late fee is assessed if the renewal is received after the allotted time. If a Florida real estate licensee fails to renew an active (or voluntary inactive license) prior to the expiration date (other than the first renewal), the real estate license automatically reverts to involuntary inactive status.

If your license has been involuntarily inactive for more than two years, it automatically expires. When a Florida real estate license expires, it becomes null and void. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation will notify you 90 days before the license expires.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) requires fingerprints from each sales associate applicant in order to perform a background check as part of the approval process.

You may use any Florida Department of Law Enforcement-approved Livescan Service Provider to submit your fingerprints to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. You will need to provide the Originating Agency Identification (ORI) number to the provider when you submit your fingerprints.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement keeps the criminal results from each applicant’s fingerprints for six months, starting from the date the fingerprints were collected.

You should complete the fingerprinting process prior to applying for your license. This provides the Florida Real Estate Commission enough time to complete their background check prior to determining your approval for taking the state exam.

Pearson VUE has many locations across the United States and offers testing on U.S. military bases as well. You can find the closest test center using their online search feature. Pearson VUE also allows you to take the exam online with a remote proctor, using a computer, microphone and webcam.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation encourages candidates to obtain fingerprints through an approved Livescan Service Provider at least five days prior to submitting an application for a real estate license.

The cost of obtaining a copy of your fingerprints in Florida varies depending on the vendor chosen from the Livescan Service Provider list. Each fingerprint vendor has the option to set the price for their fingerprint services. Typically, the cost ranges from $50 to $80.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement retains the applicant’s fingerprints for only 180 days. If you fail to submit the licensing application within the 180 days you will need to submit new fingerprints. DBPR will retain the results of the prints for 12 months from the date they received the digital fingerprints.

A real estate license applicant must first enroll and complete the required pre-license course unless exempted by the FREC. To obtain a Florida real estate sales associate license, an applicant must first complete the DBPR's Sales Associate Initial Application (RE1) with a real estate application fee of $83.75.

Florida has several fees associated with obtaining a Florida real estate sales associate license. According to Florida Statute 475.125(1), the FREC has established that the initial exam and application fees cannot exceed $100, and the initial license fee and renewal fee may not exceed $50 for each year.

The DBPR generally takes 10 to 30 days to complete the application process, if the application is submitted as complete. The DBPR must complete its process in 90 days or less. Real estate license applicants will be notified if the real estate application is deficient or needs clarification.

Candidates for the Florida real estate sales associate license must complete the 63-hour pre-license course and final exam, plus the Florida State real estate exam proctored by Pearson Vue.

You have the option of making your application online or mailing in a hard copy. You will also need to pay the $83.75 fee.

The cost of submitting your Florida real estate license application is $83.75.

It is recommended to wait about five days after submitting your fingerprints. This gives enough time for the background check report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to be sent to the Florida Real Estate Commission.

A Florida real estate license can be issued to an applicant who meets Florida's licensing requirements and passes the state exam. However, the license will be issued as inactive and you will be unable to perform real estate services until you find a licensed Florida real estate broker to sponsor you.

A Florida active real estate license is required to engage in real estate services. Sales associates gain active status by finding a licensed Florida real estate broker and registering with the DBPR under the supervision of their employing broker.

A licensee may change an active license to a voluntary inactive license by submitting the request to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. This is known as a voluntary inactive license.

An active real estate license is issued in Florida when the applicant has met all licensing requirements and has found a licensed real estate broker under which to work.

A Florida real estate licensee may reactivate a license that has been involuntarily inactive for 12 months (or less) by completing a minimum of 14 hours of an FREC-prescribed continuing education course. The appropriate DBPR form to use is the DBPR RE 11.

A Florida real estate license is required for all real estate activity unless the activity falls under an exempted category, such as a homeowner selling their own home.

An active Florida real estate sales associate license is required when you represent a buyer or seller in a real estate transaction, including listing, selling, purchasing, leasing, lease options and renting, and earn a commission for services rendered.

Yes. RealEstateU and the Florida courses are fully approved by the Florida Real Estate Commission.

The Florida Real Estate Commission currently has mutual recognition agreements with eight other states. Those states are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

If you already hold a real estate license from a state that has a mutual recognition agreement with Florida, you will be exempt from the 63-hour pre-license education requirement and will only need to take the 40-question Florida laws section of the state exam.

According to Florida Statute 475.180(2)(b), all nonresident applicants and licensees from states without mutual recognition must comply with all requirements of Florida license law.

The Florida Real Estate Commission requires nonresidents to meet the same education, experience, and examination requirements as resident Florida applicants, unless they live in one of the eight states that have mutual recognition agreements with Florida.

Any real estate license applicant who is not a resident of Florida must file an irrevocable consent form. This form states that suits and actions may be started against you in any county in Florida in which a plaintiff has a valid suit against you.

Candidates are encouraged to review the candidate information booklet before making a reservation to take the state exam. You will need to receive authorization from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation before you will be able to schedule your exam.

The state exam cost for a Florida real estate sales associate license is $36.75.

You will need to pay the examination fee at the time you make your exam reservation. You can pay by credit card, check or voucher. Exam fee payments are not accepted at the testing center. Exam fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable.

After your DBPR application has been approved, applicants may schedule the Florida Real Estate Exam. An applicant will receive the FLREAPP number by email within 24 hours of the application’s approval. Contact Pearson VUE at 1-888-204-6289 with any questions.

The Florida state exam for real estate sales associate candidates is offered at Pearson VUE testing centers. These testing centers are listed on the Pearson VUE website and are located throughout the United States as well as U.S. military bases worldwide.

Once your application has been approved by the Florida Real Estate Commission, test proctor Pearson VUE will be automatically notified and will send you an official authorization letter or email. You will then be able to reserve an exam date and time.

Student should submit their Florida certificate of completion together with the license application for their pre-license course.

If you are licensed in one of eight states with a mutual recognition agreement with Florida, you will only need to take the Florida law portion of the state exam. This part of the exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions. You must obtain a score of at least 30 correct answers to pass the exam.

If you need to cancel or reschedule your exam reservation, you can do so without penalty up to two calendar days prior to the exam date.

You may be excused from your exam if you were absent and unable to provide a two day notice due to your illness, illness of an immediate family member, death in the immediate family, disabling traffic accident, court appearance or jury duty, or military duty.

The FLREAPP ID is the authorization letter, or email that students receive from the state contains the candidate identification number.

There are 100 multiple-choice questions on the state licensing exam. All questions on the state exam are weighted equally. You will be allowed 3.5 hours to complete the exam. You will need a score of 75% or higher to pass the state exam.

The Florida real estate sales associate exam is based on knowledge and application of Florida real estate practices, real estate law, and real estate math, as set forth by the Florida Real Estate Commission.

Students who fail the Florida State exam receive a score report that includes a numeric score and diagnostic information. Students who want to retake the exam must wait 24 hours before rescheduling the test.

If you pass your state exam, you will receive an official photo-bearing exam result report immediately following completion of your test. You should verify that the information is correct on the exam results before leaving the test center.

You may use a calculator as long as it is silent, hand-held, battery-operated, nonprinting, and without an alphabetic keypad.

According to Pearson VUE's Real Estate Candidate Booklet, all candidates must bring the following when registering at a Pearson VUE test center: Two forms of valid ID, one of which is a government-issued driver's license, state ID card, passport, or military identification card.

English as a second language applicants are permitted to use approved foreign language translation dictionaries during the examination. However, these translation dictionaries are limited only to word-for-word or phrase translations.

The Candidate Information Booklet lists those supplies that are not authorized to be taken into the testing room. Unauthorized items are subject to removal by the testing center’s staff.

If you fail the state exam, you will receive a score report that includes a numeric score and diagnostic information. Test-takers who want to retake the exam must wait 24 hours before rescheduling.

Yes, if you pass the pre-license state-required course and receive your license application approval, you can take the Florida state exam before you have a sponsoring broker.

The cost for retaking the Florida real estate sales associate state exam is $36.75.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has contracted with Pearson VUE to conduct the examination program. Pearson VUE offers the state exam through a network of computer examination centers around the country and on U.S. military bases.

The computerized exam results are available immediately upon the completion of your exam.

If you fail the state exam for a Florida real estate sales associate license, you will receive a score report that shows a numeric score and diagnostic information to show what areas you need to focus on before retaking the exam. You must wait a minimum of 24 hours before rescheduling your exam.

If you bring unauthorized supplies, such as those listed below, the items will be subject to removal at the examination site.