How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Florida

Who can apply

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.
• Have a U.S. Social Security number.
• Submit electronic fingerprints for an FDLE and FBI criminal history check.
• Members of the Florida Bar in good standing, and holders of a four-year degree in real estate, are exempt from the 63-hour course.

Step by step

1. Complete the FREC-approved 63-hour sales associate pre-licensing course (Course I). The certificate is valid for 2 years.
2. Apply to DBPR online or with the printable RE 1 application and pay the fee shown on the application.
3. Right after applying, get fingerprinted at an FDLE-registered Livescan provider.
4. Once DBPR approves you, Pearson VUE sends an authorization letter. Book the exam and bring your course completion certificate.
5. Pass the 100-question exam with 75 or higher. DBPR issues your license number within about 48 hours; print it from your online account.
6. The license is issued inactive. Your broker activates it online, or you file form DBPR RE 11.
7. Complete the 45-hour post-licensing course before your first license expiration date.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: FREC Course I: 63 classroom hours (50-minute hours, including the course exam) on real estate principles, practices, and license law, in a classroom or by distance education. It is valid for 2 years after completion. After licensure, a 45-hour FREC-approved post-licensing course must be finished before your initial license expires, whether the license is active or inactive.

Exam: State exam developed by DBPR and given by Pearson VUE. 100 multiple-choice questions on Chapter 475, Part I, Florida Statutes and Rule Chapter 61J2, covering principles, law, and math, in 3.5 hours. Closed book. Passing is 75 points or higher. You must test within 2 years of DBPR receiving your application. If you fail, wait 24 hours before rebooking; you may review the questions you missed within 21 days. Exam fee: $36.75 per Pearson VUE's fact sheet (dated January 2017), paid to Pearson VUE.

What it costs in Florida

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

After you're licensed

Renewal: Licenses renew every two years (biennial sales associate renewal fee: $64 under Rule 61J2-1.011; late fee $25). Before your first expiration date you must complete the 45-hour post-licensing course. After that, you need 14 hours of continuing education every two-year renewal. Continuing education is required for both active and inactive licenses.

Good to know in Florida

Employing broker: A sales associate works under the direction, control, or management of a broker or owner-developer. Passing the exam gives you a license that is inactive until you are employed and your broker activates it.

Mutual recognition: Applicants who are not Florida residents at the time of application, hold an active license in good standing from a mutual recognition state, and earned that license by meeting that state's education and exam requirements can skip Course I and the full exam, and instead pass a 40-question Florida law exam (30 to pass). DBPR's licensure page lists Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, and Rhode Island; its online application checklist lists West Virginia instead of Illinois.

Endorsement: If you have held a sales associate license in another jurisdiction for at least 5 years and it is active or was active within the last 2 years, you can apply by endorsement with a certified license history and the rules that define your current license's scope.

Sources

• DBPR — Real Estate Commission Licensure Information
• DBPR — Real Estate Associate Requirements for Licensure
• DBPR — Sales Associate Initial Application (RE 1) checklist
• DBPR RE 1 Sales Associate Application (effective June 2015)
• DBPR — Candidate Information Booklet: Real Estate Sales Associate Examination (effective January 2025)
• Florida Administrative Code 61J2-1.011 — License Fees
• Pearson VUE — Florida DBPR Real Estate and Appraiser Fact Sheet (01/17)