How to Get a Florida Real Estate License: Steps, Costs and Timeline (2026)

To become a Florida real estate sales associate you complete the 63-hour FREC Course I, apply to DBPR with electronic fingerprints, pass the 100-question state exam at Pearson VUE with a 75, and then activate your license under a Florida broker. Before your first renewal you must also finish 45 hours of post-license education. Most people get from day one of the course to an active license in about one to three months. The course is the long pole, and the background check is the most common cause of delays. Florida does not require you to live in the state. Nonresidents follow the same steps.

Under Section 475.17 of the Florida Statutes, a sales associate applicant must: 1. Be at least 18 years old. 2. Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent. 3. Be honest, truthful, trustworthy and of good character, with a good reputation for fair dealing. The character requirement is where the background check comes in. A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you; the Florida Real Estate Commission looks at the offense, how long ago it was and evidence of rehabilitation. What does disqualify people is leaving something off. The application asks about every offense, including pleas of guilty or no contest and cases where adjudication was withheld, and an omission is itself grounds for denial or later revocation. When in doubt, disclose. You can read more in our chapter on license qualifications.

FREC Course I is 63 hours: 60 hours of instruction and a 3-hour end-of-course exam, with each hour being 50 minutes. You take it from a Florida-approved real estate school, in a classroom or online. The end-of-course exam passes at 70%. Two groups can skip it: people with a 4-year or higher degree in real estate, and members of The Florida Bar. Your course completion is valid for 2 years. You must bring the completion certificate to the testing center every time you take the state exam, so keep a copy somewhere you will not lose it. If you hold an active license in one of Florida's mutual recognition states (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island and West Virginia) and are not a Florida resident when you apply, you can skip Course I and take a 40-question Florida law exam instead, passing with 30 correct.

You apply online through DBPR using the sales associate application (Form DBPR RE 1). Many people submit it while they are still in the course so the background check runs in parallel. Fingerprints must be taken electronically by a Livescan service provider approved by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Give the vendor DBPR's ORI number from the DBPR fingerprinting page so the results go to the right agency. Once DBPR approves your application you receive a candidate ID number. With that number you can book your exam with Pearson VUE right away; you do not need to wait for a letter in the mail.

The sales associate exam is 100 multiple choice questions in 3.5 hours, and you need a 75 to pass. You book it with Pearson VUE online or at 1.888.204.6289, and you see your result before you leave the test center. Our Florida real estate exam guide covers the official content breakdown and the exam-day rules. Bring two forms of signature ID (one government issued) and your Course I completion certificate. People are turned away for missing the certificate more than for anything else. If you do not pass, you can review your missed questions within 21 days and book a retake, paying the exam fee again.

Passing the exam gets you a license, but a new sales associate license is inactive until you are registered under an employing broker. You cannot practice, advertise or earn commission until that happens. In practice, you pick a brokerage before or right after the exam, and the broker adds you through DBPR's online system. Your license then shows as active under that broker. Sales associates are paid only through their employing broker. If you change brokers later, DBPR must be notified within 10 days.

This is the step people forget. Before your first renewal you must complete 45 hours of post-license education and pass its course exam with a 75%. Florida licenses expire on March 31 or September 30, so your first license period runs about 18 to 24 months depending on when you were licensed. Miss the post-license deadline and the license becomes null and void. It does not go inactive. To get back in, you retake the 63-hour course and pass the state exam again. After the first renewal, you complete 14 hours of continuing education every two years: 3 hours of core law, 3 hours of ethics and business practices, and 8 hours of specialty education.

The fixed state costs are small. The course is where the money goes. 1. Course I: prices vary widely by school and format. Online courses are usually the cheapest option, and bundles that add exam prep cost more. 2. DBPR application fee: shown when you apply. DBPR has lowered its application fees in recent years, so ignore older guides that list $83.75. 3. Fingerprinting: set by the Livescan vendor you choose. 4. Pearson VUE exam: $36.75 per attempt, paid each time you test. 5. Post-license course: 45 hours, paid before your first renewal. The cheapest path is to pass the state exam on the first try, since every retake adds the exam fee and more waiting. A free practice exam in the 100-question format is a good way to check you are ready before you book.