How to get a Florida real estate license

Last updated: October 6, 2026

Florida’s entry-level real estate license is the Sales Associate license, issued by the DBPR, the state department that regulates professionals. This guide sums up the steps from official sources. Rules and fees can change: confirm each step on the DBPR website. We are not part of the DBPR, the FREC or Pearson VUE.

The steps at a glance

1. Check that you meet the requirements. 2. Send your application to the DBPR. 3. Get your fingerprints taken. 4. Pass the 63-hour course. 5. Pass the state exam. 6. Activate your license with a broker.

You can apply before taking the course, so steps 2 to 4 can run in parallel.

Requirements

Be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Have a United States Social Security number.

Be honest, trustworthy and of good character. The state also runs a background check with your fingerprints.

The 63-hour pre-license course

It is FREC Course I (the Florida Real Estate Commission): 63 hours of 50 minutes each, including the final exam.

You need 70% or higher on the course’s final exam. If you fail, you must wait at least 30 days and can retake it only once.

The course is valid for 2 years from the day you complete it.

People with a 4-year degree in real estate and active members of The Florida Bar do not need to take it.

Application and fingerprints

You apply online with the DBPR, at MyFloridaLicense.

Right after, get your fingerprints taken by an FDLE-registered Livescan provider. Give them ORI code FL920010Z, the real estate code. Results can take up to 5 days to arrive.

Fingerprints are checked by the FDLE (Florida) and the FBI.

If you do not pass the state exam within 2 years of the DBPR receiving your application, the application expires.

The state exam

Pearson VUE runs it, in person, at a test center.

It has 100 multiple-choice questions and lasts three and a half hours. You pass with 75 points or more.

It may include pilot questions that do not count toward your score. You will not know which ones they are; you get extra time for them.

When you finish, you receive your official score report.

Can you take the exam in Spanish?

Yes. Ask for it when you schedule the exam with Pearson VUE. It costs nothing extra.

The DBPR also allows a single translation dictionary, word-for-word or phrase-for-phrase, with no definitions. The official booklet’s list of items not to bring includes dictionaries, so confirm with Pearson VUE before you go.

Even if you take the exam in Spanish, it helps to know the key terms in both languages.

After you pass

Passing does not make your license active. You or your broker must activate it with form DBPR RE 11. Your license number can take up to 48 hours to show up.

Before your first renewal you must take the 45-hour post-license course and pass it with 75% or higher. If you do not, the license becomes void.

Sources

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