How to Get a Florida Real Estate License: the Steps, the Costs and the Order to Do Them In

Leer esta guía en español →

Last checked against the statute text: 2026-10-07

Getting a Florida real estate sales associate license takes six steps, and most people can finish them in a month or two: meet three basic requirements, complete a 63-hour pre-license course, apply to DBPR and pay its fee, get fingerprinted, pass the state exam, and activate the license under a broker. The state-set costs you can plan for today are the DBPR application fee, $62.75 on the current form, [1] plus the exam fee paid to Pearson VUE, the fingerprint vendor's fee and the course itself; SFCC's 63-hour course is $329 online or $599 live on Zoom. The exam is graded on 100 points and 75 or higher passes. [2]

Here is each step in the order that saves the most time, with the requirement quoted from DBPR's own application checklist, its exam booklet and the statute.

Step 1: check the three basic requirements

DBPR's application checklist states them in one breath. You must be at least 18 years of age, [3] you must have a United States Social Security number to apply, [3] and you must hold a high school diploma or its equivalent. [3] The statute adds the character standard: an applicant must be honest, truthful, trustworthy, of good character, and have a good reputation for fair dealing. [4] A criminal record is not an automatic bar, but it is reviewed, which is what the fingerprints in Step 4 are for.

No college degree is required. The only degree that matters is one that lets you skip the course: if you hold a 4-year degree or higher in real estate you may be exempt from the pre-license education requirement, [3] by sending an original certified transcript to the Division of Real Estate's Education Section.

Step 2: complete the 63-hour pre-license course

Before you can sit for the state exam you must show proof of completing a Florida-approved 63-hour pre-license course for sales associates. [3] The statute caps the course at 63 classroom hours of 50 minutes each, exam included, [4] and the course ends in its own exam, separate from the state's. In a live class, a completion notice cannot be issued to a student with absences in excess of 8 classroom hours, [4] and in an online course completion requires passing a timed distance learning course examination. [4]

Your completion certificate is good for two years from the date of completion, [3] and an expired one is useless at the test center. The exam booklet is blunt about the other direction too: if the Certificate of Pre-licensure Education Completion is not presented at the testing center, you will not gain access to the examination. [2] Print it, and bring it.

You can take the course online at your own pace or live on Zoom over two weeks; both are approved routes, and our guide to online versus live pre-license courses compares them.

Step 3: apply to DBPR and pay the fee, before you finish the course if you like

Here is the ordering trick most people miss. The course is not required at the time you submit the application; DBPR says you may apply for state exam approval before taking the pre-license education. [3] Since the application and the background check take time, starting them while you study is the fastest sequence.

The application is form RE 1, filed online through DBPR Online Services or on paper. The current form lists the fee at $62.75, payable to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. [1] Military veterans, their spouses and Florida National Guard members may be eligible for a fee waiver, reimbursement or reduction. [3] The statute describes what the state is collecting at this stage: the signed or electronically authenticated application, digital fingerprint data, and the fee. [5]

Step 4: get fingerprinted, right after you apply

Every applicant has a background check. DBPR requires you to submit your fingerprints through a Livescan Service Provider registered with FDLE immediately after submitting your application for licensure. [3] The order matters: the Florida Department of Law Enforcement requires that the application precede the fingerprints, [3] so do not get printed first and apply later. Results can take up to five days to reach DBPR after FDLE receives them. [3] The prints also go to the FBI for a national check. [5]

The Livescan vendor charges its own fee, set by the vendor, so it is not on the DBPR form; expect to pay it at the appointment.

Step 5: pass the state exam

Once DBPR approves your application you reserve the exam with Pearson VUE, the state's testing vendor. [3] The exam is graded on 100 points, and 75 points or higher passes. [2] A few things from the candidate booklet that matter on the day:

• You get your result before you leave. All candidates receive an official, photo-bearing exam result report immediately after finishing. [2]
• The exam may include a small number of experimental pilot questions that do not count toward your score. [2]
• Calculators are allowed if they are silent, hand-held, battery-operated, non-printing and without an alphabetic keypad. [2]
• If English is your second language, the Bureau of Education and Testing permits word-for-word translation dictionaries during the exam. [2] Dictionaries with definitions or notes are not allowed.
• If you fail, you are entitled to review the questions you answered incorrectly, [2] and you pay a new test fee for each retake. [2]

The exam fee itself is set by Pearson VUE and paid when you reserve; the booklet notes that fee amounts change on a January schedule, [2] so check the current figure at reservation rather than trusting a blog, including this one.

Step 6: activate under a broker

Passing the exam gives you a license, but a sales associate works, by definition, under the direction, control or management of a broker or owner-developer. [3] Until a broker registers you, the license sits inactive. DBPR's own instruction to associates is to contact your broker to ensure proper registration as their employee. [6] Choosing that broker is its own decision; our directory of Florida brokerages hiring new agents is one place to start, and your instructor is another.

What it costs, honestly

Item	Who sets it	Amount
63-hour pre-license course	the school	SFCC: $329 online, $599 live on Zoom
DBPR application fee	DBPR, form RE 1	$62.75 on the current form [1]
Fingerprints	the Livescan vendor	set by the vendor, paid at the appointment
State exam	Pearson VUE	paid at reservation; current amount shown there
Retakes	Pearson VUE	a new test fee each time [2]

Two costs people forget: the 45-hour post-license course you must finish before your first renewal, [6] and the broker's own fees once you join an office, which vary by brokerage.

How long it takes

The course sets the pace. A live two-week class ends with a certificate on the last day; an online course ends when you pass the timed exam, which disciplined students do in two to three weeks. Running the DBPR application and fingerprints in parallel with the course, the way Step 3 allows, means exam approval often arrives about when the certificate does. Add the wait for a Pearson VUE seat, and a month to six weeks from first lesson to active license is a realistic plan.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a college degree? No. A high school diploma or its equivalent is the education requirement. [3]

Can I apply before I finish the course? Yes, and you should. The course is not required at the time of application. [3]

How long is my course certificate valid? Two years from the date of completion. [3]

What score passes the state exam? 75 points out of 100. [2]

Can I take the course in Spanish? Yes. SFCC's online 63-hour course has a Spanish edition under the same DBPR approval. For the state exam, ask Pearson VUE about language options when you reserve; the booklet permits word-for-word translation dictionaries. [2]

---

Start with the 63-hour course

SFCC's DBPR-approved 63-hour sales associate pre-license course is online and self-paced for $329, in English or Spanish, or live on Zoom over two weeks for $599. The course exam is included, and there are no re-enrollment fees if you need more time.

See the 63-hour course →

---

Sources

1. DBPR form RE 1, Sales Associate License Application
   • “ALL License Applicants must submit: Fee: $62.75”
2. DBPR Candidate Information Booklet, Real Estate Sales Associate examination
   • “The Sales Associate examination shall be graded based on 100 points for a perfect examination. A candidate who receives a grade of 75 points or higher will have successfully passed the examination”
   • “If the Certificate of Pre-licensure Education Completion is not presented at the testing center, you will not gain access to the examination”
   • “All candidates will receive an official, photo-bearing exam result report immediately following completion of their examination”
   • “The examination may contain a small number of experimental or pilot test questions”
   • “Calculators must be silent, hand-held, battery-operated, nonprinting, and without an alphabetic keypad”
   • “the Bureau of Education and Testing is permitting the use of foreign language translation dictionaries during the examination”
   • “Candidates who fail an examination are entitled to review the questions they answered incorrectly”
   • “You will also have to pay a new test fee required when you register for any future examination”
   • “The vouchers can be redeemed within 12 months from the date they are issued and allow candidates to pay for their examinations at current prices before the new fee amounts go into effect on January 3rd”
3. DBPR Online Services: Sales Associate Initial Application (RE 1) requirements checklist
   • “Must be at least 18 years of age”
   • “You must have a United States Social Security number to apply”
   • “Must hold a high school diploma or its equivalent”
   • “If you hold a 4 year degree, or higher, in real estate you may be exempt from the pre-license education requirement”
   • “Prior to sitting for the state exam you must show proof of course completion of Florida approved 63 hour pre-license education for sales associates”
   • “The course is good for two (2) years from the date of completion”
   • “The course is not required at the time of application submission. You may submit application for state exam approval prior to taking the pre-license education”
   • “Military veterans, their spouses and Florida National Guard members may be eligible for a fee waiver, fee reimbursement, and/or fee discount”
   • “An applicant must have a background check as part of the licensing process. You must submit your fingerprints using a Livescan Service Provider registered with FDLE immediately after submitting your application for licensure”
   • “the Florida Department of Law Enforcement requires that an application for licensure should precede the submission of your fingerprints”
   • “It may take up to five days for your fingerprint results to be received by the Department after they are submitted to the Florida Department of Law enforcement (FDLE)”
   • “The examination is given by Pearson Vue”
   • “performs such act under the direction, control, or management of a broker or owner/developer”
4. Florida Statutes, section 475.17: Qualifications for practice
   • “must be at least 18 years of age; hold a high school diploma or its equivalent; be honest, truthful, trustworthy, and of good character; and have a good reputation for fair dealing”
   • “The course or courses required for one to become initially licensed shall not exceed a total of 63 classroom hours of 50 minutes each, inclusive of examination, for a sales associate”
   • “notice of satisfactory completion shall not be issued if the student has absences in excess of 8 classroom hours”
   • “satisfactory completion of a distance learning course requires the satisfactory completion of a timed distance learning course examination”
5. Florida Statutes, section 475.175: Examinations
   • “Submits to the department the appropriate signed or electronically authenticated application, digital fingerprint data, and fee”
   • “The fingerprints shall also be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of processing the fingerprints to determine if the applicant has a criminal history record”
6. DBPR Division of Real Estate, Renewal Information for current licensees expiring September 30, 2026
   • “Sales and Broker Associates, contact your broker to ensure proper registration as their employee”
   • “45 hours for Sales Associate”

Photos: Jakub Żerdzicki / Unsplash.