This article is for people who have a real estate license in another state and are looking to get a Florida license. The process you take depends on your specific situation.
If you have a license in another state and you a U.S. veteran, active military, or spouse of someone who is a veteran or active military, here’s what you do:
We love the military in Florida. You will be able to apply for a license through reciprocity. This means you need to fill out the appropriate application, get a background check, and you will be issued a Florida real estate license. You might even qualify for a fee waiver.
If you have a license in another state, but are currently living in Florida, here’s what you need to know:
If you are currently living in Florida and plan to be here for the next four months, you are considered a Florida resident. It doesn’t matter if you have changed your driver’s license, voter identification, library card, or anything else. For the purposes of getting a real estate license, you are considered a Florida resident.
You will have to complete the same process that every other person has to complete to get their real estate license. You will not have to take the national test because Florida doesn’t have a national test. You will have to take the same 100-question state exam that everyone takes. It covers state and federal laws, principles and practices, and math.
If you have had your other real estate license for at least two years, you can use that experience to qualify for a broker’s license rather than a sales license. Decide before you apply whether you want to apply for broker and sales associate, so that you take the correct class and apply for the correct license.
If you have a license in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island, or West Virginia, and currently reside in one of those states, here’s what you do:
You qualify for licensure through something we call mutual recognition. You will need to apply for a license through mutual recognition, and pass a 40-question Florida law test.
If you are living in another state that is not mentioned above and you are do not fit the military/veteran reciprocity, here’s the information for you:
You will have to start from scratch – you have to take the class and take the state exam. You will not have to take the national test because Florida does not use the national test. You will have to take the same class and state exam that everyone takes. It covers state and national laws, principles and practices, and math.
If you’ve had your license in the other state for at least two year, you can use that experience to apply for a broker license instead of the sales associate license. You will need to decide before you apply and take the class because you want to apply for the correct license and take the correct real estate class.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at Demetree School of Real Estate.
Please note that neither Karen Climer nor anyone in the Climer family has any affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate. Ron and Kathy Climer sold that school in 2014.