Seven steps, about $300–$700, and four to ten weeks if nothing stalls. The order matters more than people expect: fingerprints have to clear before you can schedule the exam, and a broker only comes in at the very end. This covers the sales associate license — the one almost everyone starts with.
Three requirements: you're 18 or older, you have a U.S. Social Security number, and you hold a high school diploma or equivalent. There is no residency requirement — plenty of Florida licensees live in other states or countries. A criminal record doesn't automatically disqualify you, but it does trigger a case-by-case review, so disclose everything on the application.
FREC Course I, from a school approved by the state. You have to pass the end-of-course exam with at least 70%, and the completion certificate is good for two years — pass the state exam inside that window or you take the course again. Schools charge roughly $100–$500; several run the course in Spanish.
File the sales associate application with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation at myfloridalicense.com. You can file before you finish the course, and it's usually the smarter order — approval and the background check take time you may as well spend studying.
Electronic fingerprints through a Livescan vendor approved by FDLE. Do this as soon as you've applied. Results reach DBPR in a few business days; a hit on the background check adds weeks, which is the single most common reason a candidate's timeline slips.
Once DBPR approves you, you get a candidate ID and can book with Pearson VUE. Testing centers are spread across the state and popular ones fill up a week or two out, so book earlier than feels necessary. You choose English or Spanish when you schedule, at no extra cost.
3.5 hours, and you need 75 of the 100 scored questions right. You find out before you leave the test center, and a failing report lists the topic areas where you lost points — that's your study plan for the retake, which costs $36.75 again and can be booked 24 hours after your last attempt. The exam guide covers what's on it in detail.
Passing gets you a license in inactive status. You can't work a deal until a licensed broker activates it with DBPR. After that, you owe a 45-hour post-license course before your first renewal, which lands 18–24 months out. Miss it and the license goes null — reinstating means starting over at the 63-hour course.
Fees are current as of 2026 and set by the state, not by schools — confirm them on myfloridalicense.com before you budget. Board dues and MLS access are separate costs that only start once you join a brokerage.
Every other step is paperwork. See where you stand against the 75% line with 30 free questions — no sign-up, English or Spanish.
Start the free test →Four to ten weeks for most people. The 63-hour course is the variable — full-time students finish it in two weeks, evening students take six. Fingerprint processing and exam scheduling add one to three weeks after that.
No. Florida has no residency requirement for a sales associate license. You do need a Social Security number, and you have to sit the exam in person at a Pearson VUE center — there is no remote-proctored option for this exam.
Roughly $300 to $700 in 2026. The 63-hour course runs $100 to $500 depending on the school, the DBPR application is $83.75, fingerprinting is $50 to $80, and the exam is $36.75 each time you sit it.