Delaware · DE
Delaware Real Estate License Checklist (2026)
Every step, fee, and deadline on one page — designed to print cleanly to PDF and check off as you go.
Before you start
- You are at least 18 years old
- You hold a high school diploma or GED
- You can pass a criminal background check / fingerprinting
Education
Delaware's oddly specific 99-hour salesperson pre-licensing course is one of the longer requirements in the region. And it doesn't stop at licensure: every new salesperson (except reciprocity licensees) must also complete 12 hours of new-licensee course modules within 90 days of the license being issued.
- Confirm you're at least 18 — Delaware sets the minimum age by statute at 24 Del. C. § 2907(b)(2).
- Complete the 99-hour Delaware salesperson pre-licensing course from a Commission-approved provider (roughly $300–$700 depending on format). A 99-hour course from another jurisdiction can also qualify.
- Keep your course completion certificate — you'll upload it with your DELPROS application.
- Schedule the salesperson exam with Pearson VUE ($88) and pass both the national and Delaware law portions.
- Hold onto the original Pearson VUE score report — Delaware requires the original report with your application.
Application & exam
- Pass both portions of the exam first — Delaware tells you to apply for the license AFTER you have your passing score report in hand.
- Create a DELPROS account (Delaware's online licensing system) and start the salesperson application — you have 6 months to submit once you begin, and the application fee is $149.
- Budget for the $25 Real Estate Guaranty Fund fee, which appears on the Commission's official fee schedule alongside the application fee.
- Have your employing Delaware-licensed broker of record sign the Statement of Broker of Record form — broker sponsorship is required, and if the office is in Delaware it must hold an active office permit.
- No fingerprinting or criminal background check is required for Delaware salespersons — the Division's official criminal-background-check list covers real estate APPRAISERS but not salespersons or brokers (some prep sites incorrectly claim an IdentoGO fingerprint requirement). You do answer character/criminal disclosure questions on the application.
- After issuance, complete the 12 hours of new-salesperson modules within 90 days (professional standards; agreement of sale & buyer representation; documents & seller representation; professionalism — 3 hours each). Inactive status is available later via a $45 service request in DELPROS.
Budget
| Item | Estimate | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 99-hour pre-licensing course | $300–$700 | |
| Pearson VUE exam fee | $88 | |
| License application fee (DELPROS) | $149 | |
| Real Estate Guaranty Fund fee | $25 | |
| 12-hour new-salesperson modules (within 90 days of licensure) | $75–$150 | |
| Estimated total | $550–$1,100 |
Key deadlines
- And it doesn't stop at licensure: every new salesperson (except reciprocity licensees) must also complete 12 hours of new-licensee course modules within 90 days of the license being issued.
- Every 2 years — Delaware salesperson licenses expire April 30 of even-numbered years, with 21 hours of continuing education per cycle.
- Pass both portions of the exam first — Delaware tells you to apply for the license AFTER you have your passing score report in hand.
- Create a DELPROS account (Delaware's online licensing system) and start the salesperson application — you have 6 months to submit once you begin, and the application fee is $149.
- After issuance, complete the 12 hours of new-salesperson modules within 90 days (professional standards; agreement of sale & buyer representation; documents & seller representation; professionalism — 3 hours each).
- Self-paced students pushing hard can finish the course in 4–6 weeks; evening/weekend classroom formats stretch to 3–4 months.
- Plan on roughly $550–$1,100: $300–$700 for the 99-hour course, $88 for the Pearson VUE exam, a $149 application fee, the $25 Guaranty Fund fee, and then $75–$150 for the mandatory 12-hour new-licensee modules you'll complete within 90 days of getting licensed.
- Do I need a broker before I apply in Delaware?