Moving your license
Real Estate License Reciprocity by State (2026)
How every U.S. jurisdiction treats an out-of-state real estate license — sorted into four plain-English categories, with the official state source for each one.
Last verified July 8, 2026. Reciprocity rules change frequently — always confirm with the official source linked in the table before you file.
The four reciprocity categories
FullFull reciprocity
Full reciprocity — an active license from essentially any state is accepted, usually just a state-law exam and paperwork stand between you and the license.
PartialPartial reciprocity
Partial / named agreements — only licensees from specific partner states qualify for the reciprocity path. Everyone else takes the standard route.
RecognitionRecognition reciprocity
License recognition — no formal state-to-state agreements, but there's an endorsement or waiver pathway open to licensees from any jurisdiction.
NoneNone reciprocity
No reciprocity — plan to start over with that state's full pre-licensing education and exam.
Recent changes worth flagging
Illinois — reciprocity ended January 1, 2026
Illinois retired its old state-specific reciprocal agreements and replaced them with a universal licensure-by-endorsement process open to licensees from every state.
New York — all reciprocity agreements ended
New York's Department of State ended every reciprocity agreement after raising its education requirement to 77 hours. Out-of-state agents now go through the full New York process.
Ohio — universal license recognition since Dec 2023
Ohio replaced its short list of reciprocity states with universal recognition: any substantially similar active license (held 1+ years and used in the last 5) qualifies.
West Virginia — added Florida in April 2025
West Virginia's only current mutual reciprocity agreement is now with Florida (amended April 2025). Everyone else still applies through the standard process.
All 51 jurisdictions
Showing 51 of 51
| What out-of-staters must do | Official source | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Full | Alabama issues a reciprocal license to anyone holding a current license in any other state: complete a 6-hour Alabama real estate law course, pass the corresponding Alabama portion of the licensing exam, and submit a Certificate of Licensure from your home state issued within 120 days. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Alaska | Recognition | Alaska has no formal reciprocity but offers licensing by endorsement: active out-of-state licensees who have practiced within the past 6 months skip the national exam and pass only the Alaska state-portion (Out-of-State License Recognition Endorsement) exam, plus provide license history from every jurisdiction, proof of equivalent pre-license education, E&O insurance, and an Alaska broker sponsor. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Arizona | Recognition | Arizona's Out-of-State License Recognition (universal recognition) program waives pre-license education for applicants who establish Arizona residency, have been licensed at least one year in another state with a clean disciplinary record, and pass the Arizona-specific state exam before applying. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Arkansas | Partial | Arkansas has signed reciprocal agreements with 15 states; licensees from those states can skip Arkansas pre-license education and the national exam but generally must still pass the Arkansas-specific (state law) portion of the exam and submit proof of a license in good standing. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| California | None | California has no reciprocity with any state and waives nothing: every out-of-state licensee must complete the required California college-level courses, qualify for and pass the full California exam, and file a Consent to Service of Process if a non-resident. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Colorado | Recognition | Colorado's license recognition accepts an active license from any U.S. state or territory: applicants with 2+ years of active licensure skip pre-license education and the national exam and pass only the Colorado state portion of the broker exam (everyone in Colorado is licensed as a broker); less experience earns partial education credit. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Connecticut | Partial | Connecticut has reciprocity agreements with 12 states (its New York agreement was terminated). Applicants from Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio -- or anyone who was not licensed by exam in a reciprocal state -- must also pass the state portion of the Connecticut exam; others can generally be licensed without an exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Delaware | Full | Delaware offers reciprocity to anyone with an active license in any state, U.S. territory, or DC: skip the 99-hour course and national exam, pass the Delaware law portion of the exam, and document either the Delaware law module of the course, a 99+ hour pre-license course from another jurisdiction, or 3 years of continuous licensure with 20 completed transactions. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| District of Columbia | Recognition | DC licenses out-of-state agents by endorsement (with a parallel reciprocity pathway historically used by Virginia and Maryland licensees): show your home-state education met or exceeded DC's 60-hour requirement, complete a 3-hour DC Fair Housing course and 3-hour Property Management course, pass the DC portion of the exam with at least 75%, and submit a license certification issued within 90 days. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Florida | Partial | Florida has mutual recognition agreements with 10 states. Non-residents of Florida holding an active license earned by education and exam in one of those states skip the 63-hour course and national exam and instead pass a 40-question Florida real estate law exam (30 correct to pass). | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Georgia | Full | Georgia grants an equivalent license to licensees from any state who are in good standing and originally passed a state-administered exam -- no Georgia exam or pre-license course required, just an application with a certified license history issued within one year, fees, and a background report. Because Florida does not extend full reciprocity to Georgia licensees, Florida licensees must pass the Georgia Supplement exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Hawaii | Recognition | Hawaii is not reciprocal with any state, but currently licensed out-of-state agents can apply for equivalency to the uniform (national) exam section and to the pre-license education requirement; if granted, they take only the Hawaii state law section of the exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Idaho | Full | Idaho waives both the national portion of the exam and pre-license education for anyone holding a current active license in any other state or jurisdiction: submit a certified license history with an Exam Waiver Request form before scheduling, then pass only the Idaho state portion of the exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Illinois | Recognition | Effective January 1, 2026, Illinois replaced its state-specific reciprocal agreements with a licensure-by-endorsement process open to licensees from every state: hold an active broker or managing broker (or equivalent) license in good standing, complete a 30-hour Illinois endorsement course, and pass the Illinois state-portion exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Indiana | Recognition | Indiana has no reciprocity agreements; actively licensed out-of-state agents apply by endorsement, the Real Estate Commission reviews whether their home-state licensure is equivalent to Indiana's, and if approved they pass only the state portion of the Indiana exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Iowa | Partial | Iowa's reciprocity is limited to residents of 7 states who received their original license there -- they get an Iowa license with no additional exam (background check, license history, and E&O required). Licensees from all other states use Administrative Rule 5.3 and must pass the Iowa real estate exam, with education waivers based on their existing license. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Kansas | Recognition | Kansas has no formal reciprocity agreements, but licensees from any state may request a waiver of the general (national) portion of the exam and related pre-license education; approved applicants pass only the state portion of the Kansas exam and complete Kansas-specific course and application requirements. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Kentucky | Partial | Kentucky has reciprocity agreements with Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee plus a Memorandum of Understanding with Ohio, each with minimum active-licensure periods (typically 1 year for sales associates, 2-3 years for brokers). Qualifying applicants complete a 40-hour reciprocal license law course, submit fingerprints, and pass Kentucky's reciprocity exam through PSI. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Louisiana | Partial | Louisiana grants reciprocal licenses only to current legal residents of 9 partner states holding the same license type there (license-for-license). Reciprocal broker applicants also need 4 years of active licensure, including the 2 years immediately before applying; moving out of the partner state ends reciprocal status. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Maine | Recognition | Maine issues an equal-level license to anyone holding a current, active real estate license in another jurisdiction: pass the Maine law portion of the exam through Pearson VUE, submit a certificate of licensure showing good standing, and apply within one year of passing. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Maryland | Partial | Maryland's only formal reciprocal agreements are with Pennsylvania (exam and CE excused) and Oklahoma (must pass the state portion of the Maryland exam). Licensees from all other states submit a certificate of licensure from their original state for an individual review of education and experience transferability, then take the Maryland exam with any approved waivers. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Massachusetts | Partial | Massachusetts grants reciprocal licenses without an exam to brokers and salespersons who passed their licensing exam in 11 listed states, plus Oklahoma licensees with 2 years of licensure -- submit a certified letter of good standing, CORI form, photo, and (for brokers) a $5,000 surety bond. Licensees from other states may apply for an educational waiver to sit for the Massachusetts exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Michigan | None | Michigan has no reciprocity with any state: out-of-state licensees must meet Michigan's education, experience, and examination requirements like any new applicant, including Michigan pre-licensure education and the full licensing exam (broker applicants may be able to count equivalent out-of-state experience). | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Minnesota | Partial | Minnesota licenses nonresidents who reside in and hold an active license in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Oklahoma with no additional course or exam (a Minnesota primary broker must submit the application). Wisconsin licensees complete a 13-hour Wisconsin-to-Minnesota reciprocal course and pass the state portion of the exam; licensees from non-reciprocal states complete Minnesota's full pre-license coursework and pass the state portion. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Mississippi | Recognition | Mississippi issues non-resident/reciprocal licenses to agents licensed in other states, but the specific education and exam requirements depend on MREC's arrangement with your home state and are not published -- MREC requires you to contact the commission before applying. Expect to provide certifications from every state where you have ever been licensed, E&O insurance covering Mississippi, and a sponsoring Mississippi broker. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Missouri | Recognition | Missouri lets holders of a current, active license from any state skip its pre-examination course and the national exam: complete the 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice (MREP) course, pass the state portion of the Missouri exam, submit a license history certification issued within 3 months, and apply within 6 months of passing. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Montana | Recognition | Montana has no formal reciprocity agreements, but the Board of Realty Regulation offers an out-of-state licensee/waiver path: applicants holding an active license elsewhere generally skip pre-licensing education and the national exam, then pass the Montana state-portion exam and apply with certified license histories from every state where licensed. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Nebraska | Full | Nebraska issues an equivalent license through statutory License Recognition to anyone holding a real estate license in good standing in any U.S. jurisdiction — no Nebraska pre-licensing education or exam is required. Applicants complete a 3-hour Nebraska law course, a fingerprint background check, provide a certification of license history (under 30 days old), and carry errors & omissions insurance. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Nevada | Partial | Nevada offers a reciprocal salesperson license (only) to licensees from a long list of approved states: a salesperson-or-higher license qualifies from 16 states (AZ, CO, DE, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, MN, OK, SC, TX, UT, WA, WV), while a broker-level license is required from the remaining listed jurisdictions. Reciprocal applicants skip the national exam and Nevada-specific courses but must pass the Nevada state exam, submit a certified license history, and complete fingerprinting. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| New Hampshire | Full | Under HB 594 (effective August 2023), New Hampshire's OPLC issues licenses by endorsement to professionals with an active license in good standing from any jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar to New Hampshire's — pre-licensing education and the national exam are not repeated. Applicants provide a certificate of good standing and typically must pass only the New Hampshire-specific portion of the exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| New Jersey | None | New Jersey has no reciprocity: every out-of-state licensee must qualify under New Jersey's standard process and pass the full New Jersey salesperson exam. The only shortcut is an education waiver — available if you completed a state-sanctioned pre-licensing course of 75+ classroom hours and were actively licensed in that state within the past three years. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| New Mexico | Partial | New Mexico has written license recognition (reciprocity) agreements with Massachusetts, Louisiana, and Georgia — licensees from those states skip both pre-licensing courses and the entire broker's exam. Licensees from all other states may request a waiver of pre-licensing education but must still pass the New Mexico state portion of the exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| New York | None | New York ended all of its reciprocal licensing agreements after raising its education requirement to 77 hours, and the Department of State currently has reciprocity with no other state. Out-of-state licensees must complete New York's qualifying education (a written course waiver can be requested for comparable out-of-state coursework, but waivers are rarely granted) and pass the New York exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| North Carolina | Full | North Carolina replaced reciprocity in 2012 with 'license recognition': anyone holding an active license in any U.S. state, territory, or Canadian province skips pre-licensing education and the national exam portion. Applicants must pass the North Carolina state-specific exam section, meet character requirements, and pay the application fee. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| North Dakota | Partial | North Dakota has reciprocity agreements with Minnesota, Iowa, and Georgia: residents of those states holding a current license in good standing can obtain a North Dakota license with the licensing exam waived. Licensees from other states must complete North Dakota's standard requirements, including its examination. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Ohio | Full | Under Ohio's universal license recognition law (effective December 29, 2023), an applicant from any state holding a substantially similar active license — held at least one year and used actively in at least one of the past five years — can obtain an Ohio license without repeating pre-licensing education or the national exam. Requirements include an application fee, criminal background check, letters of good standing, and passing only the state portion of the Ohio exam; this replaced Ohio's old short list of reciprocity agreements. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Oklahoma | Partial | Oklahoma has nonresident reciprocal agreements with Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, and may grant those licensees a license-for-license if all rule requirements are met. Licensees from other jurisdictions can still obtain an Oklahoma nonresident license but must pass the Oklahoma state portion of the exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Oregon | Partial | Oregon has reciprocal licensing agreements only with Alabama, Georgia, Nebraska, South Dakota, and the Canadian province of Alberta. Everyone else must meet all of Oregon's standard licensing requirements — the agency states there are no waivers of education or license examinations for out-of-state licensees. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Pennsylvania | Partial | Pennsylvania has reciprocity agreements with Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, and West Virginia; licensees from those states can obtain a Pennsylvania license without additional education or testing, but must keep their principal place of business and an active license in the reciprocal state. Licensees from other states apply by the standard method, though comparable education and exams may be credited toward requirements. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Rhode Island | Partial | Rhode Island offers reciprocal licenses to residents of Connecticut and Massachusetts who hold an active license in those states — no pre-licensing course or exam (national or state) is required. Reciprocal applicants must complete a 3-hour lead poisoning/lead hazard mitigation course, submit background checks, and file the reciprocal application; licensees from other states go through the standard licensing process. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| South Carolina | Partial | South Carolina has reciprocal agreements only with Georgia and North Carolina, which waive education, experience, and/or exam requirements per each agreement. All other out-of-state applicants must meet South Carolina's standard education and experience requirements, though anyone with an active license (or one expired less than six months) is exempt from the national portion of the exam and takes the state portion. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| South Dakota | Full | South Dakota issues the equivalent license to non-residents licensed in other states without requiring its pre-licensing education or the national exam. Applicants register for and pass the South Dakota state exam, then submit the application with certificates of license history from every jurisdiction where licensed (dated within 30 days), proof of errors & omissions insurance, and fingerprint cards. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Tennessee | Recognition | Tennessee does not offer a reciprocal license, but out-of-state licensees can have their education, national exam results, and experience evaluated (via Worksheet A and a certified license history) to substitute for Tennessee's requirements. Applicants who passed the ARELLO-accredited national exam in their home state typically take only the Tennessee state-law portion; those from states with their own non-national exam must take both parts. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Texas | None | Texas has no reciprocity with any state: out-of-state licensees must apply through TREC, complete Texas qualifying education, and pass the Texas exam. The one break is that applicants with an active license in a state that participates in ARELLO's national exam accreditation can be exempted from the national portion of the exam by submitting a license history with their application. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Utah | Partial | Utah has reciprocity agreements with Georgia, Mississippi, and the Canadian province of Alberta; licensees in good standing from those jurisdictions apply with certified license histories, fingerprint cards, and the reciprocity application. Active licensees from non-reciprocal states may still qualify for a waiver of some education and/or the national exam through Utah's education waiver process. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Vermont | Recognition | Vermont licenses out-of-state professionals by endorsement: if your licensing state's requirements are deemed equivalent to Vermont's, you skip the 40-hour pre-licensing course and the national exam. Licenses from California, New York, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia are not considered equivalent, so those licensees must take the national exam; OPR requires license verifications from your initial and most recent states. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Virginia | Full | Virginia offers licensure by reciprocity to licensees from any U.S. jurisdiction: applicants with a license in good standing and substantially equivalent education skip Virginia's pre-licensing course and the national exam. Within 12 months of applying you must pass the Virginia state-law portion of the exam, submit certification of licensure from your home state, and complete fingerprinting. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Washington | Full | Washington grants a broker license by reciprocity to anyone actively licensed in good standing in any other state within the preceding six months — pre-licensing education and the national exam portion are waived. Applicants pass only the Washington state-law portion of the exam, submit fingerprints for a background check, and provide an official license history. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| West Virginia | Partial | West Virginia's only current mutual reciprocity agreement is with Florida (amended April 2025). Licensees from any other state must apply through the standard process with a certification of licensure from every state where licensed; they are exempt from the national portion of the exam but must pass the West Virginia state portion. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Wisconsin | Partial | Wisconsin has reciprocal agreements with Illinois and Indiana, whose active licensees are exempt from Wisconsin's pre-licensing education and may proceed to the exam directly. Licensees from other states who held a salesperson license within the past two years apply by endorsement, completing a shortened 13-hour Wisconsin pre-license program (instead of 72 hours) and passing the Wisconsin exam. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
| Wyoming | Recognition | Wyoming offers no direct reciprocity; the Real Estate Commission evaluates out-of-state licenses case by case based on whether your licensing requirements are substantially equivalent to Wyoming's. Active licensees are generally excused from repeating the full pre-licensing education and national exam but must complete the Wyoming Law course, pass the Wyoming state-specific exam portion in most cases, submit fingerprint cards, and provide official license histories. | View source (opens in a new tab) |
By category
Full
Full reciprocity states
Full reciprocity — an active license from essentially any state is accepted, usually just a state-law exam and paperwork stand between you and the license.
Partial
Partial / named-agreement states
Partial / named agreements — only licensees from specific partner states qualify for the reciprocity path. Everyone else takes the standard route.
Recognition
License recognition states
License recognition — no formal state-to-state agreements, but there's an endorsement or waiver pathway open to licensees from any jurisdiction.
None
No reciprocity states
No reciprocity — plan to start over with that state's full pre-licensing education and exam.
Heads up: reciprocity rules change frequently — a single legislative session can add a partner state, drop an agreement, or replace the whole framework with universal recognition. This page was last verified July 8, 2026. Before you file anything, confirm the details on your target state's official source (the links in the table above).