Real Estate License from Alabama to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Florida accept an Alabama real estate license?
Yes — Florida has a reciprocity arrangement covering Alabama license holders. Apply to the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) / DBPR under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the national exam portion and complete Florida's remaining requirements.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Alabama is on Florida's recognition list, which puts this move on the streamlined track: your education and national exam are credited, and the requirements below are what Florida still insists on — typically its own law exam and a background check. One caution: agreements are directional and revocable. This page's verification date tells you when we last confirmed Alabama on the list; the commission link is the live truth.
What's different between Alabama and Florida
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Florida. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Alabama to Florida (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Florida to Alabama (the reverse move): Full reciprocity.
The two directions differ: Alabama and Florida do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from Alabama matter?
Coming from Alabama matters here: only 10 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Florida.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (40).
- Reciprocity agreements
Florida's reciprocity agreement list names 10 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and West Virginia), including Alabama.
- Application fee
Florida lists $62.75 for an out-of-state applicant; Alabama has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Pre-license education
Florida's first-time-applicant standard is 63 hours of pre-license education; Alabama's is 60.
Florida's is 3 education hours higher than Alabama's.
- Exam rules on record
Florida and Alabama carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Florida (this move): Mutual-recognition applicants skip the national exam and the 63-hour pre-license course; a 40-question Florida real estate law exam (30 of 40 correct to pass) is required
- Alabama (the reverse move): Reciprocal applicants complete a 6-hour Alabama reciprocal salesperson prelicense course, then pass the Alabama reciprocal salesperson examination (state-specific; passing score 70) given by the Commission's testing agency; the national/general exam portion is not retaken.
What changes, Alabama → Florida
| Alabama (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-license education | 60 | 63 |
| Application fee | Reciprocal license fees mirror the original salesperson license fee: a License Fee plus a $25 criminal records search fee, a $30 research and education fee, and a $30 recovery fund fee (recovery fund fee set by Ala. Code 34-27-31). The License Fee is prorated within the two-year cycle (roughly $85 partial to $170 full per the Commission Candidate Handbook). The reciprocal exam fee is paid to the testing agency (Pearson VUE). Exact current total could NOT be confirmed on the official AREC fee page (arec.alabama.gov was unreachable from the research environment) | $62.75 (DBPR RE-1 state application fee; the PSI/testing-vendor exam fee and the electronic fingerprint fee are paid separately) |
| Processing time | AREC does not publish a fixed processing time; the complete application and fees are due within 90 days of the exam date | No board-stated timeframe; the license is issued after DBPR reviews the application and the applicant passes the 40-question Florida law exam |
| Licensing authority | Alabama Real Estate Commission (AREC) | Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) / DBPR |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) / DBPR website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) / DBPR (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Be at least 18 and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.
- Not be a Florida resident at the time of application.
- Have obtained the out-of-state license by meeting that state's own education and examination requirements (not by reciprocity).
- Hold a valid, current, active license in good standing in the mutual-recognition state.
- Submit a certification of license history and complete an electronic fingerprint background check.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep selling in Alabama after I'm licensed in Florida?
Yes — real estate licenses stack. Keep the Alabama license active (renewals and CE continue separately) and you hold both; many border-market agents do exactly this.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Florida FREC — Mutual Recognition States (10-state list; 40-question law exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Florida DBPR — RE-1 Sales Associate Application (application fee $62.75; mutual recognition section) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ala. Admin. Code r. 790-X-1-.18 - Reciprocal License Requirements (official Alabama Administrative Code text via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- AREC - Become a Licensed Real Estate Professional (salesperson 60-hour prelicense; retrieved via Internet Archive) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com