Real Estate License from Illinois to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Connecticut accept an Illinois real estate license?
Yes — Connecticut has a reciprocity arrangement covering Illinois license holders. Apply to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — Real Estate Commission under its reciprocity/endorsement track and complete Connecticut's remaining requirements.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Illinois is on Connecticut's recognition list, which puts this move on the streamlined track: your education and national exam are credited, and the requirements below are what Connecticut 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 Illinois on the list; the commission link is the live truth.
What's different between Illinois and Connecticut
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Connecticut. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Connecticut (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Connecticut to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: Illinois and Connecticut do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Coming from Illinois matters here: only 12 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Connecticut.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (38).
- Reciprocity agreements
Connecticut's reciprocity agreement list names 12 states (Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island), including Illinois.
Illinois's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- Application fee
Connecticut lists $670 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Pre-license education
Connecticut's first-time-applicant standard is 60 hours of pre-license education; Illinois's is 75.
Connecticut's is 15 education hours lower than Illinois's.
- Exam rules on record
Connecticut and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Connecticut (this move): Reciprocal-state applicants licensed by examination skip the Connecticut exam, EXCEPT applicants from Florida, Illinois, Indiana or Ohio, who must pass the state portion of the Connecticut Real Estate Examination (PSI); non-reciprocal-state licensees may also license by passing the CT state portion
- Illinois (the reverse move): Effective January 1, 2026 an Endorsement Process replaced Illinois's former reciprocal agreements with specific states. An out-of-state broker/managing broker holding an active equivalent license completes a 30-hour Illinois Broker Pre-License Endorsement Course and must pass the Illinois Real Estate Endorsement Examination on Illinois brokerage law; the national/uniform exam portion is not retaken.
What changes, Illinois → Connecticut
| Illinois (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-license education | 75 | 60 |
| Application fee | $150 ($150 non-refundable endorsement application fee for the Broker profession ($175 for Managing Broker); separate from PSI endorsement-exam fees and 30-hour course tuition.) | $670 (Reciprocal salesperson total: $80 application fee + $570 initial license fee + $20 guaranty fund fee) |
| Processing time | IDFPR does not publish a stated processing time for endorsement applications | No board-stated timeframe; applicant is invited to register and schedule any required exam only after DCP reviews and approves the application |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Division of Real Estate | Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — Real Estate Commission |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — Real Estate Commission website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — Real Estate Commission (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active salesperson license in good standing, originally obtained by examination, in a reciprocal state.
- Provide a certification of license history from the reciprocal state and from every other state where you hold or ever held a license.
- Have a Connecticut-licensed supervising broker (salesperson applicants).
- 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 Illinois after I'm licensed in Connecticut?
Yes — real estate licenses stack. Keep the Illinois 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.
- Connecticut DCP — Real Estate Reciprocal Applications and Instructions (fees, exam rule) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Connecticut DCP — License Reciprocity for Real Estate (list of reciprocal states) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Connecticut DCP — Real Estate Salesperson Initial/Exam Application (60-hour pre-license course) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Real Estate Brokerage page ('Endorsement Process becomes effective January 1, 2026 ... replaces a Reciprocal Process previously in place with specific states') ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Real Estate Application for Licensure by Endorsement (Broker $150 / Managing Broker $175; 30-hour endorsement course; endorsement exam on Illinois law) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — 30-Hour Real Estate Broker Pre-License Endorsement Course Curriculum (12-10-2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Broker 75-Hour Pre-License Curriculum (60 hours topics + 15 hours applied) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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