Real Estate License from Illinois to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Florida accept an Illinois real estate license?
Yes — Florida has a reciprocity arrangement covering Illinois 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
Illinois 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 Illinois on the list; the commission link is the live truth.
What's different between Illinois 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
Illinois to Florida (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Florida to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: Illinois and Florida do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Coming from Illinois 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 Illinois.
Illinois's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- Application fee
Florida lists $62.75 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Pre-license education
Florida's first-time-applicant standard is 63 hours of pre-license education; Illinois's is 75.
Florida's is 12 education hours lower than Illinois's.
- Exam rules on record
Florida and Illinois 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
- 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 → Florida
| Illinois (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-license education | 75 | 63 |
| 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.) | $62.75 (DBPR RE-1 state application fee; the PSI/testing-vendor exam fee and the electronic fingerprint fee are paid separately) |
| Processing time | IDFPR does not publish a stated processing time for endorsement applications | 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 | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Division of Real Estate | 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 Illinois after I'm licensed in Florida?
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.
- 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)
- 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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