Real Estate License from Illinois to Georgia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Georgia accept an Illinois real estate license?
Yes — Georgia has a reciprocity arrangement covering Illinois license holders. Apply to the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the national exam portion and complete Georgia'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 Georgia's recognition list, which puts this move on the streamlined track: your education and national exam are credited, and the requirements below are what Georgia 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 Georgia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Georgia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Illinois to Georgia (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Georgia to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: Illinois and Georgia do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from Illinois matter?
Illinois gets Georgia's most common result: 49 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get the same one, so for most movers the origin does not change the answer.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (1).
- Reciprocity agreements
Georgia's reciprocity agreement list names 49 states, including Illinois.
Illinois's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- Application fee
Georgia lists $170 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Pre-license education
Georgia's first-time-applicant standard is 75 hours of pre-license education; Illinois's is 75.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Georgia and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Georgia (this move): Reciprocal applicants take NO Georgia examination (national and state portions both waived) if they obtained their out-of-state license by passing that state's exam and the license is active and in good standing. Exception: a licensed applicant who is a FLORIDA RESIDENT must pass the Georgia Law and Practice supplement (the state portion of the GA exam) through PSI before licensure.
- 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 → Georgia
| Illinois (current) | Georgia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-license education | 75 | 75 |
| 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.) | $170 ($170 GA license fee (covers the 4-year term); incomplete applications incur a $25 charge. Florida residents instead pay a $121 PSI supplemental-exam fee plus the $170 license fee.) |
| Processing time | IDFPR does not publish a stated processing time for endorsement applications | GREC does not publish a stated processing time for the reciprocal application |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Division of Real Estate | Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Georgia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Georgia's current requirements on the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold an active out-of-state license that was obtained by passing that state's examination and is currently in good standing (not lapsed or expired).
- Complete the Real Estate Reciprocal Application; Florida residents cannot use this application and must instead pass the PSI Georgia Law and Practice supplemental exam.
- Complete a 25-hour Salesperson Postlicense course within the first year of licensure (required of all salespersons, including reciprocal licensees).
- Affiliate with a Georgia licensed broker to activate the license.
- 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 Georgia?
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.
- GREC — Obtaining a License: Real Estate (Reciprocity / Non-resident Licensure) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- GREC — Real Estate Reciprocal Application (Rev 02.2025): $170 license fee, no exam except Florida residents, 25-hour postlicense ↗ (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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