Real Estate License from Illinois to Massachusetts: Does It Transfer? (2026)

What's different between Illinois and Massachusetts

Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Massachusetts. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.

Route, each way

Illinois to Massachusetts (this page): Licensure by endorsement.

Massachusetts to Illinois (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.

The route is the same in both directions.

Does coming from Illinois matter?

Illinois gets Massachusetts's most common result: 38 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: reciprocity agreement (12).

Reciprocity agreements

Massachusetts's reciprocity agreement list names 12 states (Connecticut, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Nebraska, Iowa, Tennessee, Mississippi, Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Oklahoma), not including Illinois.

Illinois's row names no reciprocity agreement states.

Application fee

Massachusetts lists $134–$181 for an out-of-state applicant and Illinois lists $150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.

Pre-license education

Massachusetts's first-time-applicant standard is 40 hours of pre-license education; Illinois's is 75.

Massachusetts's is 35 education hours lower than Illinois's.

Exam rules on record

Massachusetts and Illinois carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.

• Massachusetts (this move): Salespersons who passed their licensing examination in a reciprocal state are licensed in Massachusetts WITHOUT taking the Massachusetts exam or the 40-hour course (reciprocity is granted on the strength of the home-state exam and an active good-standing license). Applicants who passed an examination in a NON-reciprocal state may apply to sit for the Massachusetts exam with an educational waiver (submitting a certified letter of Good Standing) - i.e., the 40-hour education can be waived but the Massachusetts exam must be passed.
• 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 → Massachusetts

The destination column is what you must satisfy — Massachusetts sets the rules for this move.

Step by step

1. Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons (Division of Occupational Licensure) website (linked below) — rules change.
2. Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons (Division of Occupational Licensure) (application linked below).
3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
4. Hold an active, good-standing salesperson license obtained by examination in a reciprocal state (Oklahoma licensees must have been licensed for 2 years).
5. Submit a certified letter of Good Standing from the reciprocating state showing issue date, expiration date, how the license was issued, any discipline, and current status.
6. Submit a notarized Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) form signed by the applicant.
7. Provide a recent passport-style color photograph.
8. Apply online through the DOL eLIPSE portal.
9. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

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