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

What's different between Iowa and Illinois

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

Route, each way

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

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

The route is the same in both directions.

Does coming from Iowa matter?

Coming from Iowa does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Illinois.

Reciprocity agreements

Illinois's row names no reciprocity agreement states.

Iowa's reciprocity agreement list names 7 states (Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, and North Dakota), not including Illinois.

Application fee

Illinois lists $150 for an out-of-state applicant and Iowa lists $125 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.

Pre-license education

Illinois's first-time-applicant standard is 75 hours of pre-license education; Iowa's is 60.

Illinois's is 15 education hours higher than Iowa's.

Exam rules on record

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

• Illinois (this 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.
• Iowa (the reverse move): Reciprocity applicants (residents of a reciprocal state who obtained their original license there) take NO Iowa examination and complete no additional education. Applicants from non-reciprocal states qualify under Rule 193E-5.3 and pass the IOWA STATE PORTION ONLY of the salesperson exam with no added pre-license education; EXCEPTION: applicants originally licensed by examination in California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, or Wisconsin must pass BOTH the national and state portions (still no added education).

What changes, Iowa → Illinois

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

Step by step

1. Confirm Illinois's current requirements on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Division of Real Estate website (linked below) — rules change.
2. Submit the endorsement application to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — Division of Real Estate (application linked below).
3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
4. Hold an active license in good standing as a broker, managing broker, or its equivalent in another state or jurisdiction (managing-broker endorsement additionally requires 2 years of active managing-broker practice in the immediately preceding period).
5. Complete the 30-hour Broker Pre-License Endorsement Course and provide a Uniform Real Estate Transcript from an IDFPR-approved provider.
6. Pass the Real Estate Endorsement Examination on Illinois real estate brokerage laws.
7. Submit a Certification by Licensing Agency/Board (or Certification of License History) from each state in which licensed.
8. Provide a Sponsor Card from an Illinois actively licensed brokerage for an active license (otherwise the license issues inactive).
9. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

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