The purpose of the Real Estate Commission Licensing Guide is to provide transparency, inform applicants of expected timelines for receiving your license, and outline steps you can take to reduce mistakes and mitigate delays. To provide the greatest clarity on the licensing process from start to finish, we will break it down into three phases, providing estimated times for each stage of the process, and recommendations for how to reduce processing times.
Real Estate Salesperson License
A Real Estate Salesperson is a person employed by a licensed real estate broker to perform any of the following duties:
- to perform comparative market analyses
- to list for sale, to sell or offer for sale, to buy or offer to buy or to negotiate the purchase or sale or exchange of real estate
- to negotiate a loan on real estate
- to lease or rent or offer to lease, rent or place for rent any real estate
- to collect or offer or attempt to collect rent for the use of real estate for or in behalf of such real estate broker.
Salesperson Standard Method
Real Estate Salespersons may be granted licensure by the standard method once they have completed and passed both portions of the Salesperson Examination. Real Estate Salespersons who have held an active salesperson license in another state within the last five years do not need to complete the General/National portion of the examination in order to be eligible for licensure in PA. However, all applicants by the standard method must contact Pearson Vue prior to applying for licensure in order to register for, sit for, and pass the examination relevant to the license they seek. Please visit the Helpful Links section of this guide for the link to Pearson Vue website, where you must register. Before registering for the exam, make sure you meet the education requirements.
To qualify to sit for the examinations, applicants must complete 75 hours (5 credits) of basic real estate courses from an accredited college or an approved real estate education provider in this Commonwealth. Courses must have been completed within 5 years prior to the date of successful completion of the licensing examination. You may also qualify if you received a bachelor’s degree with a major in Real Estate from an accredited college, a juris doctor degree from an accredited law school, or completed 75 hours of pre-licensure coursework in another state or other jurisdiction that was approved to meet the requirements for licensure in that state or other jurisdiction. Please read section 35.272 of the Real Estate Commission regulations for all information about educational requirements.
If you are currently licensed in another state and wish to be licensed in Pennsylvania, you must first contact Pearson Vue to register to sit for the Pennsylvania State portion of the examination only. You must first meet the educational requirements outlined in section 35.272 of the Real Estate Commission regulations. Once you have passed the PA State portion of the exam, you are able to apply for licensure.
If you have never been licensed in any state or jurisdiction, you must complete the education requirements as outlined in section 35.272 of the Real Estate Commission regulations before registering for the exams. Please read the full section of the regulations for all information about educational requirements. Once you have passed both portions of the exam you may apply for licensure.
Prospective applicants must have an employing broker willing to certify that they will supervise and train the applicant once they are granted a license. You may not apply for a Real Estate Sales license until you have an employing broker who holds a valid PA Real Estate Broker license. Once issued, a physical copy of your license will be printed and mailed to your broker’s main office, even if you work from a branch office of the company. You may not come to the Commission’s office to pick up a copy of your license. It must be mailed to your employing broker.
The Real Estate Commission cannot pre-review application materials or qualifications. Please do not contact the Commission with questions about whether you qualify or whether you would be granted licensure under any particular circumstance. You must determine for yourself whether you can provide proof that you meet the education and examination requirements. Then, you must submit an application with all required documentation to receive a determination as to your qualifications and eligibility for licensure. Please see information below regarding preliminary determinations on criminal convictions.
You must provide a recent Criminal History Records Check (CHRC) from the state police or other state agency that is the official repository for criminal history record information for every state in which you have lived, worked, or completed professional training/studies for the past five (5) years. The report(s) must be dated within 180 days of the date the application is submitted. For applicants living, working, or completing training/studies in Pennsylvania, you must obtain the background check directly from the PA State Police. For other state police agency background checks, please find your state and perform the check through the FBI's website.
For individuals living, working, or completing training/studies in multiple states outside of Pennsylvania during the past five (5) years, in lieu of obtaining individual state background checks, you may elect to provide both a state CHRC from the state in which you currently reside, and your FBI Identity History Summary Check.
Applicants who have a criminal conviction are encouraged to review the information regarding Act 53 of 2020. You may wish to submit a preliminary determination request for review of your convictions prior to completing any requirements for license.
Salesperson Reciprocal Method
Real Estate Salespersons may be granted licensure by the Reciprocal method if they hold a current, active broker or salesperson's license issued by another state that:
- agrees to issue a license to a standard Pennsylvania licensee without further requirement, or
- has qualifications for licensure which are substantially comparable to those required by the Commission.
Reciprocal licensees must maintain their principal place of business in the state through which reciprocity was granted, and must maintain a current, active license in that state in order to maintain the reciprocal license in Pennsylvania.
Currently, the PA Commission has reciprocity agreements with the following states:
- Arkansas,
- Georgia,
- Louisiana,
- Maryland,
- Massachusetts
Prospective applicants must have an employing broker willing to certify that they will supervise and train the applicant once they are granted a license. You may not apply for a Real Estate Sales license until you have an employing broker who holds a valid PA Real Estate Broker license. Once issued, a physical copy of your license will be printed and mailed to your broker’s main office, even if you work from a branch office of the company. You may not come to the Commission’s office to pick up a copy of your license. It must be mailed to your employing broker.
The Real Estate Commission cannot pre-review application materials or qualifications. Please do not contact the Commission with questions about whether you qualify or whether you would be granted licensure under any particular circumstance. You must determine for yourself whether you can provide proof that you meet the education and examination requirements. Then, you must submit an application with all required documentation to receive a determination as to your qualifications and eligibility for licensure. Please see information below regarding preliminary determinations on criminal convictions.
You must provide a recent Criminal History Records Check (CHRC) from the state police or other state agency that is the official repository for criminal history record information for every state in which you have lived, worked, or completed professional training/studies for the past five (5) years. The report(s) must be dated within 180 days of the date the application is submitted. For applicants living, working, or completing training/studies in Pennsylvania, you must obtain the background check directly from the PA State Police. For other state police agency background checks, please find your state and perform the check through the FBI's website.
For individuals living, working, or completing training/studies in multiple states outside of Pennsylvania during the past five (5) years, in lieu of obtaining individual state background checks, you may elect to provide both a state CHRC from the state in which you currently reside, and your FBI Identity History Summary Check.
Applicants who have a criminal conviction are encouraged to review the information regarding Act 53 of 2020. You may wish to submit a preliminary determination request for review of your convictions prior to completing any requirements for license.
Real Estate Broker
A Real Estate Broker is an individual or entity holding either a standard or reciprocal license, that, for another and for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration, does one or more of the following:
- Negotiates with or aids a person in locating or obtaining for purchase, lease or acquisition of interest in real estate.
- Negotiates the listing, sale, purchase, exchange, lease, time share and similarly designated interests, financing or option for real estate.
- Manages real estate.
- Represents himself or itself as a real estate consultant, counsellor or house finder.
- Undertakes to promote the sale, exchange, purchase or rental of real estate. This subparagraph does not apply to an individual or entity whose main business is that of advertising, promotion or public relations.
- Undertakes to perform a comparative market analysis.
- Attempts to perform one of the actions listed in subparagraphs (i)—(vi).
Broker Standard Method
Real Estate Brokers may be granted licensure by the Standard method once they have completed and passed both portions of the Broker Examination. Real Estate Brokers who have held an active broker license in another state within the last five years do not need to complete the General/National portion of the examination in order to be eligible for licensure in PA. However, all applicants by the Standard method must be approved by the Real Estate Commission prior to registering to sit for the Broker exams.
To qualify to sit for the examinations, applicants must complete 240 hours (16 credits) of instruction in professional real estate education, as determined by the Commission under section 35.271(b), from an accredited college or an approved real estate education provider in this Commonwealth. Courses must be completed within 10 years of the passing date of both portions of the examination. You may also qualify if you received a bachelor’s degree with a major in Real Estate from an accredited college, a juris doctor degree from an accredited law school, or completed 240 hours of broker pre-licensure coursework in another jurisdiction that was approved to meet the requirements for licensure in that jurisdiction. Two credits will also be allowed for each year of active practice the applicant has had as a licensed broker in another state during the 10 years immediately preceding the submission of the exam application.
An applicant must also document at least 3 years of experience as a licensed salesperson, with experience qualifications that the Commission considers adequate for practice as a broker, or possess at least 3 years of other experience, education, or both, that the Commission considers the equivalent of 3 years’ experience as a licensed salesperson. Please read section 35.271 of the Real Estate Commission regulations to obtain all information about education and experience requirements.
To obtain approval to sit for the exam, you must register an account or log on to your registered account at www.pals.pa.gov and submit an application for the type of broker license that you wish to hold once you have passed the exams. There are four main types of broker licenses:
Associate Broker – An individual broker who is employed by another broker
Broker Multi-Licensee – broker of record - The individual broker responsible for the real estate transactions of a partnership, association or corporation that holds a broker’s license
Broker Corporation, LLC, or Partnership – A broker entity that has been registered as a corporation, LLC, or partnership with the PA Corporations Bureau
Broker Sole Proprietor – An individual broker who is not registered as a corporation, LLC, or partnership and is not employed by another broker
If you have never been licensed as a broker before in the Commonwealth, you will complete the application and pay the fees for both the license and the broker examination qualification. You will then provide documentation to show that you have met the education and experience requirements; you will not be asked to provide the remaining documentation listed in the application until after you pass the exams. Once your qualification has been determined, you will be notified that you are approved to sit for the broker examinations. You can then go to Pearson Vue website to register for the exam. Once you have passed, you will go back to the license application to upload the passing score sheets and the remaining documentation required for a license.
The Real Estate Commission cannot pre-review application materials or qualifications. Please do not contact the Commission with questions about whether you qualify or whether you would be granted licensure under any particular circumstance. You must determine for yourself whether you can provide proof that you meet the education and examination requirements. Then, you must submit an application with all required documentation to receive a determination as to your qualifications and eligibility for licensure. Please see information below regarding preliminary determinations on criminal convictions.
You must provide a recent Criminal History Records Check (CHRC) from the state police or other state agency that is the official repository for criminal history record information for every state in which you have lived, worked, or completed professional training/studies for the past five (5) years. The report(s) must be dated within 180 days of the date the application is submitted. For applicants living, working, or completing training/studies in Pennsylvania, you must obtain the background check directly from the PA State Police. For other state police agency background checks, please find your state and perform the check through the FBI's website.
For individuals living, working, or completing training/studies in multiple states outside of Pennsylvania during the past five (5) years, in lieu of obtaining individual state background checks, you may elect to provide both a state CHRC from the state in which you currently reside, and your FBI Identity History Summary Check.
Applicants who have a criminal conviction are encouraged to review the information regarding Act 53 of 2020. You may wish to submit a preliminary determination request for review of your convictions prior to completing any requirements for license.
The Real Estate Broker license application process begins when you register and log in at www.pals.pa.gov. Once you are logged in, you must scroll to the bottom of your dashboard and click on "Apply for New License", then select "Real Estate Commission", then select the type of broker license you wish to hold, as detailed above. If you have never been licensed as a broker before in the Commonwealth, you will complete the application and pay the fees for both the license and the broker examination qualification. You will then provide documentation to show that you have met the education and experience requirements; you will not be asked to provide the remaining documentation listed in the application until after you pass the exams. Once your qualification has been determined, you will be notified that you are approved to sit for the broker examinations. You can then go to Pearson Vue website to register for the exam. Once you have passed, you will go back to the license application to upload the passing score sheets and the remaining documentation required for a license.
If you wish to license a corporation, LLC, or partnership as a broker, you must first apply for the broker multi-licensee license and (if you have never held a broker license before) complete the steps to qualify for the exam. Once you have passed the exam you can resume your broker multi-licensee application and begin the broker corporation application for the company using the application number from the broker multi-licensee application.
To upload additional documents to your application, you must return to your dashboard, then locate the application in the "Activities" section. Click on the blue plus sign next to the application reference number and then click the checklist item that you wish to upload a document to. The system will not show that a document has been uploaded, however, if you get a "check mark" after the upload process, it was uploaded successfully. Please be aware that the status of checklist items will not change until your application is reviewed by a reviewing officer under the timeframe provided. If there are documents missing or information that needs to be corrected, you will receive an e-mail at your registered e-mail address with details on how to resolve the missing or incorrect information.
Broker Corporations, LLCs, or Partnerships and Broker Sole Proprietors must be inspected prior to the issuance of a license. Once your application is complete, it will be referred to an inspector, who will contact you directly to schedule an inspection of the office.
Once your license has been issued, you will see it immediately under the Professional License Details banner of your dashboard. You will receive the license at the broker's main office in 7-10 business days after date of issue.
Helpful links:
To register for the exams: https://home.pearsonvue.com or call 855-746-8175
To review the Real Estate Commission Law and Regulations: www.dos.pa.gov/estate, click on "Commission Law and Regulations"
To locate an approved Real Estate Education Provider: www.pals.pa.gov/verify, click on "Facility Search" and then select the Board/Commission as "Real Estate Commission" and license type as "Real Estate Education Provider". There are three subtypes in the drop-down menu, the RE type is for in-state schools, the RU type is for out-of-state schools, and the RUC type is for accredited colleges/universities. You must contact each school individually to determine if they offer courses that would suit your needs.
Broker Reciprocal Method
Real Estate Brokers may be granted licensure by the Reciprocal method if they hold a current, active broker's license issued by another state that agrees to issue a license to a standard Pennsylvania licensee without further requirement or has qualifications for licensure which are substantially comparable to those required by the Commission. Reciprocal licensees must maintain their principal place of business in the state through which reciprocity was granted, and must maintain a current, active license in that state in order to maintain the reciprocal license in Pennsylvania. Currently, the PA Commission has reciprocity agreements with the following states: Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and Massachusetts.
Prospective applicants must have an employing broker willing to certify that they will supervise and train the applicant once they are granted a license. You may not apply for a Real Estate Sales license until you have an employing broker who holds a valid PA Real Estate Broker license. Once issued, a physical copy of your license will be printed and mailed to your broker’s main office, even if you work from a branch office of the company. You may not come to the Commission’s office to pick up a copy of your license. It must be mailed to your employing broker.
The Real Estate Commission cannot pre-review application materials or qualifications. Please do not contact the Commission with questions about whether you qualify or whether you would be granted licensure under any particular circumstance. You must determine for yourself whether you can provide proof that you meet the education and examination requirements. Then, you must submit an application with all required documentation to receive a determination as to your qualifications and eligibility for licensure. Please see information below regarding preliminary determinations on criminal convictions.
You must provide a recent Criminal History Records Check (CHRC) from the state police or other state agency that is the official repository for criminal history record information for every state in which you have lived, worked, or completed professional training/studies for the past five (5) years. The report(s) must be dated within 180 days of the date the application is submitted. For applicants living, working, or completing training/studies in Pennsylvania, you must obtain the background check directly from the PA State Police. For other state police agency background checks, please find your state and perform the check through the FBI's website.
For individuals living, working, or completing training/studies in multiple states outside of Pennsylvania during the past five (5) years, in lieu of obtaining individual state background checks, you may elect to provide both a state CHRC from the state in which you currently reside, and your FBI Identity History Summary Check.
Applicants who have a criminal conviction are encouraged to review the information regarding Act 53 of 2020. You may wish to submit a preliminary determination request for review of your convictions prior to completing any requirements for license.
The Real Estate Broker license application process begins when you register and log in at www.pals.pa.gov. Once you are logged in, you must scroll to the bottom of your dashboard and click on "Apply for New License", then select "Real Estate Commission", then select the type of broker license you wish to hold. There are four main types of broker licenses:
- Associate Broker – An individual broker who is employed by another broker
- Broker Multi-Licensee – broker of record - The individual broker responsible for the real estate transactions of a partnership, association or corporation that holds a broker's license
- Broker Corporation, LLC, or Partnership – A broker entity that has been registered as a corporation, LLC, or partnership with the PA Corporations Bureau
- Broker Sole Proprietor – An individual broker who is not registered as a corporation, LLC, or partnership and is not employed by another broker
If you wish to license a corporation, LLC, or partnership as a broker, you must first apply for the broker multi-licensee license. Once you have submitted that application, you can begin the broker corporation application for the company using the application number from the broker multi-licensee application.
To upload additional documents to your application, you must return to your dashboard, then locate the application in the "Activities" section. Click on the blue plus sign next to the application reference number and then click the checklist item that you wish to upload a document to. The system will not show that a document has been uploaded, however, if you get a "check mark" after the upload process, it was uploaded successfully. Please be aware that the status of checklist items will not change until your application is reviewed by a reviewing officer under the timeframe provided. If there are documents missing or information that needs to be corrected, you will receive an e-mail at your registered e-mail address with details on how to resolve the missing or incorrect information.
Once your license has been issued, you will see it immediately under the Professional License Details banner of your dashboard. You will receive the license at your broker's main office in 7-10 business days after date of issue.
Helpful links:
Review the Real Estate Commission Law and Regulations.
How to Apply for a Professional License in PA
Professional licensing protects the health and safety of the public from fraudulent and unethical practitioners. Fraudulent and unethical practitioners. We want the process of applying for a professional license in Pennsylvania to go as smoothly as possible..
What Happens After You Submit Your Application
Our goal is to make the professional licensing process as easy as possible while maintaining our standards to protect the public's health and safety.
Sign in or create account at www.pals.pa.gov
Once you are logged in, scroll to the bottom of your dashboard and click on "Apply for New License," then select "Real Estate Commission" and "Real Estate Salesperson – Reciprocal" OR “Real Estate Salesperson – Standard.”
Answer the survey questions and click on "Next" to open the application.
Complete the application, upload the required documents, and click on "Send to Broker." You do not need to click "Save" prior to clicking "Send to Broker", but if you wish to save the application and continue it at a later time, you must click "Save" before exiting out of the application.
Once you click "Send to Broker," your prospective employing broker will be notified to log onto the PALS account associated with the broker office license. Your application will be in the "My Queue" section of their dashboard, at the bottom. The broker of record will review and approve your application, certifying that they are willing to hire, train, and supervise you as required by the Law and Regulations.
Once the employing broker has approved your application, log back in to your PALS account, scroll to the bottom and locate your “My Queue” section.
- Click on “Review” to re-open the application and complete the legal questions.
- Click on “Submit” and then review the application before clicking on “Add to Cart.”
- You will now pay for the application and submit it to the Commission. At this point, the processing time as referenced in this Guide will begin.
To upload additional documents to your application, you must return to your dashboard, then locate the application in the “Activities” section.
- Click on the blue “plus” sign next to the application reference number and then click the checklist item that you wish to upload a document to. The system will not show that a document has been uploaded, however, if you get a “check mark” after the upload process, it was uploaded successfully.
Please be aware that the status of checklist items will not change until your application is reviewed by a reviewing officer under the timeframe provided. If there are documents missing or information that needs to be corrected, you will receive an e-mail at your registered e-mail address with details on how to resolve the missing or incorrect information.
Once your license has been issued, you will see it immediately under the Professional License Details banner of your dashboard. You will receive the license at your broker’s main office in 7-10 business days after date of issue.