New Hampshire licensing
How to Get a New Hampshire Real Estate License
New Hampshire eligibility and application rules - minimum age, pre-licensing education, sponsoring broker, good moral character, course content rule, and more - each cited to the New Hampshire Real Estate Commission and dated.
Published by Freehold · First published 2026-08-11 · Sources last verified 2026-08-17 · Review method
Your licensing route
From eligibility to an active license
Exact order can vary by state process. Each state-specific rule appears below with its source.
- 01Confirm eligibility
Check age and any residency, education, or background conditions.
- 02Complete approved education
Use the regulator's approved-provider list where one is published.
- 03Apply and take the exam
Follow New Hampshire's application order, then sit the configured salesperson exam.
- 04Activate your license
Complete any sponsorship or initial-license step that New Hampshire requires.
| Requirement | New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Pre-licensing education | 40 hours of approved study |
| Sponsoring broker | Must be licensed under a broker |
| Good moral character | Three character affidavits |
| Course content rule | Accredited, New Hampshire specific |
| Application sequence | Records check, study, exam, license |
| Background check | State police records check |
| Time limit | Licensed within six months |
| License activation | Inactive without a broker |
| Reciprocity | State portion only, if nationally examined |
| Broker experience | One year, plus six transactions |
| Exam provider | PSI |
Requirements change. Confirm with the New Hampshire Real Estate Commission before enrolling or paying anything.
More on what counts as real estate school, state by state.
Each requirement, and where it comes from
Minimum age
New Hampshire law requires a salesperson license applicant to have attained the age of 18 before the office may issue the license.
Source: N.H. RSA 331-A:10 - Qualifications for Licensure, 331-A:10 Qualifications for Licensure, I(a) — verified 2026-08-11
Pre-licensing education
Salesperson candidates must show proof of completing 40 hours of commission-approved pre-licensing study before the date of their examination, under RSA 331-A:10 and administrative rule Rea 301.03.
Source: N.H. RSA 331-A:10 - Qualifications for Licensure, 331-A:10 Qualifications for Licensure, I(b) — verified 2026-08-11
Sponsoring broker
New Hampshire law defines a salesperson as an individual who is licensed under a broker in order to participate in licensed real estate activity, so a salesperson may not practice independently.
Source: N.H. RSA 331-A:2 - Definitions, 331-A:2 Definitions, X. "Salesperson" — verified 2026-08-11
Good moral character
A salesperson applicant must show no record of unprofessional conduct and furnish whatever evidence the commission requires of a good reputation for honesty, trustworthiness and integrity. The individual application form carries affidavits from three character references, and no one related to the applicant by blood or marriage may serve as one.
Source: New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Real Estate Practice Act, 331-A:12, II - Application for Licensure (with 331-A:10, I(c) and I(d)) — verified 2026-08-17
Course content rule
The 40 hours must be taken from an individual, institution or organization the office has accredited to teach a preparatory program, and the subject matter must be directly related to real estate practice in New Hampshire and satisfy the requirements the commission sets by rule.
Source: New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Real Estate Practice Act, 331-A:20, I and II - Programs of Study; Preparatory Education; Continuing Education — verified 2026-08-17
Application sequence
The order is fixed by statute. The criminal history record authorization goes to the state police before the license application is submitted; the 40 hours of approved study must be finished before the date of the examination; and the license is issued after the examination is passed.
Source: New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Real Estate Practice Act, 331-A:10-a, I - Criminal Records Check (with 331-A:10, I(b)) — verified 2026-08-17
Background check
Every new salesperson applicant must submit a public criminal history record information authorization form to the New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of State Police before applying, and must also give the commission a criminal record report from any other jurisdiction where the applicant was convicted of a misdemeanor or felony. The commission then determines eligibility.
Source: New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Real Estate Practice Act, 331-A:10-a, I to III - Criminal Records Check — verified 2026-08-17
Time limit
Anyone who has passed the salesperson examination must become licensed within six months of the examination date. Failing to become licensed inside that six-month window means sitting the whole examination again.
Source: New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Real Estate Practice Act, 331-A:11 - Examinations — verified 2026-08-17
License activation
A licensee who becomes disaffiliated from the broker of record, voluntarily or involuntarily, goes to inactive status, and the license returns to active status once the licensee is affiliated with a broker of record again. A licensee may also request inactive status in writing to preserve the license while doing no brokerage work at all.
Source: New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Real Estate Practice Act, 331-A:12-b, I and III - Inactive Licensure Status — verified 2026-08-17
Reciprocity
An applicant holding an active out-of-state license in good standing earned by passing both the national and state examinations may apply for the equivalent New Hampshire license by passing only the New Hampshire portion. An applicant licensed elsewhere on a state examination alone must pass both the New Hampshire and national portions.
Source: New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Real Estate Practice Act, 331-A:11-a - Recognition for Licensure — verified 2026-08-17
Broker experience
Moving up from salesperson to broker needs 60 hours of approved study, one year of full-time employment by an active principal broker within the last five years or 2,000 part-time hours as a New Hampshire salesperson in that period, and evidence of at least six separate real estate transactions in which the applicant was actively involved and was compensated.
Source: New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, Real Estate Practice Act, 331-A:10, II(b), II(c) and II(g) - Qualifications for Licensure — verified 2026-08-17
Exam provider
New Hampshire's real estate exam is administered by PSI.
Source: NHOPLC - Real Estate Examination Information, Real Estate Examination Information — verified 2026-08-11
Once you are eligible
The New Hampshire salesperson exam is 120 questions in 240 minutes, administered by PSI. Practice it free: New Hampshire practice test · New Hampshire exam prep · New Hampshire broker exam · compare all 50 states
New to the whole process? How to become a real estate agent walks the five steps and what changes between states.
New Hampshire licensing FAQ
How do you get a real estate license in New Hampshire?
Meet New Hampshire's eligibility rules, complete 40 hours of approved study, apply to the regulator, and pass the salesperson exam. On sponsoring broker, New Hampshire's rule is: Must be licensed under a broker. Each requirement is set out below with the provision it comes from.
What are the requirements for a New Hampshire real estate license?
New Hampshire requires you to be 18 or older and to complete 40 hours of approved study before sitting the salesperson exam, which is 120 questions in 240 minutes. Every figure on this page names the New Hampshire Real Estate Commission page it came from and the date we checked it.
How much pre-licensing education does New Hampshire require?
Salesperson candidates must show proof of completing 40 hours of commission-approved pre-licensing study before the date of their examination, under RSA 331-A:10 and administrative rule Rea 301.03.
Sponsoring broker — what does New Hampshire require?
New Hampshire law defines a salesperson as an individual who is licensed under a broker in order to participate in licensed real estate activity, so a salesperson may not practice independently.
How do you become a real estate agent in New Hampshire?
Becoming an agent in New Hampshire is the license plus one more step: complete 40 hours of approved study, pass the 120-question salesperson exam, and then satisfy New Hampshire's rule on sponsoring broker — Must be licensed under a broker. A license you hold and a license you can practice under are not the same thing, and the difference is set out above with its source.
Nearby states
Licensing in more than one state? Each state's license requirements covers its own license law.
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