North Dakota licensing
How to Get a North Dakota Real Estate License
North Dakota eligibility and application rules - minimum age, pre-licensing education, sponsoring broker, background check, application sequence, and more - each cited to the North Dakota Real Estate Commission (NDREC) 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 North Dakota's application order, then sit the configured salesperson exam.
- 04Activate your license
Complete any sponsorship or initial-license step that North Dakota requires.
| Requirement | North Dakota |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Pre-licensing education | 90 hours |
| Sponsoring broker | Required before an active license issues |
| Background check | Credit and criminal history checks |
| Application sequence | Apply online, then test, fingerprint, and wait for broker sign-off |
| Exam registration | Schedule directly with PSI, no test code from NDREC needed |
| Retake policy | Retakes are unlimited but each attempt is booked separately with PSI |
| License activation | A sponsoring broker must approve the file before an active license issues |
| Reciprocity | Reciprocal only with Georgia, Iowa, and Minnesota |
| Good moral character | No license revoked anywhere in the prior two years, plus a clean credit and criminal history |
| Time limit | Apply within two years of finishing the pre-licensure course |
| Broker experience | Two years of full-time work as a licensed salesperson before applying to be a broker |
| Education exemption | Nonresident applicants skip North Dakota's pre-licensure course entirely |
| Exam provider | PSI |
Requirements change. Confirm with the North Dakota Real Estate Commission (NDREC) 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
An applicant for a North Dakota real estate salesperson license must have reached at least 18 years of age at the time of application.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission - How To Apply, Salesperson - licensing standards — verified 2026-08-11
Pre-licensing education
Resident applicants must complete a 90-hour, NDREC-certified salesperson prelicensure education course and apply for licensure within two years of finishing it.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission - How To Apply, Salesperson - licensing standards — verified 2026-08-11
Sponsoring broker
To be issued an active salesperson license, an applicant must first associate with a licensed broker and firm and carry errors and omissions insurance.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission - How To Apply, Timeline and task list for the salesperson license application — verified 2026-08-11
Background check
NDREC runs a personal credit history check and a criminal history check through the state Attorney General's office before issuing a salesperson license.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission - How To Apply, Salesperson - licensing standards — verified 2026-08-11
Application sequence
Submit the online application, schedule and pass the PSI exam, mail fingerprint cards, then a designated broker must approve the file before NDREC issues the license.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, Steps to apply and receive a North Dakota real estate salesperson license — verified 2026-08-17
Exam registration
Salesperson applicants can test at any time and no longer need a test code from the commission; they schedule the state and national exams directly through PSI Services.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, Steps to apply and receive a North Dakota real estate salesperson license — verified 2026-08-17
Retake policy
Residents must pass both the state and national portions and nonresident nonreciprocal applicants must pass only the state portion; a new exam sitting is required each time a test is retaken.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, Costs to apply, test, and be issued a salesperson license — verified 2026-08-17
License activation
To be issued as active rather than inactive, the applicant must associate with a broker and firm, carry errors and omissions insurance, and have the broker approve the application before NDREC issues it.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, Steps to apply and receive a North Dakota real estate salesperson license — verified 2026-08-17
Reciprocity
North Dakota grants reciprocal salesperson licensure only to applicants who are currently licensed and in good standing at the salesperson level in Georgia, Iowa, or Minnesota, their state of primary residence.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, Salesperson – licensing standards — verified 2026-08-17
Good moral character
An applicant must not have had a real estate license revoked in North Dakota or any other state within the two years before applying, and credit and criminal history checks must come back acceptable to NDREC.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, Salesperson – licensing standards — verified 2026-08-17
Time limit
Resident applicants must apply for licensure within two years of completing their NDREC-certified 90-hour salesperson pre-licensure education course, or the completed coursework no longer qualifies.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, Salesperson – licensing standards — verified 2026-08-17
Broker experience
Stepping up to a North Dakota broker license requires at least two years actively engaged full-time as a licensed real estate salesperson, unless the commission accepts substantially equivalent experience instead.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, Broker – licensing standards — verified 2026-08-17
Education exemption
The 90-hour NDREC-certified pre-licensure course is required of resident applicants only; nonresident and reciprocal applicants are not required to complete it to be licensed as a North Dakota salesperson.
Source: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, Salesperson – licensing standards — verified 2026-08-17
Exam provider
North Dakota's real estate exam is administered by PSI.
Source: NDREC - How To Apply, NDREC has an agreement with PSI to provide the testing services, but PSI operates independently of NDREC. — verified 2026-08-11
Once you are eligible
The North Dakota salesperson exam is 140 questions in 240 minutes, administered by PSI. Practice it free: North Dakota practice test · North Dakota exam prep · North Dakota 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.
North Dakota licensing FAQ
How do you get a real estate license in North Dakota?
Meet North Dakota's eligibility rules, complete 90 hours, apply to the regulator, and pass the salesperson exam. On sponsoring broker, North Dakota's rule is: Required before an active license issues. Each requirement is set out below with the provision it comes from.
What are the requirements for a North Dakota real estate license?
North Dakota requires you to be 18 or older and to complete 90 hours before sitting the salesperson exam, which is 140 questions in 240 minutes. Every figure on this page names the North Dakota Real Estate Commission (NDREC) page it came from and the date we checked it.
How much pre-licensing education does North Dakota require?
Resident applicants must complete a 90-hour, NDREC-certified salesperson prelicensure education course and apply for licensure within two years of finishing it.
Sponsoring broker — what does North Dakota require?
To be issued an active salesperson license, an applicant must first associate with a licensed broker and firm and carry errors and omissions insurance.
How do you become a real estate agent in North Dakota?
Becoming an agent in North Dakota is the license plus one more step: complete 90 hours, pass the 140-question salesperson exam, and then satisfy North Dakota's rule on sponsoring broker — Required before an active license issues. 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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