Rhode Island licensing
How to Get a Rhode Island Real Estate License
Rhode Island eligibility and application rules - minimum age, pre-licensing education, sponsoring broker, good moral character, course content rule, and more - each cited to the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Real Estate Section 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 Rhode Island's application order, then sit the configured salesperson exam.
- 04Activate your license
Complete any sponsorship or initial-license step that Rhode Island requires.
| Requirement | Rhode Island |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Pre-licensing education | 45 classroom hours |
| Sponsoring broker | Required to practice |
| Good moral character | Sworn statement from your broker |
| Course content rule | Classroom delivery only |
| Education exemption | Rhode Island attorneys |
| Retake policy | One year to retake a failed section |
| Time limit | One year from the exam |
| License activation | Held and displayed at the broker's office |
| Reciprocity | Uniform portion may be waived |
| First renewal | Errors and omissions insurance |
| Exam provider | Pearson VUE |
Requirements change. Confirm with the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Real Estate Section 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
Rhode Island requires a real estate salesperson applicant to be a citizen or legal resident of the United States and at least eighteen years of age, a lower floor than the state sets for broker applicants.
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws Section 5-20.5-3, Section 5-20.5-3. Contents of application -- Application fee -- Recommendations required — verified 2026-08-11
Pre-licensing education
Applicants for a real estate salesperson's license must submit satisfactory evidence of completing a minimum of forty-five classroom hours, and those hours may not be more than two years old at the time of application.
Source: Regulation 230-RICR-30-20-2 - Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, 2.7 Pre-Licensing Education Requirements — verified 2026-08-11
Sponsoring broker
A licensed Rhode Island salesperson must be affiliated with a licensed principal broker to engage in any real estate activity requiring licensure, and may not operate, supervise, or manage a brokerage independently.
Source: Regulation 230-RICR-30-20-2 - Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, 2.5 Salespersons — verified 2026-08-11
Good moral character
A salesperson applicant must file a statement under oath from the broker whose employ the applicant wishes to enter, saying the applicant is competent and trustworthy and is recommended as a suitable person for a salesperson's license.
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws Section 5-20.5-3, Section 5-20.5-3(c). Contents of application -- Application fee -- Recommendations required — verified 2026-08-17
Course content rule
All 45 pre-licensing hours must be taken in a classroom, either in person or in a live interactive virtual classroom. The school must verify each student's identity before the course starts, take attendance at every session, and keep those attendance records for three years.
Source: Regulation 230-RICR-30-20-2 - Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, 2.7(D) Pre-Licensing Education Requirements — verified 2026-08-17
Education exemption
An attorney-at-law licensed by the Rhode Island supreme court is granted a salesperson or broker license on application and payment of the license fee, without sitting the examination at all.
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws Section 5-20.5-4, Section 5-20.5-4(d). Examination of applicants -- Examination fee -- Licensing without examination — verified 2026-08-17
Retake policy
There is a one-year time limit for reexamination. An applicant who fails a section of the salesperson examination may retake just that section inside the year; once the year runs out the whole examination must be taken again.
Source: Regulation 230-RICR-30-20-2 - Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, 2.6(B) Examinations — verified 2026-08-17
Time limit
A successful applicant who does not remit the original license fee within one year of the examination date may be required by the director to sit and pass the written examination again.
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws Section 5-20.5-4, Section 5-20.5-4(c). Examination of applicants -- Examination fee -- Licensing without examination — verified 2026-08-17
License activation
The original license of each salesperson employed by or contracted with a broker must be prominently displayed at that broker's fixed Rhode Island office, and the salesperson must tell the director of any change of employment or broker affiliation immediately upon or before the change.
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws Section 5-20.5-7, Section 5-20.5-7. Fixed office required -- Display of license -- Notice of change of address and employment — verified 2026-08-17
Reciprocity
An applicant holding a valid license from a state that grants Rhode Island licensees the same waiver does not have to take the uniform portion of the Rhode Island examination. A nonresident salesperson must still meet every other requirement and be regularly employed by a broker licensed in Rhode Island.
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws Section 5-20.5-4, Section 5-20.5-4(a), with Section 5-20.5-10(c) Nonresident salespersons — verified 2026-08-17
First renewal
Every salesperson must carry errors and omissions insurance covering all business activities as a condition of retaining the license, obtain it independently to the department's minimum limits, and file a certificate of coverage by each annual renewal date.
Source: R.I. Gen. Laws Section 5-20.5-25, Section 5-20.5-25. Errors and omissions insurance required of real estate licensees — verified 2026-08-17
Exam provider
Rhode Island's real estate exam is administered by Pearson VUE.
Source: Pearson VUE — Rhode Island Real Estate Candidate Handbook, Available Exams and Time Allotted — verified 2026-07-27
Once you are eligible
The Rhode Island salesperson exam is 130 questions in 240 minutes, administered by Pearson VUE. Practice it free: Rhode Island practice test · Rhode Island exam prep · Rhode Island 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.
Rhode Island licensing FAQ
How do you get a real estate license in Rhode Island?
Meet Rhode Island's eligibility rules, complete 45 classroom hours, apply to the regulator, and pass the salesperson exam. On sponsoring broker, Rhode Island's rule is: Required to practice. Each requirement is set out below with the provision it comes from.
What are the requirements for a Rhode Island real estate license?
Rhode Island requires you to be 18 or older and to complete 45 classroom hours before sitting the salesperson exam, which is 130 questions in 240 minutes. Every figure on this page names the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Real Estate Section page it came from and the date we checked it.
How much pre-licensing education does Rhode Island require?
Applicants for a real estate salesperson's license must submit satisfactory evidence of completing a minimum of forty-five classroom hours, and those hours may not be more than two years old at the time of application.
Sponsoring broker — what does Rhode Island require?
A licensed Rhode Island salesperson must be affiliated with a licensed principal broker to engage in any real estate activity requiring licensure, and may not operate, supervise, or manage a brokerage independently.
How do you become a real estate agent in Rhode Island?
Becoming an agent in Rhode Island is the license plus one more step: complete 45 classroom hours, pass the 130-question salesperson exam, and then satisfy Rhode Island's rule on sponsoring broker — Required to practice. 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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