Vermont licensing
How to Get a Vermont Real Estate License
Vermont eligibility and application rules - minimum age, pre-licensing education, sponsoring broker, background check, time limit, and more - each cited to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) - Real Estate Brokers & Salespersons 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 Vermont's application order, then sit the configured salesperson exam.
- 04Activate your license
Complete any sponsorship or initial-license step that Vermont requires.
| Requirement | Vermont |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Pre-licensing education | 40-hour course |
| Sponsoring broker | Required to activate a license |
| Background check | Disclosure, no fingerprinting |
| Time limit | Exams within two years of applying |
| Exam registration | Two separate exams, booked separately |
| Retake policy | Retake the failed part within six months |
| Application sequence | Online only, no paper applications |
| License activation | One registered firm, one registered office |
| New salesperson postlicense education | Within 90 days of the initial license |
| Reciprocity | Course and national exam may be waived, state exam never |
| Exam provider | PSI |
Requirements change. Confirm with the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) - Real Estate Brokers & Salespersons 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
A license as a real estate salesperson is granted only to a person who is at least 18 years of age, in addition to passing the exam and completing the required coursework.
Source: 26 V.S.A. Section 2292 - Eligibility, Section 2292. Eligibility — verified 2026-08-11
Pre-licensing education
A Vermont salesperson applicant must complete a course of instruction of at least 40 hours approved by the Real Estate Commission before the license can be granted.
Source: 26 V.S.A. Section 2292 - Eligibility, Section 2292. Eligibility — verified 2026-08-11
Sponsoring broker
A Vermont salesperson license is granted only to someone employed by or associated with a brokerage firm and that firm's principal broker, and the license cannot be activated to conduct transactions until that affiliation and a registered office are in place.
Source: 26 V.S.A. Section 2292 - Eligibility, Section 2292. Eligibility — verified 2026-08-11
Background check
Vermont runs no fingerprint-based criminal history check on salesperson applicants. Instead the applicant must not be precluded from licensure under 3 V.S.A. section 129a, and any conviction must be reported with a written explanation in the applicant's own words plus all court documents uploaded to the online application.
Source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation - Administrative Rules for the Real Estate Commission, Rule 2.4(e). How to Become Licensed as a Salesperson — verified 2026-08-17
Time limit
Both the national examination and the Vermont state examination must be passed within the two years immediately preceding the license application. Vermont measures the window backwards from the application date, so an old exam pass expires rather than the application deadline running out.
Source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation - Administrative Rules for the Real Estate Commission, Rule 2.4(c). How to Become Licensed as a Salesperson — verified 2026-08-17
Exam registration
The national portion is scheduled directly with PSI, the Commission's examination service. The Vermont state portion is not booked with a vendor at all: it is part of the license application, and the candidate receives a link to it inside the OPR online application after applying.
Source: Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation - Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons FAQs, Where do I find the state exam? — verified 2026-08-17
Retake policy
A candidate who fails one part of the examination may retake just that part within the next six months. After six months have passed, or after two failures, the candidate must sit the full examination again rather than the failed part alone.
Source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation - Administrative Rules for the Real Estate Commission, Rule 2.7. Examinations — verified 2026-08-17
Application sequence
OPR no longer accepts paper applications for a real estate license. Everything, including supporting documents such as course certificates and court records, is submitted through the Online Licensing platform, and processing takes three to five business days for each item filed.
Source: Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation - Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons FAQs, Where do I find the online application? — verified 2026-08-17
License activation
Every licensee must be associated with a single registered brokerage firm, and that firm must hold a Vermont office registration naming a principal broker. A salesperson cannot activate a license against an unregistered office or split an association across two firms.
Source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation - Administrative Rules for the Real Estate Commission, Rule 2.3(c). Types of Licenses and Registrations — verified 2026-08-17
New salesperson postlicense education
A salesperson renewing for the first time must show completion of the required post-licensure education within ninety days of obtaining the initial salesperson license. The deadline runs from the license issue date, not from the renewal date, so it is easy to miss.
Source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation - Administrative Rules for the Real Estate Commission, Rule 5.2(a). Continuing Education for Renewals — verified 2026-08-17
Reciprocity
The Commission may waive all or part of the national examination, and the 40-hour prelicensing course, for a salesperson licensed and in good standing in a jurisdiction whose requirements it judges substantially equal to Vermont's. Every applicant still takes the Vermont state examination, with no exceptions. A salesperson licensed at least twenty-four months elsewhere is also excused from the post-licensure education.
Source: Vermont Office of Professional Regulation - Administrative Rules for the Real Estate Commission, Rule 2.4. How to Become Licensed as a Salesperson, and Rule 5.2(a) — verified 2026-08-17
Exam provider
Vermont's real estate exam is administered by PSI.
Source: Vermont Secretary of State — Real Estate Commission, EXAMINATION SUMMARY TABLE / DESCRIPTION OF EXAMINATIONS — verified 2026-07-29
Once you are eligible
The Vermont salesperson exam is 100 questions in 150 minutes, administered by PSI. Practice it free: Vermont practice test · Vermont exam prep · Vermont 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.
Vermont licensing FAQ
How do you get a real estate license in Vermont?
Meet Vermont's eligibility rules, complete 40-hour course, apply to the regulator, and pass the salesperson exam. On sponsoring broker, Vermont's rule is: Required to activate a license. Each requirement is set out below with the provision it comes from.
What are the requirements for a Vermont real estate license?
Vermont requires you to be 18 or older and to complete 40-hour course before sitting the salesperson exam, which is 100 questions in 150 minutes. Every figure on this page names the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) - Real Estate Brokers & Salespersons page it came from and the date we checked it.
How much pre-licensing education does Vermont require?
A Vermont salesperson applicant must complete a course of instruction of at least 40 hours approved by the Real Estate Commission before the license can be granted.
Sponsoring broker — what does Vermont require?
A Vermont salesperson license is granted only to someone employed by or associated with a brokerage firm and that firm's principal broker, and the license cannot be activated to conduct transactions until that affiliation and a registered office are in place.
How do you become a real estate agent in Vermont?
Becoming an agent in Vermont is the license plus one more step: complete 40-hour course, pass the 100-question salesperson exam, and then satisfy Vermont's rule on sponsoring broker — Required to activate a license. 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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