Virginia licensing
How to Get a Virginia Real Estate License
Virginia eligibility and application rules - minimum age, pre-licensing education, post-license education, background check, high school diploma, and more - each cited to the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) 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 Virginia's application order, then sit the configured salesperson exam.
- 04Activate your license
Complete any sponsorship or initial-license step that Virginia requires.
| Requirement | Virginia |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Pre-licensing education | 60 hours |
| Post-license education | 30 hours within one year |
| Background check | Fingerprinting |
| High school diploma | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Course content rule | 60-hour Principles of Real Estate course, 25 required topics |
| Application sequence | Complete course, pass exam, then submit application |
| Time limit | Exam must be passed within 12 months of applying |
| Exam registration | Schedule directly with the Board's exam vendor, PSI |
| Good moral character | Criminal and disciplinary history disclosure required |
| License activation | No licensed activity until the license is actually issued |
| Reciprocity | Salesperson reciprocity: current out-of-state license, VA state exam, 60-hour course |
| Exam provider | PSI |
Requirements change. Confirm with the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) 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
Applicants for the Virginia real estate salesperson examination must be at least 18 years of age. Neither the licensing statute nor the DPOR licensing page states this age directly -- it appears in the PSI candidate information bulletin PSI itself administers the exam through.
Source: PSI Candidate Information Bulletin - Virginia Real Estate Examinations, Preparing For Your License Examination — verified 2026-08-11
Pre-licensing education
A high school diploma or its equivalent, plus a course in the principles of real estate carrying at least four semester hours of academic credit and not less than 60 hours of classroom, correspondence, or other distance-learning instruction, from an accredited institution.
Source: Va. Code 54.1-2105 - Educational and experience requirements for licensure, B.1 — verified 2026-08-11
Post-license education
All new salespersons must complete at least 30 hours of post-license education within one year from the last day of the month their license was issued. Missing that deadline places the license on inactive status until the curriculum is completed -- this is a first-year deadline, not a renewal-cycle requirement, and it is separate from Virginia's ongoing 24-hour continuing education for active licenses.
Source: Va. Code 54.1-2105.01 - Educational requirements for all salespersons within one year of licensure, A — verified 2026-08-11
Background check
DPOR's boards may require applicants to submit fingerprints, which are forwarded through Virginia's Central Criminal Records Exchange to the FBI for a criminal history check, at the applicant's own cost. DPOR's Real Estate Board page for new applicants specifically references fingerprinting options for the real estate license.
Source: Va. Code 54.1-204 - Criminal history record information, C — verified 2026-08-11
High school diploma
Every applicant for an individual real estate salesperson license must hold a high school diploma or its equivalent as part of Virginia's basic qualifications for licensure.
Source: 18VAC135-20-30 - Qualifications for individual licensure, 18VAC135-20-30.A — verified 2026-08-17
Course content rule
The required 60-classroom-hour Principles of Real Estate course must carry four semester hours or six quarter hours of credit and cover 25 specified topics, including contracts, deeds, fair housing statutes, and Real Estate Board regulations.
Source: 18VAC135-20-400 - Course content of real estate principles and practices, 18VAC135-20-400 — verified 2026-08-17
Application sequence
An applicant must first pass all courses required by Va. Code 54.1-2105, then pass the board's written licensing examination, and only then submit a complete license application to the Real Estate Board.
Source: 18VAC135-20-35 - Additional qualifications for individual licensure, 18VAC135-20-35.A — verified 2026-08-17
Time limit
An applicant must have passed the required written examination within the 12 months immediately prior to submitting a complete license application, or the exam result no longer counts.
Source: 18VAC135-20-35 - Additional qualifications for individual licensure, 18VAC135-20-35.A — verified 2026-08-17
Exam registration
After completing the required course, a candidate contacts the Real Estate Board's examination vendor, PSI, by phone to schedule the salesperson licensing examination.
Source: Virginia Real Estate Board - FAQ, How do I apply for the examination? — verified 2026-08-17
Good moral character
Applicants must disclose prior license discipline in any jurisdiction and certain misdemeanor convictions within five years plus all felony convictions, and the Real Estate Board may deny licensure based on that history.
Source: 18VAC135-20-30 - Qualifications for individual licensure, 18VAC135-20-30.C — verified 2026-08-17
License activation
A person who has completed education, passed the exam, and submitted an activate application still may not perform any licensed real estate activity until the Real Estate Board has issued the license.
Source: 18VAC135-20-70 - Activation or transfer of license, 18VAC135-20-70.B — verified 2026-08-17
Reciprocity
An out-of-state salesperson applicant must currently hold a salesperson license in another state, pass the State portion of Virginia's exam, submit verification of the 60-hour Principles of Real Estate course, and submit certification letters from every jurisdiction where licensed.
Source: 18VAC135-20-65 - Universal license recognition, 18VAC135-20-65 — verified 2026-08-17
Exam provider
Virginia's real estate exam is administered by PSI.
Source: PSI — Virginia Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin, Score Reporting — verified 2026-07-27
Once you are eligible
The Virginia salesperson exam is 120 questions in 150 minutes, administered by PSI. Practice it free: Virginia practice test · Virginia exam prep · Virginia 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.
Virginia licensing FAQ
How do you get a real estate license in Virginia?
Meet Virginia's eligibility rules, complete 60 hours, apply to the regulator, and pass the salesperson exam. On post-license education, Virginia's rule is: 30 hours within one year. Each requirement is set out below with the provision it comes from.
What are the requirements for a Virginia real estate license?
Virginia requires you to be 18 or older and to complete 60 hours before sitting the salesperson exam, which is 120 questions in 150 minutes. Every figure on this page names the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) page it came from and the date we checked it.
How much pre-licensing education does Virginia require?
A high school diploma or its equivalent, plus a course in the principles of real estate carrying at least four semester hours of academic credit and not less than 60 hours of classroom, correspondence, or other distance-learning instruction, from an accredited institution.
Post-license education — what does Virginia require?
All new salespersons must complete at least 30 hours of post-license education within one year from the last day of the month their license was issued. Missing that deadline places the license on inactive status until the curriculum is completed -- this is a first-year deadline, not a renewal-cycle requirement, and it is separate from Virginia's ongoing 24-hour continuing education for active licenses.
How do you become a real estate agent in Virginia?
Becoming an agent in Virginia is the license plus one more step: complete 60 hours, pass the 120-question salesperson exam, and then satisfy Virginia's rule on post-license education — 30 hours within one year. 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.
Maryland · West Virginia · Kentucky · Tennessee · North Carolina
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