Broker and real estate agent: how to get a real estate broker license in Virginia
To become a real estate broker in Virginia, you must complete 180 hours of Board-approved broker pre-licensing education, document 36 months of full-time salesperson experience within the 48 months before applying, pass both the national and state portions of the broker exam, and submit a completed application to the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) Real Estate Board. The broker license allows independent practice, firm ownership, and sponsorship of salespersons. The term "REALTOR®" refers to membership in the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and is separate from the broker license.
What is a real estate broker in Virginia?
A real estate broker in Virginia holds a license that authorizes independent real estate practice, firm ownership, and supervision of salespersons. The DPOR Real Estate Board[1] regulates broker licensure and sets the education, experience, and examination standards that distinguish a broker from a salesperson.
Virginia recognizes two roles within the broker license tier. An associate broker holds a full broker license but works under another broker's sponsorship without supervising agents. A principal broker owns or manages a firm, sponsors affiliated salespersons, and bears supervisory responsibility for all licensees at that firm.
"REALTOR®" identifies members of NAR, not a license category.
A real estate salesperson, commonly called an agent, is licensed to facilitate property transactions but must work under a licensed broker. A broker has completed 180 hours of broker-specific and broker-related courses, been actively engaged as a salesperson for 36 of the 48 months preceding application, and passed the broker exam; brokers can operate independently and sponsor salespersons. A REALTOR® is a licensed agent or broker who has joined the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), a private professional organization; state law requires a license to practice real estate but does not require NAR membership.
A real estate broker is licensed to manage an independent real estate business and can sponsor and supervise salespersons, while a sales agent must work under a broker's supervision and cannot practice independently. In Virginia, broker applicants must complete 180 hours of broker-specific courses and have been actively engaged as a salesperson for 36 of the 48 months preceding application, compared with 60 hours of pre-licensing education and no experience requirement for salespersons. Sales agents typically earn a portion of the commission from each transaction they handle under their sponsoring broker.
A REALTOR® is a licensed real estate agent or broker who is also a member of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), a private professional organization whose members agree to abide by NAR's Code of Ethics. A real estate broker is a licensee who has completed additional education and experience requirements and is licensed to manage an independent business, sponsor salespersons, and practice without supervision. State law requires a real estate license to practice but does not require any licensee to be a REALTOR®, and the two designations are independent of each other.
Experience requirement for a Virginia broker license
Virginia requires broker applicants to have worked as a salesperson on a full-time basis for a defined period before applying. The DPOR Real Estate Board[1] defines this as being "actively engaged" in real estate, and part-time experience does not satisfy the requirement.
Salesperson licenses are valid for 2 years, and new licensees must complete post-license education within the first year to maintain active status. Active status is a prerequisite for accruing qualifying experience toward the broker license.
The experience requirement is one component of the full broker licensure process.
To become a real estate broker in Virginia, you must complete 180 hours of Board-approved broker pre-licensing courses, including a 45-hour Real Estate Brokerage course plus either three broker-specific courses (Real Estate Appraisal, Real Estate Finance, and Real Estate Law) or two broker-specific courses and one broker-related course. You must have been actively engaged as a salesperson full-time (averaging 40 hours per week) for 36 of the 48 months preceding your application, pass both the State and National portions of the broker examination, and submit verification of experience. A Principles of Real Estate course taken for salesperson licensure does not count toward the broker education requirement.
Eligibility for the broker license also includes age and education prerequisites.
No, a college degree is not required to become a real estate broker in Virginia. Broker applicants must be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or equivalent. The education requirement is 180 hours of Board-approved broker pre-licensing courses, not a degree program. Broker applicants must also have been actively engaged as a salesperson for 36 of the 48 months preceding application and pass the state and national portions of the broker exam.
Broker pre-licensing education: Virginia's 180-hour requirement
The broker pre-licensing curriculum in Virginia follows a framework set by the DPOR Real Estate Board[2]. Original or certified transcripts are required to verify course completion, and equivalent courses from accredited colleges or universities may substitute for Board-approved school courses provided each course is at least 3 semester hours.
Broker-related course options include Business Law, Real Estate Investments, Property Management, Real Estate Abstracting, Urban Development, Real Estate Feasibility Analysis, Commercial Mortgage Lending, Real Estate Math, Land Use Planning, and designation programs (GRI, CRB, CCIM, SIR/SIOR).
Salesperson-level coursework cannot be applied toward the broker education requirement, and continuing education hours do not substitute for pre-licensing credit.
Virginia broker applicants must complete 180 hours of Board-approved pre-licensing courses. This includes a mandatory 45-hour Real Estate Brokerage course, plus either three broker-specific courses (Real Estate Appraisal, Real Estate Finance, and Real Estate Law) or two broker-specific courses and one broker-related course. The maximum allowable credit for a single broker-specific course is 60 hours, and 45 hours for a broker-related course. Any Principles of Real Estate course taken to meet the salesperson education requirement is not acceptable toward the broker requirement. Broker applicants must also have been actively engaged as a salesperson full-time (averaging 40 hours per week) for 36 of the 48 months preceding application.
The Virginia broker exam
The broker exam consists of separate national and state portions administered by PSI[3] at testing centers in Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, Vienna, Virginia Beach, Johnson City (TN), and Salisbury (MD). PSI charges $60 for each exam attempt. Allow two weeks for processing of the exam application.
The minimum passing score is 60 out of 80 possible points on the national portion and 38 out of 50 possible points on the state portion, according to the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin for Virginia[4]. If you fail one portion, you retake only that portion.
In 2024, the cumulative pass rate was 53.7% on the national portion (302 of 562 test-takers passed) and 72.6% on the state portion (465 of 640 passed), according to the DPOR 2024 exam pass rate report[5].
Exam scores are valid for one year from the date of passing, per the DPOR real estate process guide[6].
Broker exam preparation begins with completing 180 hours of Board-approved pre-licensing courses, which must include a 45-hour Real Estate Brokerage course plus additional broker-specific and broker-related courses. PSI, the exam vendor, offers a Virginia-specific exam prep book with national and state practice tests. The broker exam consists of a national portion and a state portion, each with its own passing threshold, and candidates who pass one portion need only retake the failed portion. The exam fee is $60 per attempt, with no limit on retakes.
Background check and broker license application
After passing both portions of the broker exam, the remaining steps are fingerprinting, background check, and submission of the completed application to DPOR. The DPOR real estate process guide[6] outlines these steps.
Background checks expire after 45 days, so the complete application must reach the Board within that window or fingerprints must be retaken. All fees paid to DPOR are non-refundable, per the DPOR fees page[7].
Broker applicants who intend to operate as a sole proprietor must mark the application accordingly and include all required documentation. Principal broker applicants opening their own firm must attach a complete FIRM application to the individual broker application.
Virginia requires broker license applicants to have been actively engaged as a salesperson full-time (averaging 40 hours per week) for 36 of the 48 months preceding application, complete 180 hours of Board-approved broker pre-licensing courses, and pass both the State and National portions of the broker exam. Because the experience requirement alone takes at least three years, the earliest a salesperson can qualify for a broker license is three years after initial licensure. The 180 hours of coursework can be completed during or after that experience period.
Broker reciprocity for out-of-state licensees
Brokers licensed in another state can obtain a Virginia broker license through reciprocity. The applicant must hold a current broker license in the other state and meet Virginia's experience and education requirements. According to the DPOR Real Estate Board[1], reciprocity applicants must pass the state portion of the Virginia broker exam, submit verification of experience, submit transcripts showing broker pre-licensing courses substantially equivalent to Virginia's, and submit letters of certification from other jurisdictions where licensed.
Licensure certifications from other states must be dated within 60 days of DPOR receiving the complete application.
Continuing education for Virginia brokers
Virginia brokers must complete Board-approved continuing education to renew an active license. Section 54.1-2105.03 of the Code of Virginia, cited on the DPOR continuing education page[8], requires all brokers who have renewed at least once to complete Board-approved continuing education. Legislation enacted in 2024 (HB 383 and SB 330) raised the mandatory hour requirement for brokers and salespersons. Brokers who hold an inactive license must still renew but are not required to complete continuing education.
Virginia brokers must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years. For licenses expiring on or after June 30, 2026, the breakdown is 19 mandatory hours and 5 elective hours. The mandatory hours include 6 hours of Broker Management, 2 hours of Broker Supervision, 3 hours of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, 2 hours of Fair Housing, 2 hours of Legal Updates, 2 hours of Real Estate Agency, and 2 hours of Real Estate Contracts. Before that date, the split was 16 mandatory and 8 elective hours.
Next steps after obtaining your broker license
Once the Real Estate Board issues a broker license, the licensee can operate as a sole proprietor, open a firm and sponsor salespersons, or work as an associate broker under another broker. Brokers who open a firm serve as the principal broker responsible for supervising all affiliated licensees.
The broker license renews every 2 years. The renewal fee is $120, per the Virginia Real Estate Board fee schedule[9] effective October 1, 2024. A $50 late fee applies for renewals submitted after the deadline, according to the Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS®[10]. If a license lapses for more than 2 years, the licensee must repeat the entire licensing process.
To begin the broker pathway, verify your salesperson experience against the full-time requirement, then enroll in a Board-approved broker pre-licensing course.
Sources
- VA DPOR — Real Estate BoardGovernmentAugust 2026
- VA DPOR — RE Pre-License EducationGovernmentMay 2026
- PSI — RE Exam OverviewEducationAugust 2026
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin — Commonwealth of Virginia Real Estate ExaminationsEducationAugust 2026
- VA DPOR — RE Exam Pass Rates 2024GovernmentAugust 2026
- VA DPOR — Real Estate Process PDFGovernmentAugust 2026
- VA DPOR — Fees & PaymentsGovernmentMay 2026
- VA DPOR — Continuing EducationGovernmentMay 2026
- Virginia Register of Regulations, Vol. 41 Iss. 1 (Final) — 18VAC135-20-120EducationAugust 2026
- FAAR Members — VA License RenewalEducationAugust 2026