LicensedAnywhere

Transfer a Real Estate License to Pennsylvania

Verified July 2026 · 18 official sources

Reciprocity for 5 states, exam waiver for the rest

Pennsylvania runs two doors. If your principal place of business is in Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, or Massachusetts, true reciprocity gives you the comparable PA license with no education, no exam, and no PA continuing education. Everyone else uses the standard method, where any active license in the past 5 years waives the national exam portion, leaving only the 40-question PA state exam, taken online by OnVUE or at any Pearson VUE center for $49. There are no fingerprints, just name-based criminal history reports from each state you lived or worked in over the past 5 years, and no license issues until an employing PA broker signs a sworn supervision statement.

First year: $156Renewal: $96 / 2 yrsWait: confirmingWork while waiting: NoTravel required: None

What carries over to Pennsylvania, and what does not

Comes with you

  • The national exam portion, waived by any active license in the past 5 years
  • Pre-license education, if the provider was approved where you took it
  • Broker years, as education credits and experience equivalence
  • CE hours from providers approved in their home state

New for this state

  • The 40-question PA state exam (standard method)
  • Name-based criminal history reports under 180 days old, every state
  • An employing PA broker's sworn supervision statement
  • Certification of Licensure under 90 days old for exam registration
  • $10 recovery fund payment

If you hold a broker license

A broker from one of the five agreement states gets the most similar PA license by reciprocity on the same terms. Standard-method brokers pay a $40 qualifications review and need 240 education hours plus 3 years of experience, but each year of broker practice elsewhere in the past 10 years earns 2 education credits and counts toward the experience review. First-year money runs $169.50 for a sole proprietor broker or $97 for an associate broker, then $126 or $96 at renewal.

Working in Pennsylvania without a Pennsylvania license

On a single deal No. Pennsylvania is a turf state; no cooperative agreement or single-transaction provision exists, so an out-of-state licensee cannot legally work a PA deal remotely or in person. The choices are a full PA license or a referral.
Referrals Yes in practice. A PA broker can pay a referral fee to a broker licensed in another state as long as that broker performs no act requiring a PA license. The Commission publishes no guidance restating this, so it rests on the standard industry reading of the statute.

Your send-off checklist

YOUCheck the reciprocal door first. If your principal place of business is in Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, or Massachusetts, file the Real Estate Salesperson - Reciprocal application in PALS instead; it skips the exam, all PA education, and PA continuing education for the same fees.
STATE BOARDSHave your state's licensing authority issue a Certification of Licensure (letter of good standing) showing active licensure within the past 5 years, dated within 90 days of your exam registration. Order a second copy for the license application. varies
YOUR SCHOOLGather proof of 75 hours of pre-license education. Coursework counts when the provider was approved where you took it; Pearson VUE also accepts a certification that includes proof of the 75 hours. Treatment of shorter courses is confirming.
YOURegister in Pearson VUE's Clarus portal for the PA state portion only and upload the certification; your license waives the national portion. Clarus portal
YOUTake the 40-question state exam, online by OnVUE or at any Pearson VUE center nationwide; 75 scaled passes and the result appears on screen. $49
YOUOrder a name-based criminal history report from every state you lived, worked, or trained in during the past 5 years, each dated within 180 days of your application. PA's PATCH report applies only if PA was one of those states. varies; PATCH $22 PATCH
YOULine up your employing PA broker. The application needs the broker's sworn statement of supervision and training, and there is no apply-inactive route for a first PA license.
YOUFile the Real Estate Salesperson - Standard application in PALS with the score report, certification, and history reports. $97 + $10 fund PALS
STATE BOARDSThe Commission reviews and issues; processing day counts are confirming, and the wall license reaches your broker's main office in 7 to 10 business days after issue.

The money

Application (PALS)$25
Initial license$72
PA state exam, per attempt$49
Recovery fund$10
Criminal history report, per statevaries
Certification of Licensure from your statevaries
TOTAL First year, typical$156
Then: renewal every 2 years$96

Watch out in Pennsylvania

  • New York was dropped from the reciprocity list; existing NY-based reciprocal licensees keep their licenses, but the cutoff's effective date is confirming.
  • Apply within 3 years of passing the exam or you retest; when portions are passed on different dates the clock runs from the first pass.
  • No practice while your application is pending, and no grace period at renewal; late renewal adds $5 per month.
  • Your first renewal requires the Commission's 14-hour new-licensee course even for veterans; every PA license expires May 31 of even-numbered years.

Official links for Pennsylvania

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