Guide · license reciprocity · checked Oct 2026
Real estate license reciprocity, state by state
In the five states on this site, reciprocity seldom means no exam at all. Georgia alone converts a license earned by exam elsewhere without its own exam, and even Georgia makes Florida residents sit its state part. Tennessee, Arizona and Alabama waive the national portion and keep their state-law test; Florida swaps its whole broker exam for a short law exam, but only for non-residents licensed in its partner states. Each rule below links the commission rule or vendor handbook it comes from.
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
- 10 stateson Florida’s mutual recognition list
- 40 questionson the Florida law-only exam
- 40Alabama state-law questions for reciprocal candidates
Three different deals, one word
Commissions use “reciprocity” loosely. What the five states here actually offer falls into three kinds:
- Conversion. Your license is accepted and you sit no exam. Georgia does this.
- Mutual recognition. An agreement with a named list of states; licensees from those states take a short law-only exam. Florida does this.
- Exam waiver. No agreement needed: the national portion you passed elsewhere counts, and you sit only the state-law part. Tennessee, Arizona and Alabama do this, each with its own conditions.
Only conversion skips the state-law test; the other two keep it, because state law is what a new state wants to see you know.
The five states side by side
| Exam | Already licensed elsewhere | Test provider | Practice | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia salesperson | no exam; FL residents: GA part | PSI | Practice Facts | [1][2] | |
| Tennessee affiliate broker | waiver possible | PSI | Practice Facts | [3][4] | |
| Arizona salesperson | state exam only | Pearson VUE | Practice Facts | [5][6] | |
| Alabama salesperson | state portion only | Pearson VUE | Practice Facts | [7] | |
| Florida broker | FL law exam only | DBPR / Pearson VUE | Practice Facts | [8][9][10] |
State by state
Georgia
Georgia converts a license earned by exam in another state, if it is in good standing, without the Georgia exam. The exception is Florida residents: they must pass the 52-question Georgia Supplement, with the national portion waived. The application route: Georgia licensing steps.
Tennessee
Tennessee waives the national portion for a licensee of another state who passed a national exam at the same level. What remains is the 40-question state portion, at $26. The education rule does not relax for out-of-state candidates: Tennessee waiver details.
Arizona
Arizona calls its route out-of-state license recognition: you sit only the State exam (60 scored questions plus 5 unscored, 90 minutes) for $60. The route is for Arizona residents and may waive the 90-hour course. Steps: Arizona licensing.
Alabama
Alabama gives reciprocal candidates its 40-question state portion alone, a one-hour exam, after 6 hours of approved Alabama coursework, and it must be passed within 6 months of that course. The license you hold must come from a full exam in the state that issued it: Alabama licensing.
Florida
Florida writes its whole broker exam itself, so there is no national portion to waive. Its route is mutual recognition with 10 states: a non-resident licensed by exam in one of them takes only the Florida law exam. Brokers also need the same 24 months of experience as Florida candidates. All the conditions: Florida broker license requirements.
| Fact | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual recognition states | Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island, West Virginia | DBPR: mutual recognition states (archived copy, Nov 2025) [8] | |
| Florida law exam | 40 questions, 30 points to pass, 1.5 hours, $15.75 | DBPR: mutual recognition states (archived copy, Nov 2025) · Pearson VUE: Florida Real Estate and Appraiser fact sheet #091001 [8][9] |
Residency cuts both ways
Arizona’s recognition route requires Arizona residency. Florida’s mutual recognition is the opposite: it is open only to applicants who are not Florida residents. A Georgia agent heading to Florida should apply before becoming a Florida resident, or that route closes.
The national portion travels, the state part does not
The national portion is a vendor test (Pearson VUE or PSI) shared across states, which is why it is the part that gets waived. Besides Tennessee, Pearson VUE’s candidate handbooks for Utah, Idaho and Kansas say those states can also waive a national portion passed elsewhere; this site does not cover them yet.
If you expect to move, pass the national portion where you are and keep the score report: what the national portion covers. We have not checked the rules of states that are not named on this page, so we don’t summarize them.
State-law practice on this site
A reciprocal candidate sits the state part, so that is the part to practice:
- ALSalesperson
- AZArizonaSalespersonBroker
- ARArkansas: no practice test on this site yet
- FLBroker
- GAGeorgiaSalespersonBroker
- IDIdaho: no practice test on this site yet
- KSKansas: no practice test on this site yet
- TNTennesseeAffiliate brokerBroker
- TXTexas: no practice test on this site yet
- UTUtah: no practice test on this site yet
Practice the state part you still have to pass
Practice on your phone
Arizona salesperson: practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app. Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
Practice on your phone
Alabama salesperson: practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app. Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
Arizona and Alabama both send reciprocal candidates to their state-law exam; each app explains every option.
Related guides
- National portion waivers the exam side of the rules
- Salesperson vs broker
- License cost by state
- How hard the exam is pass rates where they exist
Sources
- PSI: Georgia Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (7/1/2026) test-takers.psiexams.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Georgia Real Estate Commission: obtaining a real estate license grec.state.ga.us · checked Oct 24, 2026
- PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) test-takers.psiexams.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Tennessee Real Estate Commission: PSI exam information tn.gov · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Pearson VUE: Arizona Real Estate Candidate Handbook #090300 (02/2026) pearsonvue.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Pearson VUE: Obtaining an Arizona Real Estate License #090303 pearsonvue.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Pearson VUE: Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook #093300 (Aug 2024, fees eff. Aug 1, 2025, rev. 02/2026) pearsonvue.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- DBPR: mutual recognition states (archived copy, Nov 2025) web.archive.org · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Pearson VUE: Florida Real Estate and Appraiser fact sheet #091001 pearsonvue.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- DBPR: Candidate Information Booklet, Real Estate Broker Examination (effective March 2024; archived copy) web.archive.org · checked Oct 24, 2026
Reciprocity questions
Which states have reciprocity for real estate licenses?
Of the five states with practice tests here, only Georgia converts a license from another state without an exam, and Florida residents are the exception there. Florida has mutual recognition with 10 states; Tennessee, Arizona and Alabama waive the national portion and test state law only, each with conditions.
Does Florida have reciprocity with Georgia?
Yes, in both directions, with conditions. Georgia is on Florida’s mutual recognition list, so a Georgia licensee who is not a Florida resident takes the Florida law exam. Going the other way, Georgia converts out-of-state licenses without an exam, except for Florida residents, who must pass the 52-question Georgia Supplement.
Do I have to retake the national exam if I move?
Usually not, if you meet each state’s conditions: Georgia asks for no exam (Florida residents sit the Georgia part), Florida asks for its law exam if you are not a Florida resident, Tennessee waives the national portion for a national exam at the same level, Arizona only for Arizona residents, and Alabama after 6 hours of Alabama coursework.
Is broker reciprocity different from salesperson reciprocity?
It can be. On Florida’s broker route the law exam replaces the broker exam, but the experience rule (24 months) still applies. This site’s other state pages cover the salesperson license.