Learn the requirements and how to apply for a real estate managing broker license.
Who needs a license?
You need a managing broker license if you:
- Perform brokerage services for a real estate firm under the supervision of a designated broker
- Supervise other brokers or managing brokers
How to apply
Follow the steps below to apply for a real estate managing broker license.
1. Meet the requirements
There are 3 ways to qualify for a managing broker license:
- Upgrade your broker license
- Apply under alternate qualifications
- Apply by reciprocity (if you are licensed in another state)
Each way to apply has a different set of requirements. See the details below.
Requirements: Upgrade your broker license
You must:
- Provide proof you have at least 3 years of full-time experience as an active real estate broker. You must have achieved this experience within the last 5 years.
- Complete 90 hours of approved real estate education within 3 years before applying for the exam. This education must include:
- 30 hours of brokerage management
- 30 hours of business management
- 30 hours of advanced real estate law
- See a list of approved real estate education courses.
If you are approved to upgrade, your approval will expire when it has been 3 years since you completed the newest of the 3 courses.
Requirements: Apply under alternate qualifications
You must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Complete 90 hours of approved real estate education within 3 years before applying for the exam. This education must include:
- 30 hours of brokerage management.
- 30 hours of business management.
- 30 hours of advanced real estate law.
- Qualify under 1 or more of the 6 alternative qualification experiences. You must have gained this experience within the last 6 years.
- Be ready to upload a cover letter asking to take this exam. Your letter must state what alternative method you believe you qualify under and why.
- Be ready to upload your resume reflecting the required experience.
If you are approved for alternate qualifications, you get 1 chance to pass both exams. If you don’t pass both exams, you must gain the required experience to upgrade or qualify by reciprocity.
Requirements: Apply by reciprocity
You must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Have been actively licensed in another state, in good standing, within the past 6 months.
- Be ready to upload your license history from another state. The state might call it a Certificate of History or a License Affidavit. Your license history must have the following information:
- The state’s agency heading
- Dates that a license is or has been active within the last 6 months
- The licensure level
- Expiration date
- Any disciplinary action
- How you obtained the license
- Creation date of the history
- Note: We'll deny any application that doesn't include a license history document. We won't accept copies of licenses or screenshots of websites.
- Be ready to upload documents for legal background questions (if needed).
2. Pass the exams
You must pass both national and state exams unless you're applying through reciprocity. You'll only need to take the state exam to get a reciprocity license.
Get approved to take the exams
Log into SecureAccess Washington (SAW) or create an account to start your application and get approved to take the exams. After we email your approval, wait 4 business days before scheduling your exams.
Log into SecureAccess Washington (SAW)
Don't have a SAW account? Learn how to create a SAW account.
Schedule your exams
Learn how to schedule your managing broker exams through PSI.
3. Submit a fingerprint background check
You must pass your test before submitting your fingerprints for background checks.
Inside Washington
Schedule an appointment through Idemia, our electronic fingerprinting vendor. You'll pay a fee for the fingerprinting service and background checks required for your license type.
Outside Washington
See Fingerprinting and background checks for steps to send your fingerprints from out-of-state. You'll also find instructions for disputing your FBI criminal history record.
4. Wait for our notification
We will email you when we get your exam results. Don’t apply for a license before you get our notification with directions.
You can apply for your license when we have your background and exam results on record and before 1 year has passed. If you don't apply for a license within that time, you must start over.
5. Submit your application
You must pay the managing broker license fee and the research fee when you submit your application. If you uncheck either fee when paying online, we won’t issue your license until you have paid in full.
Submit your application online
You'll receive your license faster by applying and paying online with your SAW account.
- If you see Your To-Do's in SAW
-
If you see the "Apply for License" button on the home page under Your To-Do’s, click the button to apply.
Don’t use any other button outside of the Your To-Do’s section. The other buttons are for exam applications.
- If you don't see Your To-Do's in SAW
-
Don’t apply for a license if you don’t see the "Apply for License" button under Your To-Do’s. This means we haven’t received your exam results or background check yet.
If you're a broker, your results may be on your license. Call us at 360-664-6488 to have them moved.
If you already submitted your fingerprints but still see a reminder to submit them, then we haven’t received the results yet. They can take up to 14 business days to reach us from WSP. You can’t apply until we have your background check on file.
Contact us at realestate@dol.wa.gov if the Your To-Do's section is still missing after:
- More than 14 business days since you submitted your fingerprints, and
- More than 4 business days since you passed your exam(s)
Please send only 1 email. Include the TCN number you received from IdentoGo and the date you submitted your fingerprints.
Submit your application by mail
Complete a Real Estate License Application form.
Mail your form and a check or money order for the license and research fees (payable to the Department of Licensing) to:
Real Estate Licensing
Department of Licensing
PO Box 3856
Seattle, WA 98124-3856
Activate your license
After you get your license, a real estate firm can invite you to join them to activate your license. You must log into SecureAccess Washington (SAW) to accept their invitation. Visit the home page and look for the invitation under Your To-Do’s.
Print your license
Log into SecureAccess Washington (SAW) or to print your license online for free. We no longer mail licenses unless you request one and pay the license print fee online. Paper licenses no longer include the card size license and may take up to 14 days to arrive.
If you choose to have your license emailed, it can take up to 4 hours to be delivered. If you don't see your license in your inbox, look in your spam/junk folder. If it’s there, mark it as “not spam.” This will help ensure you get future system-generated reminders and notifications.
Expiration dates
License expiration
Your managing broker license expires 2 years after we issue it.
Fingerprint background check expiration
Your fingerprint background check results expire 6 years after the date we receive them. You must resubmit your fingerprints before they expire and allow enough time for us to get your results before the expiration date.
If your fingerprint results expire, you won’t be able to:
- Join a firm
- Reactivate after being inactive
- Renew your license