Alabama Real Estate Broker License requirements

Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.

1. 1

   Confirm 24 of 36 months with AREC if the history is messy

   Do this before paying for the broker 60. Certification, not a verbal. Any state counts if the months are active inside the window.

2. 2

   Complete the 60-hour broker prelicense at 70 percent

   Not FREC II, not GREC’s 60, not a CE package, not the salesperson 60.

3. 3

   Pass Pearson VUE ($73)

   Overall scaled 70. Reciprocal candidates sit the $53 state-only paper after six Alabama hours.

4. 4

   Fieldprint and file inside 90 days of passing

   Qualifying-broker company paperwork is a separate AREC filing if you will hold licenses. Assistance Visit is available for companies under one year old.

5. 5

   Calendar both named broker CE courses and September 30

   Two mandatory three-hour courses, not one. 9 electives. Unrenewed goes inactive October 1.

Minimum age

19 years old

Identification

A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.

Residency and identification

Same handbook residency rule as salesperson applicants. Experience may be from any state if it is active licensure for 24 of the preceding 36 months. Reciprocal brokers: six Alabama hours + $53 state exam + certification from the original full-exam state.

Qualifying education

Separate approved 60-hour broker prelicense at 70 percent course grade. The salesperson 60 does not substitute. Six months from completion to pass Pearson VUE. Reciprocal brokers substitute six hours of Alabama coursework plus the state-only paper. Live AREC home page CE for brokers is a different 15-hour machine (two named 3-hour courses + 9 electives) — not this prelicense.

Education or filing deadline

Six months from the broker 60 to pass Pearson, then 90 days to file. Reciprocal six-hour course has the same six-month exam fuse.

Character review

Same AREC character review and Determination of Licensing Eligibility preview. Rejected or revoked license in any state within two years is independently disqualifying.

Background process

Fieldprint Alabama.

Experience

Active real estate license in any state for at least 24 months of the 36-month period immediately preceding the date of application (Pearson VUE handbook). Confirm messy histories with AREC before paying for the broker 60.

Broker affiliation

A broker license is what lets you serve as qualifying broker of a company. Associate broker is a different AREC status. Confirm company and branch-office filings, home-office rules, and serving as qualifying broker for more than one company on arec.alabama.gov. New companies less than a year old can request an Assistance Visit or Assistance Desk Audit from AREC auditors.

Pearson VUE, $73 (reciprocal $53). Handbook #093300. · Fee: $73

Same six-month / overall-score / $73 rules as salesperson. Reciprocal broker $53 state-only. Fail overall and retake both parts.

These are commission or testing-vendor amounts we can cite. School tuition and optional preparation products are private-market prices.

Handbook $73 broker exam / $53 reciprocal. Confirm the live broker application for original-license and Recovery Fund dollars this cycle rather than copying the salesperson $85/$30 without looking. 2024 Special Renewal Issue printed broker renewal $205 if paid by August 31 (then the $150 late penalty). Confirm live 2026.

• !

  Using the salesperson 60 as the broker 60

  They are separate approved courses. Six months from the broker course to Pearson.

• !

  Missing one of the two named CE courses

  Brokers need both mandatory three-hour classes plus 9 electives. Salespersons need only Risk Management plus 12 electives.

• !

  Assuming Florida mutual recognition runs both directions

  FREC’s list is a Florida door. AREC reciprocal is a different six-hour-plus-$53 application.

• !

  Counting three-of-five Georgia years as 24-of-36 Alabama months

  Different clocks. Certification of active dates inside the last 36 is what AREC wants.

Reciprocal broker: six hours of Alabama coursework, $53 state exam, certification of licensure from the original full-exam state. Not Florida mutual recognition. Not a substitute for 24 of 36 if AREC’s reciprocal row is the path you actually file — read the live reciprocal page.

Do my Georgia years count?

Possibly, if they are active months inside the last 36. AREC wants a certification, not a verbal. Georgia’s three-of-five is a different clock.

Is the broker exam harder nationally?

The national item count is the same 80. The Alabama outline shifts weight onto RECAD (5) and qualifying-broker duties (6).

What CE is named for brokers?

Risk Management: Initial Contact to Accepted Offer and the Mandatory Broker CE Course, plus 9 electives (live AREC home page).

Can I skip the 60 hours with a Florida broker license?

Not as a substitute for AREC’s broker prelicense unless you use the reciprocal six-hour-plus-state-exam path and AREC actually accepts the file.

What is a qualifying broker vs an associate broker?

Qualifying broker is the AREC company-qualifying seat (place of business, trust funds, estimated closing statements). Associate broker is a licensed broker who is not serving as qualifying broker. Confirm company and branch filings live.