Alabama Real Estate Salesperson License requirements

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

1. 1

   Pre-register for an AREC ID number, then complete the 60-hour prelicense at 70%

   The school reports your credit. You cannot book Pearson until the Authorization to Test email arrives (up to a week after the school's three-business-day submission window). The course must be finished within one year of the start, with a maximum of six hours credit per day after the 2025 amendment.

2. 2

   Take the Pearson VUE exam ($73) within six months

   80 national items / 2.5 hr + 40 Alabama items / 1 hr, 10–15 pretest, 3.5 hours, scaled 70. If you fail overall, you retake both parts. Reciprocal candidates take the $53 / 40-item / 1-hour exam after six Alabama hours.

3. 3

   Complete Fieldprint Alabama and file within 90 days of passing

   Use Online Services → New License to apply for your temporary salesperson license. Georgia GCIC and Florida DBPR prints are not accepted.

4. 4

   30-hour postlicense + original application ($85 this cycle + $30 Recovery Fund if first-time active)

   Active temporary licensees must finish within six months or go inactive. Every temporary licensee must finish within twelve months, or the license lapses and you start over. You need your temporary license number before enrolling in postlicense.

5. 5

   Affiliate with a qualifying broker before practicing

   Qualifying broker is an AREC company status, not a REALTOR® title. Mark September 30 on your calendar and plan for the required 3-hour Risk Management CE course.

Minimum age

19 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Per the Pearson handbook, you must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, have bona fide residency in any U.S. state, and hold a high school diploma or GED. Alabama residency is not required. The minimum age is 19, not 18. Reciprocal applicants need a current license in another state plus certification of licensure from the state where they originally passed a full exam, six hours of Alabama coursework, and the $53 state-only exam.

Qualifying education

A Commission-approved 60-clock-hour salesperson prelicense course with a 70% course grade; the school reports your eligibility to AREC, and AREC then notifies Pearson VUE. The 60 hours appear in Pearson handbook #093300 ("approved 60-clock-hour pre-license course"), Rule 790-X-1-.06 (instructors shall teach a minimum of 60 hours for the prelicense course), and AREC's course search ("Salesperson Prelicense - 60 Hours"). Under Rule 790-X-1-.06, you must complete the course within one year of the start date or receive no credit and begin again. The February/April 2025 amendments limit credit to six (6) hours per day (previously eight). You need 90% attendance; a 10-minute break follows each 50 minutes; meals do not count; and the course includes incremental assessments plus a final. The school must submit your course credit before you can schedule Pearson. Distance/online courses follow Rule 790-X-1-.21. Florida's 63 hours and Georgia's 75 hours do not substitute for Alabama's 60. After your temporary license is issued, you take the 30-clock-hour postlicense course (Rule 790-X-1-.06(e)) with a 70% course grade, a maximum of eight or nine hours per day depending on the current amendment, and your temporary license number required before enrollment. Postlicense is not CE, though Rule 790-X-1-.12(11) lets 15 of the postlicense hours satisfy your first renewal CE.

Education or filing deadline

You have six months from course completion to pass Pearson VUE, or you must retake the 60 hours (handbook; Rule 790-X-1-.06(6); Blueprint). A passing exam score is good for 90 days for the license application (handbook; Spring 2025 Update). For a temporary salesperson license, you must complete the 30-hour postlicense and file the original application within 12 months, or the license lapses and you start over; to stay active past month six, you must already have completed postlicense and filed the original. The prelicense course itself must be finished within one year of the start date.

Character review

A felony or crime of moral turpitude can bar licensure. AREC publishes an Application for Determination of Licensing Eligibility so you can have convictions reviewed before you spend time on the 60 hours. A rejected or revoked license in any state within two years is disqualifying on its own, per the handbook list.

Background process

Fieldprint Alabama. Schedule it close to when you apply; a Live Scan from another state will not be accepted.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. You must affiliate with a qualifying broker to practice. Converting a temporary license to an original requires the 30-hour postlicense course plus an original application, not a second Pearson exam.

Broker affiliation

A salesperson practices under a qualifying broker. Both the temporary and original licenses require affiliation, and the qualifying broker completes a trustworthiness section on the original-license application. If your original license will be issued to a different company than your temporary license, you may not work until the original is issued. Qualifying broker is an AREC company status, not a NAR designation. The qualifying broker prints your license certificate from the company login after AREC processes the file (normally within 3 business days of a complete original application).

Pearson VUE, under contract to AREC. Handbook #093300 (August 2024; fee updates August 1, 2025; rev 02/2026). pearsonvue.com/us/en/al/realestate.html; (888) 926-9488. $73 salesperson/broker; $53 reciprocal. · Fee: $73

Your authorization lasts six months from course completion, with unlimited attempts at $73 each. If you fail the overall scaled 70, you retake the entire exam; Alabama does not let you keep a passed national section. After six months, you must retake the 60-hour course for a new authorization. A passing score is good for 90 days. You must wait 24 hours to rebook, and changes or cancellations require 48 hours' notice. Payment is not accepted at the center. Palm vein is not collected. The $53 reciprocal state-only exam must also be passed within six months of the six-hour Alabama course.

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

AREC Licensing Application PDF: temporary salesperson Active $210 ($150 license + $30 Research and Education + $30 Recovery Fund); Inactive $180 (Recovery Fund paid when activated). Pearson handbook fee table (fee updates August 1, 2025): salesperson/broker exam $73; reciprocal $53. The original-salesperson application covering 10/01/2025–09/30/2026 lists the original license at $85.00 ($170.00 for licenses issued 10/01/2026–09/30/2027), plus a $30.00 Recovery Fund fee for first-time active licenses only if not already paid with the temporary license. The application amount ($210 temporary active) and initial license amount ($85 original this cycle) shown here are paid at different stages; you do not pay $210 twice. Fieldprint charges its own fee; check with Fieldprint for the current amount. The 2024 Special Renewal Issue listed salesperson renewal at $185 if paid by August 31 (followed by a $150 late penalty); check arec.alabama.gov for the 2026 cycle rather than assuming 2024 amounts still apply. Unrenewed licenses go inactive October 1. Licenses on the current two-year cycle expire September 30 of even years.

• !

  Testing at 18

  Alabama's handbook sets the minimum age at 19. Florida and Georgia let 18-year-olds test; Alabama does not.

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  Expecting to keep a passed national section

  If you fail the overall scaled 70, you retake both parts. Kentucky's split-retake rule does not apply here.

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  Using the wrong fingerprint vendor

  Use Fieldprint Alabama. A Live Scan or GCIC from elsewhere will be rejected.

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  Missing September 30

  Alabama licenses do not follow a birthday cycle. On October 1, an unrenewed license becomes inactive. Temporary licenses cannot be renewed; convert them.

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  Treating Florida's 63 hours or Georgia's 75 hours as Alabama's 60

  The hour count, the 70% course pass requirement, the Pearson (not PSI) exam, and the temporary-then-original license process all differ. Reciprocity requires six Alabama hours plus a $53 state exam; you cannot simply submit transcripts.

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  Enrolling in postlicense before you have a temporary license number

  Rule 790-X-1-.06: a person shall have a temporary license issued prior to beginning a postlicense course. Instructors must collect the number.

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  Letting the temporary license reach month thirteen

  You have twelve months from issuance to complete postlicense and file the original application, or you start over as if you never had a license. To stay active past month six, you must meet a shorter deadline.

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  Booking Pearson before the Authorization to Test email arrives

  The school has three business days to submit your credit, and AREC then sends your eligibility to Pearson. The whole process can take a week. If you try to schedule before Pearson has your record, you can lose your $73.

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  Reading scaled 70 as 70 of 80 or 70 of 120

  It is an equated overall score on a 0–100 scale. Passing candidates see "Pass"; failing candidates see a number. It is not Wyoming's scaled 75 and not a raw percent.

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  Skipping RECAD because the national portion already covered agency

  RECAD accounts for three of the forty Alabama items. The new RECAD form comes from the Commission. Brokers see five RECAD items.

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  Paying IdentoGO or expecting a palm vein scan

  Use Fieldprint. AREC opted out of Pearson palm-vein collection. Acknowledge the privacy screen; you will not give a palm scan.

AREC reciprocal salesperson license (handbook + Rule 790-X-1-.18): six hours of Commission-approved Alabama coursework, then the $53 state-only Pearson VUE exam (40 scored + 5–10 pretest, 1 hour, scaled 70), plus a certification of licensure from the state where you originally passed a full exam. You must hold a current license in another state. This is not Florida mutual recognition and not a national compact. Military spouses have a separate AREC reciprocal option. A Florida sales associate certificate does not by itself make you an Alabama salesperson.

Alabama vs neighboring states

Hours are the pre-license total printed in each guide; states that count credits or named courses show “See guide.” Published state fees add the application, exam, initial-license, and fingerprint amounts the guide can cite — tuition is not included.

How old do I have to be?

19. Pearson VUE's handbook lists age 19, not 18. Florida and Georgia let 18-year-olds test; Alabama does not.

How many prelicense hours?

60 clock hours with a 70% course grade, per Pearson handbook #093300, Rule 790-X-1-.06, and AREC's "Salesperson Prelicense - 60 Hours" course listing. Finish within one year of the start date; credit is limited to six hours per day after the 2025 amendments; 90% attendance is required. Then pass Pearson within six months of completion.

Is it salesperson or sales associate?

Salesperson. Sales associate is Florida's title. Qualifying broker is Alabama's status for the broker who qualifies a company, not a NAR designation.

What are the exam fee, length, and passing score?

Per the handbook fee table, $73. 80 national items / 2.5 hours + 40 Alabama items / 1 hour + 10–15 pretest items, 3.5 hours total. Scaled 70 to pass. If you fail the overall score, you retake both parts. The reciprocal exam is $53 / 40 items / 1 hour.

Can I keep a passed national section if I fail Alabama law?

No. The handbook uses one overall scaled 70. If you fail, you retake the entire exam within the six-month authorization.

Does Florida mutual recognition get me an Alabama license?

No. Mutual recognition is FREC's path into Florida. AREC's reciprocal license is a separate application requiring six hours of coursework, the $53 state exam, and a certification from the state where you passed your original full exam.

When do licenses expire?

September 30. Unrenewed licenses become inactive October 1. Temporary salesperson licenses cannot be renewed; convert yours with the 30-hour postlicense and original application before it lapses.

What does the original license cost this cycle?

The original-salesperson application lists $85.00 for licenses issued 10/01/2025–09/30/2026, plus $30.00 Recovery Fund if first-time active. Pearson is $73. Fieldprint is extra. Check the temporary-license fee on the current application; you do not pay a second $85.

What is the temporary license?

It is issued after you pass Pearson and file. You must then complete the 30-hour postlicense. Active temporary licensees must finish postlicense and the original application within six months or go inactive. Every temporary licensee must finish within twelve months, or the license lapses and you start over as if you never had one. You must hold the temporary license before enrolling in postlicense.

What CE is required?

15 hours for activation and renewal (AREC home page). Salespersons take the mandatory 3-hour Risk Management: Initial Contact to Accepted Offer course plus 12 electives. Brokers take that course and the Mandatory Broker CE Course plus 9 electives. Postlicense can satisfy your first renewal CE (Rule 790-X-1-.12(11)).

How do I get fingerprinted?

Through Fieldprint Alabama, not IdentoGO, Live Scan, or a Georgia GCIC. Nonresidents who cannot find a site should call AREC Licensing.

Do I have to live in Alabama?

No. Per the handbook, you need bona fide residency in any U.S. state. You still need a qualifying broker to practice.

Do I need a palm vein scan?

No. Pearson's account setup shows a palm-vein privacy statement, but AREC has chosen not to require collection. Acknowledge the statement; you will not give a palm scan.

Where do I take the exam?

Pearson centers in Birmingham (two), Decatur, Dothan, Mobile, Montgomery, plus community-college sites and a Fort Rucker military center. Not PSI. Schedule at pearsonvue.com/us/en/al/realestate or (888) 926-9488 after you receive the Authorization to Test email.