New Hampshire 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

   Start the 40-hour course (32 classroom or live-class / 8 distance) and mark the six-month deadline to sit

   The deadline runs from when you start the course, not when you finish it. Live-class counts as classroom if it meets the Rea 301.03 video/audio rules.

2. 2

   Register for PSI online only; sit within three months of registration and within six months of course start

   Education must be done before the exam. Combo $66. 56/28 points. As of 3/31/2025, registrations sent by mail, fax, or email are returned.

3. 3

   State Police criminal record (valid six months) and three character references

   RSA 331-A:10-a. Include other-jurisdiction conviction reports too. This is not a Pearson fingerprint service.

4. 4

   License application within six months of passing, with broker affiliation if active

   After eight attempts or six months without passing both portions, you need a new prelicense course. Do not notarize the application more than 30 days before submission (Rea 301.03(t)).

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

New Hampshire residency is not required. Age 18. SSN as required by RSA 161-B:11, VI-a on the exam registration. The PSI bulletin states that candidates holding a valid license from another state may be eligible through reciprocity and that NH has reciprocity with all 50 states. That is an application path, not a waiver of the 40-hour course or the state exam; check the current OPLC reciprocal application. Alternate education: 34 hours of out-of-state national material plus 6 hours of NH state material, still 32 classroom / 8 distance, still within six months.

Qualifying education

RSA 331-A:10,I(b) and Rea 301.03(p)–(q), reprinted in the PSI bulletin (updated 7/1/2025). You need an NH-accredited 40-hour pre-licensing course, or 34 hours of accredited national material completed in another state plus a minimum of 6 hours of NH-accredited state material, still 32/8, still within six months of the exam. Under Rea 301.03, real-time internet live-class counts as classroom if it has live video and audio of all participants and a live instructor stream. Non-live distance education is allowed only for acceptable absences (family emergency, illness, technical issues, unforeseen circumstances), requires a final of at least 25 questions, and is limited to two such classes. The six-month deadline to sit the exam starts when you begin the course. Education must be complete before the exam date, or both exam portions are voided and must be retaken. A list of pre-licensing instructors is on oplc.nh.gov / CE Broker.

Education or filing deadline

Sit within six months of starting the course. Sit within three months of exam registration (a new registration and fee are required if you miss it; a 30-day good-cause waiver exists). Apply for the license within six months of passing. After eight attempts or six months from the original exam, you need a new prelicense course (Rea 303.05). The paid PSI fee is valid one year from payment, but the education deadlines are shorter.

Character review

State Police criminal record plus out-of-jurisdiction conviction reports. Arrest and Conviction Form for non-NH offenses. Disclose everything; failing to disclose is disqualifying on its own. Three character references (not related by blood or marriage) go on the license application. You must demonstrate no record of unprofessional conduct and furnish evidence of a good reputation for honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity (RSA 331-A).

Background process

NH State Police criminal record release plus any other-jurisdiction conviction reports, valid six months. Complete this before applying for the license, not at PSI.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. Broker affiliation is required to practice on active status. The broker license later requires one year full-time under an active principal broker within five years, or 2000 part-time NH salesperson hours within five years, plus six separate compensated transactions.

Broker affiliation

Active practice requires affiliation with a New Hampshire-licensed broker (principal, managing, or whatever title the Commission currently uses for the supervising broker). The license application is due within six months of passing whether you file active or inactive; active applicants include the broker affiliation form. A salesperson is compensated only through that broker. The Commission page lists principal-broker affiliation changes as a separate OPLC filing.

PSI Services LLC, online registration only as of March 31, 2025. https://test-takers.psiexams.com/nhre (855) 340-3711. Bulletin updated 7/1/2025. Not Pearson. Registrations sent by mail, fax, or email are returned. · Fee: $66

Pay for each attempt (National $34 / State $32 / combo $66) and re-register online. The three-month deadline restarts with each registration. If you do not pass both portions within six months of the original exam, or after eight attempts, you must take a new prelicense course (Rea 303.05) on top of the one you already took. Cancel at least 2 calendar days in advance or forfeit the fee. The fee is valid one year from payment, but the education deadlines are shorter. A no-show or missing ID forfeits the fee.

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

PSI bulletin (updated 7/1/2025): salesperson National $34 / State $32 / combo $66. Fees are not refundable or transferable and are valid one year from payment. Rea 301.02 (LII): original individual salesperson license and renewal $90; duplicate $5; certificate of license $5; late renewal (up to 6 months) $60 extra; lapsed reinstatement $200 per four-week period after the date of lapse (may be waived for good cause). The application and initialLicense amounts here are the same $90 original-license fee, not two separate charges. The OPLC application portal charges the actual fee: school materials have listed $99 salesperson / $121 broker payable to Treasurer, State of NH, and a 2026 Rea 300 rulemaking proposed moving Commission fees into Plc 1002. Confirm the current amount at checkout. The State Police set their own criminal-record fee.

• !

  Starting the 40-hour course and sitting seven months later

  The six-month deadline starts when the course starts, so you would have to retake the course. The PSI fee being valid for one year does not extend the education deadline.

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  Sitting before the 40 hours are done

  Rea 301.03(r): both exam portions are voided, and you retake everything, even a portion you passed.

• !

  Eight failed attempts or six months without passing both portions

  You need a new prelicense course, not just another $66 attempt (Rea 303.05).

• !

  Mailing the exam registration to Concord after March 31, 2025

  Per the bulletin, registration is online only. Registrations sent by mail, fax, or email are returned, and you must resubmit online. The three-month deadline runs from a successful registration.

• !

  Letting the State Police report age past six months

  You will have to pay for a new one, and the same applies to other-jurisdiction conviction reports. This is not an IdentoGO or Pearson service.

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  Treating “reciprocity with all 50 states” as a waiver of the 40-hour course

  The bulletin describes an application path. Check the current OPLC form. Alternate education is 34+6 hours, still 32/8.

• !

  Using a Massachusetts 40-hour or Maine 55-hour course as New Hampshire's 40

  Different hour counts, different regulators, and a different exam vendor (PSI NHRE bulletin). Reciprocity is handled through OPLC, not by substituting a transcript.

• !

  Notarizing the license application 31 days before you mail it, or applying 6 months and a day after passing

  Rea 301.03(t): not more than 30 days prior to submission. The six-month deadline after passing is separate from the eight-attempt limit.

• !

  Counting live-class as distance, or putting 16 hours of recorded video into the 8-hour cap

  Rea 301.03: real-time internet live-class with live video/audio of all participants counts as classroom. Non-live distance is for absences only, with a 25-question final, and a maximum of two classes.

• !

  Calling Pearson, or sitting a Maine Pearson exam, for a New Hampshire score

  New Hampshire real estate uses PSI under the NHRE bulletin. Pearson serves Maine, Rhode Island, and Indiana, not New Hampshire.

The PSI bulletin says NH has reciprocity with all 50 states, meaning a valid out-of-state license may support a reciprocal application. It does not waive the state exam or the 40-hour course unless OPLC's reciprocal application says so. Alternate education: 34 hours of out-of-state national material plus 6 hours of NH state material, still 32/8 classroom/distance. Broker candidates licensed in another state for at least one calendar year submit each state, license number, and a certificate of good standing with the exam registration (Rea 301.03(c)). Check oplc.nh.gov for current rules. An older NHES occupational sheet named Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Georgia as reciprocal for a state-portion-only path; use the current OPLC form instead.

New Hampshire 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 many pre-license hours, and can they be online?

40 hours. Per the bulletin and Rea 301.03: a minimum of 32 classroom or real-time internet live-class hours and a maximum of 8 distance hours, begun within six months prior to the exam. Non-live distance education is allowed only for acceptable absences, requires a 25-question final, and is limited to two classes. If a third-party chart shows a different cap, follow the bulletin.

What is the exam cut and fee?

National: 56 of 80 points in 150 minutes ($34). State: 28 of 40 in 90 minutes ($32). Combo: $66 / 240 minutes. 5–10 unscored experimental items may appear and do not count against your time. Rea 301.03(h) also sets a minimum score of 70.

When must I sit after starting class?

Within six months of starting the 40-hour course, and within three months of PSI receiving your registration. Education must be complete before the exam, or you retake everything (Rea 301.03(r)).

How many attempts?

Eight attempts or six months from the original exam, whichever comes first. After that, you need a new accredited prelicense course on top of the one you already took (Rea 303.05 / bulletin).

Is registration still a mailed form to the Commission?

No. Effective 3/31/2025, PSI processes exam registration online only at test-takers.psiexams.com/nhre. Registrations sent by mail, fax, or email are returned. Rea 301.03 still describes a registration form filed with the Commission, but the bulletin reflects the current process.

Does NH really have reciprocity with all 50 states?

The PSI bulletin says so. Treat it as a path to apply through OPLC, not a waiver of the 40-hour course or the state exam, unless the reciprocal application says otherwise. Alternate education is 34 national + 6 NH hours, still 32/8.

What CE applies at renewal?

According to OPLC's education page, active renewal requires at least one three-hour core course plus at least twelve elective hours, all Commission-accredited and tracked in CE Broker. RSA 331-A:25, IX calls for specified first-renewal electives; until the Commission finishes that rulemaking, 12 accredited electives satisfy the requirement. Inactive renewal has different requirements; check with OPLC.

What does the license cost?

Rea 301.02: $90 for the original salesperson license and $90 for biennial renewal. The OPLC portal charges the actual fee; school materials have listed $99. The application and initialLicense amounts here are the same $90, not two charges. PSI's $66 is extra. Late renewal costs $60 extra for up to six months.

Do I need a broker to sit?

No. You need the 40 hours done before the exam. You need a New Hampshire broker affiliation to practice on active status, and the license application is due within six months of passing whether you file active or inactive.

Is the exam Pearson? Can I test remotely?

PSI, not Pearson. The bulletin lists New Hampshire test centers (Concord, Keene, Nashua, Newington, Portsmouth, Manchester). The bulletin table does not list a remote (OnVUE-style) option; check with PSI whether remote proctoring is currently available for NHRE.

How long are scores good?

Apply within six months of passing both portions. If you do not pass both portions within eight attempts or six months from the original exam, you need a new prelicense course. The paid PSI fee is valid for one year, which is a separate deadline.