New Mexico Associate Broker License (entry-level — no salesperson license) requirements

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

1. 1

   Complete three named 30-hour courses (Principles and Practice, Law, Broker Basics)

   Finish within three years of the exam application. A salesperson certificate from another state does not replace Broker Basics. 90 hours total.

2. 2

   Sit the PSI exam ($95) — national 75/80 points/120 min (60 of 80) and New Mexico 50/60 min (38 of 50) at 75%

   Pass both portions within 90 days. Some national items are worth two points. This is a broker exam, not a salesperson exam.

3. 3

   Fingerprints (IdentoGO / NM920263Z process) and current E&O

   Required with the license application. Fingerprints are also required on upgrades, but not on renewal. The NMREC fingerprint PDF lists IdentoGO at $59; check the current price.

4. 4

   Apply online within six months; affiliate with a qualifying broker

   The fee is not to exceed $270. Paper applications ended 1/7/2022. To practice actively, you must be affiliated with a qualifying broker and carry E&O.

5. 5

   First-year New Broker Business Practices or CCIM 101; then the 3-year, 36-hour CE cycle

   Per the NMREC CE page, take New Broker Business Practices (30 classroom hours) or CCIM 101 within the first year (up to 10 CE hours). Each cycle requires the 4-hour Core in each of the three years, plus 4 hours of ethics, 4 core-elective hours, and electives to reach 36.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

According to the Apply page, you must be a legal resident of the United States and have reached the age of majority. New Mexico residency does not substitute for the 90 hours. The PSI bulletin sets no age limit to sit for the exam, but you must be 18 to be issued a license. If you are currently or previously licensed elsewhere, include a certified license certificate or certified license history with the exam application. Salesperson licenses from other states do not receive education or exam waivers. Under the Prelicensure Education Waiver on the Apply page, brokers currently licensed in other states may apply to waive 60 of the 90 hours if a certified history documents Real Estate Principles and Practice and Real Estate Law or a substantial equivalent. They still take the 30-hour Broker Basics course and the state portion; the waiver also drops the national broker exam.

Qualifying education

The Apply page, the NMREC FAQ, and the PSI bulletin table all require one 30-credit-hour course each in Real Estate Principles and Practice, Real Estate Law, and Broker Basics, equaling 90 hours, completed within three years before you apply to take the broker's examination. A written course waiver from the Commission Education Director can substitute for some of this, but never for licensed salespeople, and Broker Basics is still required of all applicants (per the FAQ). Associate brokers currently licensed in New Mexico who are sitting for the exam to upgrade are exempt from the three-year limit and show Broker Basics plus their current license (PSI bulletin). Whether a course is offered by distance or in a classroom depends on the Commission-approved provider; the Apply page does not set a delivery rule. A Nevada 120-hour or Texas 180-hour package is not this 90.

Education or filing deadline

You have three years from course completion to the exam application, except currently licensed New Mexico associate brokers sitting the qualifying-broker exam. PSI eligibility lasts one year from your original submission. You must pass both exam portions within 90 days of the first pass, and apply within six months of passing both.

Character review

A criminal background check is required. Disqualifying convictions are listed at NMAC 16.61.3. Disclose your history, because non-disclosure is independently disqualifying. Honesty, reasonable care, and professional and ethical conduct are scored Broker Duties items on the 50-item state exam.

Background process

Submit fingerprints with the license application after you pass (per the Apply page), following the IdentoGO / NM920263Z process on the NMREC fingerprint PDF. Results go to the Commission. Check the current vendor price before you pay.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for associate broker. To practice actively, you need a qualifying broker and current E&O. Qualifying broker is a separate license with its own experience and points requirements (per the FAQ, 2 of the last 60 months non-supervisory or 4 of the last 60 supervisory).

Broker affiliation

According to the NMREC FAQ, an active associate broker must be affiliated with an actively licensed qualifying broker. To transfer, you file a transfer application, fee, and current E&O, and the holding broker returns the license. Associate brokers can hold only one license. Qualifying brokers can hold multiple licenses; each license is $270 and must be renewed before it expires. Managing property for someone else requires a current broker license with a property management endorsement. The FAQ notes that practicing real estate without a license is a fourth-degree felony ($5,000 / 18 months).

PSI Services (test-takers.psiexams.com/nmre; bulletin 998). $95 for one or both portions. Pearson VUE does not administer this exam. · Fee: $95

PSI bulletin: $95 for the two portions, whether you take 1 or both, first time or retake. Pass both national and state within 90 days of passing the first, or retake both. Eligibility lasts one year from your original PSI submission, and the exam fee is valid one year from payment. The Apply page restates the 90-calendar-day window to pass both portions from the first sitting, followed by a six-month window to apply (if you miss it, you retake after 180 days of notification unless a written explanation is accepted). If you fail one portion, register to retake only that portion — the fee is still $95.

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

The Apply page sets a nonrefundable license application fee not to exceed $270; the application and initialLicense amounts here are that same cap, not two separate charges. The PSI bulletin sets $95 for one or both portions, and a retake is the same $95. The NMREC fingerprint process PDF lists IdentoGO at $59.00 (ORI NM920263Z); check the current price at checkout. Per the FAQ, additional qualifying-broker licenses are $270 each. The FAQ does not itemize a separate renewal fee beyond that $270 figure; under NMAC 16.61.11, licenses run on a three-year cycle ending the last day of the month after your birth month. E&O is a separate insurance premium, not a Commission fee. Confirm the amount on your NM-PLUS / RLD invoice.

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  Calling it a salesperson license, or filing a Texas sales-agent certificate as the 90 hours

  The Apply page lists only associate broker and qualifying broker licenses. The NMREC FAQ confirms there is no salesperson reciprocity, and waivers will not be provided to licensed real estate salespeople.

• !

  Skipping Broker Basics because a waiver dropped Principles and Law

  Per the NMREC FAQ, all applicants complete the 30-hour Broker Basics class. The 60-hour waiver for currently licensed out-of-state brokers still leaves Broker Basics and the state exam.

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  Treating 57 of 75 as the national cut

  The 75 items carry 80 points, and the passing mark is 60 of 80. Scenario items can be worth two points. The state portion is 38 of 50 in 60 minutes.

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  Passing one portion and waiting past 90 days

  You sit both again. After passing both, apply within six months or retake after 180 days of notification.

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  Skipping E&O because a neighboring state treats it as optional

  The NMREC FAQ and 16.61.5 NMAC require current E&O for active licensees, submitted with the application.

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  Reading community property, well-and-surface water rights, or PID disclosures as extra-credit trivia

  Additional State-Required Topics are 7 scored items, and Broker Duties / relationships are 15. A course written for a common-law salesperson state will not cover them.

• !

  Missing a year of the 4-hour Core and expecting a makeup elective to fix it

  Per the NMREC CE page, the penalty is the 30-hour Broker Basics course for 0 CEUs. Inactive licensees still owe the annual Core.

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  Treating first-year New Broker Business Practices as optional onboarding

  Per the NMREC CE page, you must take New Broker Business Practices or CCIM 101 within the first year of licensure. The 30-hour classroom version can count for up to 10 CE hours.

• !

  Holding two associate-broker licenses, or practicing property management without the endorsement

  You may hold only one associate-broker license. Managing property for someone else requires a current broker license plus the endorsement; per the NMREC FAQ, unlicensed practice is a fourth-degree felony.

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  Registering with Pearson, or taking an Arizona salesperson exam, for a New Mexico score

  New Mexico real estate licensing uses the PSI broker examination under bulletin 998. An Arizona Pearson score will not post to NM-PLUS.

According to the NMREC FAQ, there is no reciprocity for a real estate salesperson license. The reciprocal agreements with Georgia, Louisiana, and Massachusetts are broker-to-broker. Waivers will not be provided to licensed real estate salespeople, only brokers, and Broker Basics is still required of waiver applicants who are not on the GA/LA/MA reciprocity path, which skips prelicensing and both exams. Email [email protected] with certified histories. Per the Apply page, managing, designated, or brokerage-in-charge brokers may be considered equivalency applicants for Qualifying Broker and still take Brokerage Office Administration. Expedited military licensure is under NMSA 1978 § 61-1-34.

New Mexico 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.

Does New Mexico issue a salesperson license?

No. According to the Apply page, New Mexico issues two types of real estate broker's licenses — associate broker and qualifying broker — only to individuals. You enter as an associate broker, and there is no salesperson application.

How many prelicense hours, and what are the named courses?

Ninety hours: 30 Real Estate Principles and Practice, 30 Real Estate Law, and 30 Broker Basics, completed within three years of the exam application. The Apply page, the NMREC FAQ, and the PSI bulletin table all list the same three courses.

I hold a Texas / Arizona / California salesperson license. Do I get a waiver?

No. According to the NMREC FAQ, New Mexico does not have reciprocity for a real estate salesperson license, and waivers will not be provided to licensed real estate salespeople, only brokers. Broker Basics is still required of waiver applicants. Reciprocity that skips prelicensing and both exam portions is broker-to-broker with Georgia, Louisiana, and Massachusetts only.

What is the sitting?

PSI charges $95. The national portion has 75 questions worth 80 points in 120 minutes, and you need 60 of 80 points. The state portion has 50 questions in 60 minutes, and you need 38 correct. Each requires 75%. You must pass both within 90 days of your first pass. Because some national items are worth two points, 57 of 75 is not the passing mark.

Is E&O optional?

No. The NMREC FAQ and Apply page both require current errors-and-omissions insurance meeting 16.61.5 NMAC for active licensees, submitted with the license application.

How much is the license?

The Apply page sets a nonrefundable license application fee not to exceed $270. PSI charges $95. The NMREC fingerprint PDF lists IdentoGO at $59; check the current price. The application and license fee are the same $270 cap, not two charges.

When do I renew, and what CE applies?

Licenses renew on a three-year cycle, expiring the last day of the month following your birth month (NMAC 16.61.11). Per the NMREC CE page, associate brokers need 36 total hours, including the annual 4-hour NMREC Core in each of the three years, 4 hours of ethics, 4 core-elective hours, and electives. If you miss a year's Core, the penalty is the 30-hour Broker Basics course for 0 CEUs. In your first year, you also owe New Broker Business Practices or CCIM 101.

Can I hold two associate-broker licenses?

No. Per the NMREC FAQ, associate brokers can hold only one license. Qualifying brokers can hold multiple licenses; each is $270.

Do I have to live in New Mexico?

You must be a legal U.S. resident and have reached the age of majority. New Mexico residency does not substitute for the 90 hours or for Broker Basics.

Is the national cut 75 of 75 items?

No. The 75 items carry 80 points, and you need 60 of 80 points. Scenario items can be worth two points. The state portion is a raw 38 of 50.

What if I pass one portion and wait?

You have 90 days from your first pass to pass the other portion, or you sit both again. You then have six months from passing both to apply, or you retake after 180 days of notification unless a written explanation is accepted.

Is community property on the exam?

New Mexico is a community-property state. The additional state topics also cover water rights (well and surface), septic systems, mechanic's liens, PID and HOA disclosures, and the Human Rights Act. A 90-hour course written for a common-law state will not cover these topics.