North Carolina Broker License (non-provisional) and Broker-in-Charge requirements

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

1. 1

   While still provisional, calendar the 18-month postlicensing deadline

   Three 30-hour courses. Do not treat CE as a substitute.

2. 2

   Complete all 90 hours through certified providers

   Providers report electronically. Confirm NCREC has the completions before the deadline.

3. 3

   Confirm provisional restriction is removed

   Then decide whether you need BIC eligibility to open or run an office.

4. 4

   If seeking BIC, complete BIC education and meet the experience rule

   Thereafter take BIC Update annually, not General Update.

5. 5

   Renew by June 10 with 8 hours of the correct CE pair

   $50 renewal on the April 2026 fee package.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Not required. BIC affiliation rules still apply if you will supervise provisional brokers or operate an office.

Qualifying education

Postlicensing is a one-time requirement to leave provisional status, due within 18 months of issuance. It is not CE. BIC eligibility later requires the Commission's BIC course in addition to experience.

After licensing

The 90 hours are the postlicensing. After that, 8 hours of CE each license year: General Update + elective, or BIC Update + elective if BIC-eligible.

Character review

Ongoing NCREC character jurisdiction. Reinstatement after long expirations reopens the criminal-record report.

Background process

Already completed at original licensure; reinstatement and some status changes require a fresh report.

Experience

No extra years are required to leave provisional status — only the 90 hours inside 18 months. BIC eligibility has a separate experience floor published in NCREC BIC rules (confirm the live two-year full-broker figure on the Commission's BIC page).

Broker affiliation

A non-provisional broker may become BIC-eligible and then supervise provisional brokers. Until BIC-eligible, you do not hold that office. You still renew as a broker.

No second Pearson VUE broker exam on the standard upgrade path

School-exam retakes follow the provider and Commission rules. License reinstatement after long expiration can require Pearson VUE again — see the current NCREC bulletin, not this upgrade path.

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

No second original-application fee to leave provisional status. Renewal $50 as of April 1, 2026. Reinstatement after expiration has its own $100/$105 bulletin figures — use the live bulletin if you lapsed.

• !

  Using CE to "finish" provisional status

  CE keeps you active. Postlicensing ends provisional. They are not interchangeable.

• !

  Taking General Update as a BIC

  You may stay active and still lose BIC eligibility. NCREC has said so in CE bulletins.

• !

  Assuming an out-of-state broker license skips the 90 hours

  Many inbound licensees remain provisional in North Carolina until postlicensing is done. Read RELINC, not a reciprocity meme.

An out-of-state full broker does not automatically skip NC postlicensing. RELINC's equivalent-status language is the test. Florida mutual recognition does not list North Carolina.

Do I take another Pearson VUE exam to become a full broker?

Not on the standard path. You complete 90 hours of postlicensing. Pearson VUE returns if you are reinstating a long-expired license, which is a different bulletin.

Is BIC a separate license?

No. It is eligibility plus annual BIC Update. Lose the Update and you can remain an active broker while losing BIC status.