Vermont 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

   Finish the 40-hour OPR-approved salesperson course

   Search approved courses in the OPR portal. You can skip it only if you hold an active license in an equivalent state (not Indiana or Rhode Island).

2. 2

   Take the PSI national exam — 100 items / 70 / 150 minutes / $110

   Bulletin 5036. Remote option available since December 3, 2025. You can skip it only if your state is equivalent (not California, New York, Puerto Rico, or West Virginia).

3. 3

   OPR online application: state exam link inside, no exceptions

   Review the statutes and administrative rules first. Processing takes 3–5 business days per document. You must have passed both exams within the prior two years.

4. 4

   Affiliate with a Vermont principal broker and registered office

   Submit the Verification of Employment/Supervision. Office registration with OPR is separate from Corporations Division registration.

5. 5

   Complete 8-hour post-licensure within 90 days of issuance

   Required before your first renewal. Waived if you have been licensed 24 months in another jurisdiction in good standing. This is separate from the 40-hour prelicense course and the 16-hour CE requirement.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Vermont residency is not required (Rule 2.4; OPR FAQ), but affiliation with a Vermont principal broker and a Vermont-registered office is. Out-of-state applicants can skip the 40 hours only if their state is equivalent (Indiana and Rhode Island are not), and can skip the PSI national exam only if their state is equivalent (California, New York, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia are not). Everyone takes the OPR state exam. Fast-track (3 V.S.A. § 136a) applies if you are licensed, in good standing, and have practiced continuously for three or more years in another U.S. jurisdiction; the state exam is still required.

Qualifying education

You need a Commission-approved salesperson prelicense course of at least 40 hours. Find approved providers with OPR’s online course search. If you hold an active license in an equivalent state, you can skip the 40 hours; Indiana and Rhode Island are not equivalent (OPR FAQ). Post-licensure is a separate 8-hour requirement within 90 days of your initial salesperson license (VAR; NVRA; Rule 5.2(a)). A salesperson licensed for 24 months in another jurisdiction in good standing is exempt from post-licensure. The salesperson 40-hour course is not the same as the broker 40-hour course.

Education or filing deadline

You must have passed the national and state examinations within the two years immediately preceding application (Rule 2.4(c)). The PSI fee is forfeited if you do not test within one year of payment (bulletin 5036). Rule 2.7: if you fail one part, retake that part within six months; after six months or two failures, retake the full exam.

Character review

You must not be precluded from licensure under 3 V.S.A. § 129a (Rule 2.4(e)). For convictions, provide a written explanation in your own words plus all court documents. For discipline, provide full documentation. Failing to disclose is a separate ground for denial (OPR FAQ).

Background process

OPR’s salesperson FAQ does not name a fingerprint vendor. You disclose convictions and discipline by uploading documents to the online application. Under 3 V.S.A. § 125(a)(5), OPR charges $25 for an optional preapplication criminal-background determination. A New Hampshire IdentoGO fingerprint packet does not apply here.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. To activate, you must affiliate with a Vermont principal broker and a Vermont-registered office (Rule 2.4(d)). To upgrade to broker later, you need 2 years as a salesperson plus 8 closed unrelated transactions with no familial or contemporaneous business relation to you (Rule 2.5(c)).

Broker affiliation

Yes. To activate, you must be affiliated with a Vermont principal broker and a Vermont registered office (Rule 2.4(d); OPR FAQ). Every licensee is associated with a single registered brokerage firm (Rule 2.3(c)). Office registration is a separate OPR filing that requires a trust account or a signed-and-dated explanation, a Federal ID (or SSN for a sole proprietor), a principal broker, and proof of Corporations Division name registration. A salesperson cannot open an office unless a principal broker is responsible for supervision. Registering with the Corporations Division does not register the office with OPR.

PSI national only (test-takers.psiexams.com/vtre, bulletin 5036, $110). Vermont state exam administered by OPR inside the online application. · Fee: $110

PSI national: $110 per attempt, not refundable or transferable; you must test within one year of payment. Same-day retests are not available. Cancel at least two days before the appointment. For remote exams, start within 15 minutes of your booked time. After a Wednesday failure you can typically retest Friday. OPR state exam: taken inside the application; under Rule 2.7 you may retake a failed part within six months, and after six months or two failures you must retake the full exam. Fast-track applicants still take the state exam (3 V.S.A. § 136a). You must have passed both parts within the two years immediately preceding application.

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

26 V.S.A. § 2255: salesperson/broker application $100, biennial individual renewal $200, firm $200 / $400, temporary permit $25, transfer $10, inactive $25, course review $100. 3 V.S.A. § 125 sets OPR's default fees for advisor professions (application $115, biennial renewal $275, verification $30, preapplication criminal-background determination $25), which apply unless otherwise provided by law; chapter 41 provides otherwise. PSI national: $110 (bulletin 5036), forfeited if you do not test within one year. The state exam has no separate PSI fee. Military members and spouses may request an application-fee waiver (§ 125(d)).

• !

  Waiting for PSI to schedule a Vermont state exam

  The state exam moved into the OPR application on February 27, 2021. PSI does not offer a state exam for Vermont; the $110 covers the national exam only.

• !

  Skipping the state exam on fast-track or endorsement

  OPR allows no exceptions. 3 V.S.A. § 136a still requires it, and Rule 2.4 says all applicants complete the Vermont examination.

• !

  Expecting a New York or California license to waive the national exam

  OPR names CA, NY, PR, and WV as not equivalent for the national exam.

• !

  Expecting an Indiana or Rhode Island license to waive the 40 hours

  OPR names IN and RI as not equivalent for education. Rhode Island’s 45-hour course plus lead course is a different requirement and does not waive Vermont’s 40 hours.

• !

  Applying without affiliating with a Vermont principal broker

  The license will not activate (Rule 2.4(d)). Office registration with OPR is separate from Corporations Division registration. A salesperson cannot open an office except under a principal broker.

• !

  Missing the 90-day window for 8-hour post-licensure

  Under Rule 5.2(a) and per VAR, new salespersons must complete post-licensure within 90 days. It is audited along with CE. Only licensees with 24 months in another jurisdiction are exempt.

Vermont uses equivalence rather than named reciprocity partners. Education waiver: an active license in an equivalent state (Indiana and Rhode Island are not equivalent). National-exam waiver: an active license in an equivalent state (California, New York, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia are not equivalent). State exam: no waiver and no exceptions. Fast-track endorsement (3 V.S.A. § 136a): licensed, in good standing, with continuous practice of three or more years in another U.S. jurisdiction; the state exam is still required. License verification is needed only from your initial and most recent states. Post-licensure is waived for a salesperson licensed 24 months in another jurisdiction in good standing (Rule 5.2(a)).

Vermont 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?

40. You can skip them only if you hold an active license in a state OPR treats as equivalent. Indiana and Rhode Island are not equivalent.

Who gives the exam, and what does it cost?

PSI gives only the national exam (100 items, passing 70, 150 minutes, $110). The Vermont state exam is part of the OPR online application, and all applicants take it with no exceptions. OPR's FAQ does not publish item counts. The application for licensure is $100 under 26 V.S.A. § 2255; the 3 V.S.A. § 125 amounts ($115/$275) are OPR's default fees for advisor professions and are overridden by chapter 41.

Do endorsement or fast-track skip the state exam?

No. OPR's FAQ states that all applicants must take the state exam, and fast-track (3 V.S.A. § 136a) still includes it. Rule 2.4 also says all applicants complete the Vermont examination.

Do I need to affiliate with a Vermont office?

Yes. You need a Vermont principal broker and a Vermont-registered office to activate. A salesperson cannot open an office except under a principal broker. Corporations Division registration is a separate filing from OPR office registration.

What is post-licensure?

Eight hours, completed within 90 days of your initial salesperson license and uploaded at your first renewal (VAR; NVRA; Rule 5.2(a)). It is waived if you have been licensed 24 months in another jurisdiction in good standing. It is separate from the 16-hour CE requirement.

When do I renew, and what is CE?

Vermont uses a fixed biennial schedule (Rule 3.1). Salespersons need 16 hours, including a 4-hour Commission-designated mandatory course (NVRA / VAR 2024–2026 schedule; Rule 5.2(b)). Renewal is $200 (26 V.S.A. § 2255). The current salesperson deadline on the NVRA schedule is May 31, 2026.

Is dual agency allowed?

No. Both non-designated-agency firms and designated-agency firms are prohibited from dual or limited agency (Rules 4.3(d)(1), 4.4(e)(1)). Net listings are also prohibited (Rule 4.8(e)).