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What do I need for a Louisiana mortgage loan originator license?

Louisiana requires a mortgage loan originator to hold a license, unless a statutory exemption applies. An applicant completes at least twenty hours of prelicensing education and passes a written test. The license expires on December thirty-first of the year it is issued.

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The rule, fact by fact

Course hours
At least twenty hours of prelicensing educationThe statute sets minimum hours on three topics, and federal law is one.
Verified. legis.la.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Cost
$110 for the NMLS National Test. This is not the course priceNMLS lists the fee in its test specifications table.
NMLS Resource Center · SAFE MLO Test overview (opens website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Written test
The applicant must have passed a written test that meets the chapter's test requirementThe commissioner may not issue the license without finding this.
Verified. legis.la.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Valid for
Each license expires on December thirty-first of the year issuedA license issued in the spring lasts only to the end of that year.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check whether you need the license. The commissioner requires mortgage loan originators to be licensed and registered through the NMLS&R. The statute exempts some individuals from the originator provisions, among them individuals who offer or negotiate a loan with or for an immediate family member, and individuals who do so on a loan secured by their own dwelling that serves as their residence.

  2. Step 2. Pick a course the NMLS&R approves. The statute says the NMLS&R reviews and approves the courses and the course providers. Use the NMLS course provider list.

  3. Step 3. Take at least twenty hours. The statute says they include at a minimum three hours of federal law and regulations, three of ethics and two on lending standards for the nontraditional mortgage marketplace.

  4. Step 4. Pass the written test. The commissioner may not issue the license unless the applicant has passed a written test that meets the chapter's test requirement.

Before you pay

Before you pay, check that the NMLS&R has approved both the course and its provider.

Questions

Can I take the course online?

The statute says prelicensing education may be offered by any means the NMLS&R approves. An online course fits that rule when the NMLS&R has approved it.

Do courses I took for another state count?

Courses the NMLS&R approved for any other state are accepted as credit, unless a rule the commissioner issues provides otherwise.

Can my employer provide the course?

A course the NMLS&R approves and the applicant's employer provides is allowed. Courses from an entity tied to the employer by an agency contract, or from an affiliate of either, are allowed too.

What continuing education comes after I am licensed?

A licensed originator completes at least eight hours of continuing education each year. The statute again sets minimum hours on federal law, ethics and nontraditional lending.

How long is the test?

NMLS lists 120 questions, with 115 scored, and 190 minutes to finish. The five unscored pre-test questions have no effect on your pass or fail result.

What to do next

Start with the Louisiana statute on prelicensing education. Then pick a course the NMLS&R approves.

legis.la.gov

Sources we read