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State Cert Guide

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What do I need for a New Jersey mortgage loan originator license?

Unless an exemption applies, New Jersey requires this license if you take a residential mortgage loan application, or offer or negotiate its terms, for compensation or gain or the expectation of it. To apply, you complete 20 hours of education. Four hours are on New Jersey. You also pass the National and State components of the SAFE Test.

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The rule, fact by fact

Course hours
20 hours of NMLS approved education, including 4 hours on New JerseyThe agency lists these hours as a pre-requisite for applying.
Verified. www.nj.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Cost
$110 for the National Test, as NMLS lists it. This is not the course priceWe haven't confirmed a course price from a source.
NMLS Resource Center · SAFE MLO Test overview (opens website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Agency
NJ Department of Banking & Insurance, Licensing Services BureauContact its banking licensing staff with questions.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check that your work needs the license: taking a residential mortgage loan application, or offering or negotiating its terms, for compensation or gain or the expectation of it. An originator must work for one, and not more than one, licensed New Jersey lender or broker.

  2. Step 2. Pick a course from the NMLS course provider list. The state asks for 20 hours, with 4 hours of New Jersey specific education.

  3. Step 3. Take the 20 hours. NMLS says all prelicensing categories can be given in a classroom or a classroom equivalent (webinar) format.

  4. Step 4. Pass the National and State components of the SAFE Test. NMLS says an MLO seeking state licensure needs 75% or better on its SAFE test.

Before you pay

Before you pay, check that the course is on the NMLS course provider list and covers the 4 New Jersey hours.

Questions

Does a loan processor or underwriter need this license?

Not when the person works only as a loan processor or underwriter, as an employee with clerical or support duties under the supervision of a New Jersey licensed lender or broker, or of a person exempt from licensure under New Jersey law.

How do the 20 hours split?

NMLS lists 3 hours of federal law, 3 of ethics, 2 of non-traditional mortgage lending, 8 of electives and 4 of New Jersey law.

What is on the National test?

NMLS lists 120 questions, and 115 of them count toward the score. You get 190 minutes. Five pre-test questions do not count and do not affect the pass or fail result.

What to do next

Start with the Department of Banking and Insurance page on this license. Then pick a course from the NMLS list.

www.nj.gov

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