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How do I get a real estate license in Maine?

If you've never held a real estate license in any state, you take the sales agent course, pass the exam and apply. You also need a broker to hire you.

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The rule, fact by fact

Cost
$100, plus $21 for the criminal records checkThe $100 is a single fee that covers both the application and the license.
Verified. Maine Real Estate Commission · Individual licenses (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Valid for
Issued for 2 years and not renewable; no new one for 5 yearsThe statute says a sales agent license can't be renewed. Count 5 years from the day the first one was issued.
Verified. Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32 · Section 13200, real estate sales agent (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Agency
The Department of Professional and Financial Regulation licenses sales agentsThis is how the department's page defines a sales agent. The steps below also mention the commission, which sets the course guidelines.
Same source and date as above
Who needs it
An applicant must have reached the 18th birthday when applyingThis is one of the rules for a first-time applicant.
Verified. Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32 · Section 13191, general qualifications (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check the basic rules. You must have reached your 18th birthday when you apply. You must also be a high school graduate or hold an equivalency certificate.

  2. Step 2. Take the sales agent course. It must meet the commission's guidelines. You must finish it with a final grade of at least 75%.

  3. Step 3. Pass the sales agent exam. Pearson VUE gives it. You need at least 75%, and you must pass within one year of finishing the course.

  4. Step 4. Apply for the license. You must apply within one year of passing the exam. The application and license fee is $100, and the criminal records check costs $21 more.

  5. Step 5. Get a broker to hire you. For an active license you give a written statement from the agency's designated broker, who will employ you, authorizing your license to be issued under the agency.

  6. Step 6. Plan for the end date. The license is issued for 2 years and can't be renewed.

Before you pay

We read two Maine statutes and the state's page on individual real estate licenses. We haven't confirmed the number of course hours, an exam fee, a course price or whether a course can be taken online.

Before you pay a school, ask how long your access lasts. Ask whether the course counts, and check that on the state's own pages.

Questions

What can I do once I hold a sales agent license?

You may do the brokerage work your designated broker specifically authorizes, within the commission's guidelines for sales agents. The state's page adds that the license may only perform brokerage services for a licensed real estate agency, under its designated broker's supervision.

Can I renew a sales agent license?

No, but the commission may grant a waiver to stay licensed past the 2-year term. Waivers rest on extenuating circumstances as the commission's rules define them. Ask the commission which circumstances qualify.

I hold a license in another state. What do I need?

An equal Maine license may be issued if your license elsewhere is current and active, once you meet the requirements. Those include passing the Maine Law exam and sending verification of good standing from any state where you hold or have held a license.

What to do next

Start with the Maine statute on real estate sales agents. Then look for the state's own pages on courses and fees.

legislature.maine.gov

Sources we read