Limited Nonresident Commercial Real Estate License

Basic Eligibility for Licensure

You must hold an active real estate license in good standing in the state or United States territory where your primary place of real estate business is located (your “qualifying state”), and you may not have an address in North Carolina. You are not required to be licensed in the state where you reside.

The process for obtaining a Limited Nonresident Commercial Real Estate License is:

  1. Applicant must obtain an Official Certification of Licensure from the licensing agency in the qualifying state or jurisdiction in which the applicant is licensed as well as any other state or jurisdiction in which the applicant has been licensed within the previous five years of application. The certification must have been issued within the previous six months and must indicate the license (and status) history and any disciplinary action taken or complaints pending against the applicant. A copy of the applicant’s real estate license certificate or pocket identification card is not acceptable. Proof of education is not required.
  2. Applicant must obtain a criminal report from Criminal Record Check (CRC) and submit it with the applicant’s application. A report prepared by CRC within the previous six months is the only report acceptable to the Commission.
  3. Applicant mails the completed paper application form, criminal background check, and $100.00 application fee to the Commission. The application fee must be payable by certified check, official bank check or money order. Payment by personal check, company check or cash is not permitted.
  4. Upon receipt, Commission staff reviews application to determine applicant’s eligibility. If the applicant is deemed to be eligible, the license will be promptly issued. If the application is incomplete, the application will likely be returned to the applicant for proper completion. If there is an issue relating to the applicant’s character, the application may be referred to the Commission for further consideration as to whether the applicant has the good character necessary for licensure. This process may become quite lengthy. For a detailed explanation regarding the character review process, please refer to pages 12-13 in the Commission’s Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina.

Application Form:

Nonresident Commercial License Application (Form REC 1.78)
Declaration of Affiliation of Limited Commercial License (Form REC 1.79)

The Declaration of Affiliation of Limited Commercial License Form This form should NOT be filed with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission, but the nonresident licensee and the resident broker should each retain a fully executed copy.
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