Moving your license to a new brokerage, whether that’s a holding company or a full-service firm, is mostly a few clicks in IDFPR’s online portal. The details that trip people up are which option to pick, who has to approve it, and the 7-day deadline.

Before you start

• Know your new sponsor’s license number. You’ll search for the brokerage by it.
• Have a card ready for the $35 fee. Paying online may add a small convenience fee.
• Know your current status. If you’re still sponsored, you’ll transfer. If you already left your brokerage, you’re unsponsored (inactive), and you’ll “join” a new firm instead.
• Tell your new brokerage it’s coming. They have to approve it within 7 days.

Option 1: You start the transfer online

1. Log in to IDFPR’s Online Services Portal and go to Online Services, then Licensure Options, then Start.
2. Choose the right option:
   • “Transfer Active License to New Brokerage Firm” if you’re currently sponsored. IDFPR describes this as the “process for changing firms while staying active during transfer.”
   • “Join a New Brokerage Firm (Only If Unsponsored)” if your license is inactive because you already left.
3. Search for your new sponsor by the brokerage’s license number.
4. Pay the transfer fee and submit.
5. Your new sponsoring broker approves it. IDFPR’s instructions say transfer requests “must be approved by the new Sponsoring Broker within 7 calendar days, or the request will expire and the transfer fee forfeited.”
6. Confirm it went through. IDFPR says to “allow up to 24 hours for transfer to reflect in our database and on your license.” Then look up your license to check the new sponsor.

Option 2: Your new brokerage sends you an invite

Some brokerages start the process for you. You’ll get an invite, and you approve it in the portal under “Review Pending Request From New Brokerage Firm.” Same timing applies: allow up to 24 hours for the change to show.

Option 3: The paper Sponsor Card

IDFPR still accepts a paper Sponsor Card, signed by the new brokerage’s designated managing broker. It’s sent with “a $35 check or money order made payable to IDFPR,” or you pay through IDFPR’s ePay and email the card to fpr.realestate@illinois.gov. The online portal is faster.

What about your old brokerage?

If you’re the one ending the relationship, Illinois rules require you to notify IDFPR within 24 hours and to “immediately notify the sponsoring broker.” Once a sponsorship ends, the rules say the license “is automatically changed to inactive status,” and you can’t practice until the new sponsorship is registered.

The transfer option is designed to keep you active during the move, but the approval can take up to 7 days plus a day to post. Don’t take on new referrals until you’ve confirmed the new sponsor shows on your license.

If you’re a managing broker

Managing brokers who aren’t the designated managing broker or self-sponsored must first choose “Modify My Current Licensure” in the portal, according to IDFPR’s instructions. A managing broker who wants to self-sponsor completes the Sponsor Card on their own behalf.

A note on the fee

Some older IDFPR instruction sheets still list a $25 transfer fee. The current rule says: “The fee for processing a sponsorship transfer is $35,” and IDFPR’s current Sponsor Card also says $35.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to transfer an Illinois real estate license?

The state’s sponsorship transfer fee is $35, paid to IDFPR. Paying online may add a small convenience fee. Some older IDFPR instruction sheets still show $25, but the current rule sets it at $35.

How long does a license transfer take in Illinois?

The new sponsoring broker has 7 calendar days to approve the request. Once approved, IDFPR says to allow up to 24 hours for the transfer to show on your license.

Can my new brokerage start the transfer?

Yes. A brokerage can send you an invite, and you approve it in the portal under “Review Pending Request From New Brokerage Firm.”

What happens if the new brokerage doesn’t approve in time?

The request expires after 7 calendar days and the transfer fee is forfeited. You’d need to submit a new request and pay again.

Do I have to tell my old brokerage?

Yes. If you end the relationship, Illinois rules require you to notify IDFPR within 24 hours and to notify your sponsoring broker immediately.

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