Retiring to Florida? Following a job to Texas? You don’t have to give up the Illinois license you worked for. Here’s what changes when you move, and what doesn’t.

You don’t have to live in Illinois

The Illinois Real Estate License Act’s requirements for a broker license don’t include Illinois residency. What keeps your license active is the same as always: a sponsoring Illinois brokerage, and on-time renewal with CE.

The nonresident consent

Illinois asks nonresident licensees for one extra thing: a written consent naming IDFPR’s Secretary as their agent to receive legal papers. The Act requires it “prior to the issuance of a license to a nonresident managing broker or broker,” and it “shall remain in force for so long as” the person is licensed.

IDFPR’s Non-Resident Consent form explains why: service on the agency is “valid and binding as if actual service had been made upon the applicant in Illinois.” In plain English, if someone needs to serve you with legal papers about Illinois real estate, they can do it through IDFPR instead of tracking you down in another state.

The law clearly covers nonresidents getting a new license. It’s less clear whether an existing licensee who moves away must file one. Ask IDFPR when you move. It’s a one-page form.

What stays the same after you move

Earning referral fees from another state

You can keep earning referral fees in two directions:

• Illinois clients to Illinois agents. Friends back home still need agents. Refer them, and the fee is paid to your Illinois sponsoring brokerage, then to you.
• Clients to agents in your new state. Illinois rules allow referral fees to licensees who hold “an equivalent license of another state or country of domicile.” The receiving agent’s brokerage pays your Illinois brokerage. Their state’s rules govern their side.

Either way, the fee goes brokerage to brokerage, never directly to you. See referral fees, explained.

Getting licensed in your new state

If you want to practice where you now live, you’ll need that state’s license. Many states give some credit for an existing license, but the rules vary by state, so check with your new state’s real estate commission. Your Illinois license can stay active alongside it, as long as your Illinois sponsorship and renewals are in order.

Your moving checklist

1. Keep your Illinois license sponsored. A license holding company works well if you won’t practice in Illinois.
2. Update your address with IDFPR.
3. Ask IDFPR whether you need to file the Non-Resident Consent form.
4. Calendar April 30, 2028, and plan your Illinois CE.
5. Tell your Illinois network you’re still licensed and still happy to refer.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to live in Illinois to hold an Illinois real estate license?

No. The License Act’s requirements for a broker license don’t include Illinois residency. Nonresidents can hold an Illinois license.

What is the Illinois nonresident consent?

Before a license is issued to a nonresident broker, the Act requires a written consent appointing IDFPR’s Secretary to receive legal papers on their behalf. IDFPR’s form says service on the agency is valid and binding as if it were made on the licensee in Illinois. Ask IDFPR whether you need to file one when you move.

Can I keep earning Illinois referral fees after I move?

Yes, as long as your Illinois license stays active and sponsored by an Illinois brokerage. Referral fees still flow from the other agent’s brokerage to your sponsoring brokerage, then to you.

Can I refer clients to agents in my new state?

Yes. You can refer a client to a licensed agent in another state. The receiving agent’s brokerage pays your Illinois sponsoring brokerage. The other state’s rules govern their side of the payment.

Do I still need Illinois CE if I live in another state?

Yes. Illinois renewal requires completing Illinois’s CE requirements. IDFPR has a form for requesting approval of out-of-state CE, so ask IDFPR whether courses you take elsewhere can count.

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