Every Florida real estate sales associate applicant must complete a fingerprint-based criminal-history check. The fingerprint scan and the licensing review are related but different: an approved provider sends prints through FDLE and the FBI, while DBPR and, when required, the Florida Real Estate Commission evaluate the application against Florida licensing law. A prior record does not let a general website predict the outcome, and an empty record does not replace the rest of the licensing requirements.
Start with the current DBPR RE 1 sales associate application and the official DBPR fingerprinting instructions. Read the exact questions before answering them. This guide summarizes the public forms and statutes; it is not legal advice and cannot determine how DBPR will decide an individual record.
What the Florida background check includes
Florida law requires digital fingerprints with the signed or electronically authenticated application and fee. FDLE processes the prints for a state criminal-history record, and the FBI processes them for a federal record. The results go to DBPR to help determine whether the applicant is statutorily qualified for the licensing examination. Applicants do not upload or deliver the criminal-history result themselves.
This is not merely an identity check. Section 475.17 requires an applicant to be honest, truthful, trustworthy, of good character, and reputable for fair dealing. It also lets the commission consider earlier licensing discipline or conduct that would have supported discipline under Florida real estate law, along with the time that has passed, later conduct, reputation, and public risk. The statute does not give a general article a single automatic approval formula. Review the current Florida Statute 475.17 for the controlling qualifications.
The four RE 1 background questions
The current RE 1 form asks more than whether an applicant has a felony. Its first background question covers a conviction, guilty finding, guilty plea, or nolo contendere plea in any jurisdiction, regardless of adjudication, as well as a current criminal investigation. The form says this includes felonies, misdemeanors, and many traffic offenses, while excluding parking, speeding, inspection, and traffic-signal violations.
The form separately asks about a court judgment or decree related to the profession, a denied or pending professional-license application, and a professional license or permit that was revoked, suspended, surrendered, relinquished, otherwise disciplined, or placed in a pending discipline proceeding. Prior licenses and aliases are also requested elsewhere in the application. Read every question as written instead of assuming the fingerprint report is the only disclosure source.
For sealed or expunged records, the RE 1 form tells applicants who intend to answer “no” to verify the sealing or expungement first. The form also warns that an inaccurate answer can lead to denial or later revocation and directs applicants who do not understand a question to contact DBPR or consult an attorney. Do not rely on an informal “seven-year rule” or advice that every old record can be omitted; the current form and the facts of the record control the response.
Documents to collect before submitting a yes answer
For each criminal-history occurrence disclosed under Question 1, the RE 1 instructions request the arrest report, the disposition or final orders, and proof that all sanctions were served and satisfied. If the applicant cannot obtain a record, the form asks for a certified statement from the relevant clerk of court describing the record status. An applicant still on probation must include a letter from the probation officer on official letterhead stating the probation status.
A yes answer about a profession-related judgment requires the judgment or decree and proof that sanctions were satisfied or documentation of the current proceeding. A prior license denial or pending denial requires records explaining that action. Prior license discipline requires the relevant orders or documents showing the pending status. Organize each occurrence separately and make the name, jurisdiction, dates, disposition, and sanction status consistent across the application and supporting records.
Correct application and fingerprint sequence
1. Download or open the current RE 1 application and read all four background questions before filing. Gather the required legal records and explanations for every yes answer.
2. Submit the licensure application first. DBPR says the application should precede fingerprint submission. Use your full legal name and disclose prior names so the application and supporting records can be matched.
3. Immediately afterward, use an FDLE-registered Livescan provider and give the provider the real estate sales and brokers ORI number FL920010Z. An incorrect or missing ORI can prevent DBPR from receiving the result. Keep the receipt and Transaction Control Number.
4. Track the fingerprint transaction if needed and monitor the DBPR application. The department says fingerprint results may take up to five days to arrive after submission to FDLE, but a criminal-history or documentation review can take longer than the transmission itself. Respond to a deficiency or appearance notice by its stated deadline.
Use the detailed Florida fingerprinting guide for provider selection, ORI, identification, TCN tracking, and rerolls. Use the DBPR application-status guide after filing. Keeping those procedural topics separate prevents a criminal-history guide from competing with the dedicated fingerprint-location page.
What happens if the fingerprint result shows a record
DBPR says it reviews the application to determine whether the criminal history statutorily disqualifies the applicant for the profession. Depending on the offenses and record, the application may require further department review, board review, or a personal appearance before the board. DBPR says it will notify the applicant in writing if an appearance is required. That is why complete disclosures and final court documents matter more than trying to guess an outcome from a generic list.
The review should not be confused with fingerprint transmission. A provider can successfully send usable prints while DBPR still needs legal records or an explanation. Conversely, a deficiency about missing prints may mean DBPR never received the transaction rather than that a criminal-history issue exists. Read the exact notice, contact the provider for transmission problems, and contact DBPR about application-document questions.
Background check, issued license, or application status?
Use this page when planning disclosure and supporting documents. Use the fingerprinting guide when you need a provider, ORI, TCN, or reroll instructions. Use DBPR application status while the application is pending. After DBPR issues a credential, use the Florida license lookup guide. These tools answer different questions; an issued-license search cannot explain a pending background review.
Applicants who are starting the full process can follow the Florida real estate license checklist and compare the 63-hour sales associate course. The course requirement and the background review run on different tracks, so completing one does not automatically complete the other.
FAQs
Q: Does every Florida real estate applicant need fingerprints?
A: Florida Statute 475.175 and the RE 1 instructions require digital fingerprints for sales associate applicants. DBPR routes the prints through FDLE and the FBI for criminal-history processing. Read the statute.
Q: Does a criminal record automatically prevent licensure?
A: A general guide cannot promise approval or denial. DBPR reviews the record under the statutes and may require board review or a personal appearance. Submit complete, accurate disclosures and the documents requested by the current application.
Q: What if a court cannot provide an old record?
A: The RE 1 instructions request a certified statement from the relevant clerk of court describing the status of records when the applicant cannot supply the required documentation.
Q: How long does the background check take?
A: DBPR says fingerprint results may take up to five days to reach the department after submission to FDLE. That is a transmission estimate, not a promise that every application or criminal-history review will be completed within five days.