How to Become a Real Estate Agent in Quebec
How to become a real estate agent in Quebec: the OACIQ broker licence route, recognized training, the certification exam, and agency attachment.
How to Become a Real Estate Broker in Quebec
Quebec real estate brokerage through the OACIQ: recognized training, the certification exam, French proof where it applies, and the May to April licence year.
Applies in: Quebec
Quebec has one licence for the work, and it is the broker licence. There is no agent licence underneath it, and the Ontario ladder of agent, then broker, does not apply here. The regulator is the Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec, the OACIQ, which enforces the Real Estate Brokerage Act. To carry out brokerage activities in Quebec, a person must hold a real estate broker licence issued by the OACIQ, in residential brokerage, commercial brokerage, or both. This guide follows the OACIQ's own steps, in the OACIQ's own terms, including droit de pratique, rendered here as right to practise, and dirigeant d'agence, rendered as agency executive officer.
Step 1: Pass the OACIQ record checks
The journey starts with probity. To obtain a real estate broker's licence, the OACIQ checks the candidate's probity: the criminal, penal, and professional conduct record and bankruptcy, to make sure the person is worthy to practise the profession. Each situation is analyzed case by case. Following the analysis, the OACIQ may issue the licence without conditions or restrictions, issue it with conditions or restrictions, or refuse the right to practise. Disclose a prior legal record fully. The OACIQ has a separate article on disclosure of a prior legal record, and the Licence Issue and Maintenance Committee may refuse a licence or impose restrictions where, among other grounds, a licence was previously revoked or suspended, an assignment of property or receiving order was made, a conviction related to brokerage transactions was entered, the person is under tutorship or a protection mandate, or the person does not have the necessary probity to ensure public protection.
Real estate brokers who practise in another province or territory and wish to practise in Quebec follow the OACIQ's labour mobility article rather than the new-candidate route. Do not assume a licence from another province transfers directly; start from the labour mobility article.
Step 2: Choose the field: residential, commercial, or both
The candidate must determine what type of licence to obtain: residential real estate brokerage, commercial real estate brokerage, or both. The choice has an impact on the basic training to take and the examination to pass, so make it before enrolling in training. A licence restricted to residential brokerage allows its holder to act only within that field, and commercial work requires the commercial field. Adding a field later means completing the basic training program in that field at an institution recognized by the OACIQ and passing the certification examination for it.
Step 3: Prove knowledge of French where it applies
Proof of knowledge of French is required for the licence application if the OACIQ certification examination was passed in English. The OACIQ steps page states this plainly and directs candidates to its proof-of-knowledge-of-French article for the steps to take with the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF). The examination itself may be taken in French or English, and the answers must be written in the language chosen at registration. If you plan to take the examination in English, start the French proof step early, since it gates the licence application rather than the examination. The opened OACIQ pages do not state the OQLF test format, fee, or timeline, so confirm those with the OQLF.
Step 4: Complete basic training recognized by the OACIQ
The basic training program followed must be recognized by the OACIQ. The OACIQ publishes a list of the educational institutions offering the training recognized by the OACIQ. Enrol only in a program on that list, in the field chosen in Step 2. The training must be completed successfully before registering for the OACIQ examination. There is no deadline to register for the examination once training is complete, according to the OACIQ steps page.
The opened OACIQ pages state no training length in hours or months, no tuition fee, and no list of course names. Training providers and advice sites publish their own lengths and prices, and those figures were cut from this guide because no opened OACIQ page states them. Confirm the length, cost, schedule, and language of delivery with the institution, and confirm the program is the recognized program for your field before paying.
Step 5: Pass the OACIQ certification examination
Once the recognized training program is completed successfully, register for the OACIQ examination. To pass the certification examination, the candidate must master all the competencies described in the framework corresponding to the desired right to practise. The examination tests the competencies for the field chosen, and the OACIQ publishes competency frameworks and preparation material for candidates. Results are available in the Brokers' Area within 30 to 45 days, no results are given over the phone, and the OACIQ sends a notice by email.
A candidate who fails an OACIQ examination is entitled to a maximum of 3 retakes within 12 months of the initial examination. If a candidate fails all exam retakes, the candidate must wait 12 months after the last retake before re-registering. The opened OACIQ pages state no examination fee amount, examination length in hours, question count, or pass mark. Those figures were cut rather than filled in from provider or advice sites. Confirm the current examination fee and format on the OACIQ examination pages before registering.
Step 6: Apply for a licence within 12 months
A candidate who has passed the OACIQ certification examination may apply for a licence within 12 months of receiving the results. Submit the licence application to the Certification Department and obtain written confirmation from the Certification Department. Until the licence application has been approved by the OACIQ, it is not advisable to create promotional tools such as a website or business cards. Do not hold yourself out as a broker, advertise brokerage services, or sign brokerage contracts before that written confirmation arrives.
Since the 2018 amendment to the Real Estate Brokerage Act, a broker may act on his own account as soon as he obtains his OACIQ licence, because the concept of beginner broker has been removed. To change the method of practice to act on your own account, complete the Application for licence modification form, indicating the address of the establishment even if it is the residence, and include the applicable fees. For holders who obtained their broker's licence after successfully taking a skills-based certification examination after May 1, 2010, acting on your own account also requires three years of practice for an agency over a five-year period and a valid broker's licence. Within 10 days following the modification of the licence, open a trust account, failing which the licence will be suspended, unless the broker receives no deposits, advance on remuneration or costs from clients, or any other sum for others. When acting on your own account, a broker may not use a pseudonym, hire brokers, or act through a business corporation.
Step 7: Keep the licence valid each year
The validity period of a real estate broker's licence is from May 1 to April 30. For the licence to remain valid, the broker must, no later than April 30 of each year, pay the applicable fees, update personal information, and complete the Mandatory Continuing Education Program (MCEP) every two years. The annual licence renewal period starts in mid-March and ends on April 30 each year. Failing to meet the renewal duties, the licence could be suspended or revoked depending on the situation.
The regulatory obligations for maintaining a licence also include maintaining a professional liability insurance policy, honouring a training commitment, updating the licence photo, maintaining a trust account, and complying with licence conditions. If a licence is suspended or revoked, the broker must immediately cease brokerage activities and remove all advertising, and must notify the parties or clients as the OACIQ rules require. Returning to practice after a suspension or revocation requires the steps the OACIQ sets out, including paying the applicable fees, submitting the licence application or suspension-lifting request, and a criminal record check where one has not been conducted in the past six months. An email confirmation from the OACIQ is required before resuming activities.
Figures the opened OACIQ pages do not state
No opened OACIQ page states the training length or cost, the examination fee, the licence fee, the examination length, question count, or pass mark. Those figures were cut from this guide. The OACIQ publishes separate examination fees and licence fees pages; confirm the current amounts on those pages before paying anything, and do not carry a provider's advertised total as the OACIQ fee.
Related guides:
- How to become a real estate agent in Ontario: Ontario's agent registration route, the split Quebec does not use.
- How to become a real estate broker in Ontario: Ontario's broker upgrade, for comparison with Quebec's single broker licence.
- How to get a real estate licence in BC: British Columbia's licensing course and exam route.
- How to start buying real estate in Canada: the purchase process itself, for readers who want to buy rather than get licensed.
- Licensed Occupations in Quebec — every verified licence and credential in Quebec, with the regulator that issues it
The Quebec real estate broker path
- Pass the OACIQ record checksThe OACIQ checks probity, including the criminal, penal, and professional conduct record and bankruptcy, case by case
- Choose residential, commercial, or bothThe field chosen sets the basic training to take and the certification examination to pass
- Complete OACIQ-recognized basic trainingA basic training program recognized by the OACIQ, completed successfully before registering for the examination
- Pass the OACIQ certification examinationMaster the competencies in the framework for the desired right to practise, with up to 3 retakes within 12 months
- Apply for a licence within 12 monthsSubmit the licence application within 12 months of receiving the examination results and obtain written confirmation
- Keep the licence valid each yearLicence validity runs May 1 to April 30, with renewal from mid-March to April 30 and continuing education every two years
Questions people ask
Is there a separate real estate agent licence in Quebec?
No. Quebec licenses real estate brokers. A person who wants to carry out brokerage activities in Quebec must hold a real estate broker licence issued by the OACIQ, in the residential field, the commercial field, or both. There is no Ontario-style split in which an agent licence comes first and a broker registration follows it.
Do I need to prove knowledge of French?
Proof of knowledge of French is required for the licence application if the OACIQ certification examination was passed in English. The OACIQ steps page directs candidates to its proof-of-knowledge-of-French article and the steps to take with the Office québécois de la langue française. If you take the examination in French, that proof step does not apply in the same way.
How long is the training, and what does it cost?
No training length, provider fee, or total cost is stated on the opened OACIQ pages. The training must be a basic training program recognized by the OACIQ, offered by the educational institutions on the OACIQ list. Confirm length and cost with the institution you choose, and confirm the program is on the OACIQ recognized list before enrolling.
What happens if I fail the OACIQ certification examination?
A candidate who fails is entitled to a maximum of 3 retakes within 12 months of the initial examination. If a candidate fails all exam retakes, the candidate must wait 12 months after the last retake before re-registering. Results are available in the Brokers Area within 30 to 45 days, no results are given over the phone, and the OACIQ sends a notice by email.
How long do I have to apply for a licence after passing?
A candidate who has passed the certification examination may apply for a licence within 12 months of receiving the results. Until the licence application has been approved by the OACIQ, it is not advisable to create promotional tools such as a website or business cards. Obtain written confirmation from the Certification Department before acting as a broker.
Can I work on my own account right after licensing in Quebec?
A broker may act on his own account as soon as he obtains his OACIQ licence, since the 2018 amendment removed the beginner broker concept, but changing the method of practice to act on your own account requires the licence modification form and the applicable fees. Holders licensed after a skills-based examination after May 1, 2010 must also have accumulated three years of practice for an agency over a five-year period, and a trust account must be opened within 10 days unless the broker is exempt.
Sources
- Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec, Steps to follow to become a broker — the probity record checks, the residential and commercial field choice, the French proof rule, the recognized basic training requirement, the examination registration and 3-retake rule, and the costs, record checks, and annual obligations involved in the profession.
- Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec, Steps to becoming a broker and obligation to maintain licence — the 30-to-45-day results window, the 12-month licence application window, the Licence Issue and Maintenance Committee powers, the May 1 to April 30 validity period, the mid-March to April 30 renewal period, the two-year continuing education program, and the return-to-practice steps.
- Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec, Certification — Becoming a broker — acting on your own account as soon as licensed since the 2018 amendment, the three-years-in-five-years condition for post-May 1, 2010 licence holders, the 10-day trust account rule, and the bar on pseudonyms, hiring brokers, and acting through a business corporation when on your own account.