Queensland is one of the busiest property markets in the country, and getting licensed is more straightforward than most people expect. The thing that trips people up is not the study. It is working out which course they actually need. There are two, and they do different jobs.
This guide walks through both, what each one lets you do, the order they come in, and how to get qualified online without leaving your current job. It is updated for 2026-27, so it also covers the 1 July fee reset, how renewal works, how to check a licence on the public register, and where property managers fit.
Two courses, two different jobs
In Queensland, real estate work sits behind two courses. The first is the Salesperson Registration, which gets you in the door. The second is the Real Estate Agent Licence, which lets you run the show. You do not start with both. You start with the one that matches where you are now.
The Salesperson Registration Certificate
This is the entry point. The course is 12 units of competency, drawn from the CPP41419 Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice, and it covers the practical knowledge a new salesperson needs: how listings work, the rules around selling and leasing, dealing with buyers and tenants, and the legal and ethical side of the job.
Once you complete the units, you receive a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment and apply to the Queensland Office of Fair Trading for your registration certificate. With that certificate you can work as a registered salesperson under the supervision of a licensed agent. You will be on the floor, earning and learning, which is exactly where a new career should start. Archer Institute delivers the QLD Salesperson Registration Certificate course online and self-paced. Our full walkthrough of this step lives in our guide to becoming a real estate salesperson in Queensland.
The Real Estate Agent Licence
This is the step up. The course is 19 units of competency, drawn from the CPP41419 Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice and the CPP51122 Diploma of Property (Agency Management), and it builds on what you learned as a salesperson with the extra knowledge needed to run an agency: trust accounting, agency practice, listing and selling in your own right, and managing a rent roll.
With the agent licence you are no longer working under someone else. You can list, sell and lease on your own account, open your own office, and employ registered salespeople. Most people reach this step after some time on the floor. We set out the move in our guide to the QLD salesperson to agent licence upgrade. When you are ready to step up, the course page for the full real estate licence in Queensland lists all 19 units, the fee, and the OFT application that follows.
Course first, certificate or licence second
People often assume the course and the certificate are the same thing. They are not. You study the units with Archer Institute and receive a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment. You then take that Statement of Attainment to the Queensland Office of Fair Trading, who issue the registration certificate or the licence that lets you legally work. Keeping the two steps clear saves confusion later.
Which one should you start with
- New to real estate, or changing careers into it: start with the Salesperson Registration. It is the legal way in.
- Already a registered salesperson with experience: the Real Estate Agent Licence is your next step.
- Not sure where you sit: call our Australian-based team on 1800 069 273 and we will point you to the right course.
You can see the full range of Queensland real estate courses Archer Institute offers, from the Salesperson Registration through to the full Agent Licence and annual CPD.
What is different in 2026-27
- OFT application and renewal fees increased on 1 July 2026 in line with the government’s indexation policy, and the OFT says its fees typically increase each 1 July. The itemised figures are in our guide to what a QLD real estate licence costs.
- Since 6 June 2026, renewal applicants must declare their CPD is complete, or provide exemption details, before a renewal is processed. Our guide to the QLD CPD declaration rule explains what to have ready.
One thing to plan around rather than a rule change: at the time of writing, the OFT’s renewal page says it is receiving more applications than usual, which is impacting its 4 to 6 week processing time, its agent licence application page quotes the same 4 to 6 weeks, and its salesperson registration page carries the same warning about volume. An application that is incomplete or unpaid takes longer again. Lodge early, and use our guide to applying to the OFT to get the paperwork right first time.
Renewing your licence or registration
A Queensland licence or registration certificate is renewed with the Office of Fair Trading for 1 year or 3 years, and you renew online. The OFT sends a renewal notice 4 to 6 weeks before the expiry date. If it has already expired, you have 3 months to apply to restore it. The OFT says that if it receives your renewal within those 3 months you can keep working while it is processed, and if it does not, the licence or registration expires and you must stop working and apply for a new one. Since 6 June 2026, you also declare that your CPD is complete, or give exemption details, and the OFT says it cannot process a renewal until your CPD is complete, so finish your two sessions before you lodge. An agent licence renewal also needs a trust account audit report if you operated a trust account during the licence period, or a statutory declaration if you did not. Registered salespeople are exempt from the audit report. Renewal fees are itemised in our QLD licence cost guide, and the whole process, notice to approval, is in our guide to renewing a Queensland licence or registration.
Checking a Queensland licence
Queensland keeps a public register of licensed property agents, salespeople and corporations, and anyone can search it for free. The free register is for information only and cannot be used as evidence in legal proceedings. If you need a record of your search, you request an extract from the OFT for a fee, and that record shows the licence holder's name, their registered business name and place of business, the licence number and class, and whether the licence is current, expired, refused, cancelled or suspended.
Where property managers fit
Queensland does not issue a separate property manager licence. The main categories are the real estate agent licence and salesperson registration, the resident letting agent licence and the auctioneer licence. Inside an agency, property management is done under a salesperson registration certificate as an employee of a licensed agent, or under the full real estate agent licence, and the 12 registration units include property management units. Letting out the units in a building complex from an office on site is the separate resident letting agent category, which this guide does not cover.
Do not forget CPD
Once you are licensed, Queensland expects ongoing continuing professional development, known as CPD. The CPD year runs for 12 months from the anniversary of your licence or registration issue date, not the calendar year, and you complete two CPD sessions in that year. Since 6 June 2026, renewal applicants must declare their CPD is complete, or provide exemption details, before a renewal is processed. There is more in our QLD CPD requirements guide, and you can complete the Market Property and Trust Accounts CPD units online with Archer Institute, $100 each.
Your next step
Work out which course matches where you are, then get started. Enrol in the QLD Salesperson Registration Certificate course if you are starting out, or enrol in the QLD Real Estate Agent Licence course if you are ready to step up. Either way, study at your own pace, and confirm current requirements with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading before you apply for your certificate or licence.
