Get licensed

The Georgia Real Estate License Background Check, Explained

Georgia requires a criminal history report from the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), obtained no more than 60 days before your license application. Bring it for license issuance after passing, not as one of the required exam-day identity documents. A report showing anything other than no record can trigger a GREC investigation.

Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources. Editorial standards.

What is the Georgia background-check requirement?

Obtain the certified criminal history report described by the current application from a law-enforcement source, make sure it is no more than 60 days old when you apply, and answer every conviction, plea, first-offender, and disciplinary question on the form fully, even when a matter does not appear on the report.

What the GCIC report is

A criminal history record check issued through the Georgia Crime Information Center. It is a required document for licensure. Bring it when you apply for the license after passing. The examination itself requires one matching government ID under the current PSI bulletin.

Timing: the 60-day window

The report must be no more than 60 days old when you apply for the license. This trips people up in both directions. Order it when you begin the course and it may be stale before you apply. Leave it until the last moment and license issuance may be delayed.

The Rule

Anchor the 60-day window to the date you will apply for the license, not to the examination date.

How scheduling works with PSI covers the sequencing in full.

What GREC actually reviews

GREC looks at criminal history in the context of whether you can be trusted to handle other people's money and act honestly in transactions. That framing matters, because it explains why the review is contextual rather than mechanical. Factors that carry weight:

The nature and seriousness of the offense, particularly anything involving fraud, theft, or dishonesty.
How long ago it occurred.
The circumstances around it, including your age at the time.
Evidence of rehabilitation: completed sentences, employment history, references.
Whether you disclosed it fully and accurately.

Disclosure: the part that matters most

The most common way a criminal record ends a licensing application is not the record. It is the failure to disclose it.

Disclose everything the process asks for, completely and accurately, including matters you believe are old, minor, or resolved. An applicant who discloses a serious offense with documentation and context is in a materially stronger position than one who omits a minor one and is found out. Omission looks like concealment, and concealment goes directly to the honesty question the review is actually about.

If you are unsure about your situation

Ask GREC before you spend money on a course. This is a genuine, practical suggestion rather than a disclaimer: candidates sometimes complete the 75-hour course and pay the $175 exam fee before discovering a complication that a phone call would have surfaced. GREC's official guidance is the authority here, and this page is not a substitute for it or for legal advice about your own record.

The Rule

A 2026 law changes how professional boards evaluate criminal records, but its licensing provisions, including the amendment to O.C.G.A. Section 43-40-15, apply to applications submitted on or after July 1, 2027. Do not apply that future procedure to a 2026 filing.

The convictions and disciplinary-history guide explains official records, broader disclosure questions, and the preliminary-decision route without predicting an individual outcome.

What to bring on exam day · The full path to licensure · What licensure costs

Background check questions

Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources. Editorial standards.

Can I get a Georgia real estate license with a felony?

GREC makes an individual licensing decision after reviewing the disclosed record and required documents. Do not assume either approval or automatic denial. Use the Commission's preliminary-decision process or qualified legal advice when eligibility is uncertain.

How long is a GCIC report valid?

It must be obtained no more than 60 days before your license application. Time it for the post-pass application, not the exam appointment.

How much does a GCIC report cost?

The candidate bulletin does not publish one statewide fee. The issuing law-enforcement agency sets or reports its charge, so confirm the amount directly rather than relying on a statewide estimate.

What if my record has been expunged or restricted?

Record restriction and expungement affect what appears on a report, but the safest approach is still full disclosure with documentation. Ask GREC directly how your specific situation should be handled rather than deciding for yourself what is no longer relevant.