LICENSING

Alberta licensing and the 30 September renewal

Alberta runs one renewal date for everybody, regardless of when you were licensed. Miss it and you are not practising on 1 October.

Mortgage brokerage in Alberta is regulated by the Real Estate Council of Alberta. The structure differs from BC and Ontario in two ways that matter operationally: the entry pathway is a two-course sequence, and every licence in the province expires on the same day.

Getting licensed

Fundamentals of Mortgage Brokerage

The first of the two pre-licensing courses, with an exam.

Practice of Mortgage Brokerage

The second course and exam. Completing both is the route to a mortgage associate licence.

Upgrading to mortgage broker

Requires at least two years of licensed experience within the last five, the Mortgage Brokers Program with a minimum 70% final exam result, and establishing a brokerage.

Every Alberta licence expires on 30 September

Licences expire on 30 September each year regardless of when they were issued. Renewal has to be completed by that date to practise from 1 October. There is no rolling anniversary, so a licence issued in July still renews that September.

Re-licensing education

Alberta attaches mandatory re-licensing education to the renewal cycle, and the topic changes. From May 2025, all mortgage licensees were required to complete mandatory re-licensing education on private lending. Confirm the current cycle's required course with RECA directly rather than assuming it carries over, because it does not always.

Practising across provinces

Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario are three separate regimes with three separate regulators. Being licensed in one does not create standing in another, and there is no national mortgage licence. Brokers who want to write in more than one province carry more than one licence and more than one set of education obligations.

Common questions

When do Alberta mortgage licences expire?
On 30 September every year, regardless of when the licence was issued. Renewal has to be complete by that date to practise on 1 October.
How do you become a mortgage broker in Alberta?
Two pre licensing courses and exams lead to a mortgage associate licence. Upgrading to mortgage broker requires at least two years of licensed experience within the last five, the Mortgage Brokers Program with a minimum 70% final exam result, and establishing a brokerage.
Is there a national mortgage licence in Canada?
No. Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario are three separate regimes with three separate regulators, so writing in more than one province means holding more than one licence.

Where to verify this

RECA publishes licensing, education and renewal requirements at reca.ca. Current as of 1 September 2026.

Licensed in Alberta, BC or Ontario?

A.I.M.I. Collective brokers write in all three provinces with one brokerage behind them.