What it takes to get a mortgage loan officer license in District of Columbia
District of Columbia Mortgage Loan Originator License Requirements
Issued by District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking
Total Course Hours
20 hrs
National & Elective
17 hrs
District of Columbia-Specific
3 hrs
License Fee
$300
Of the 20 hours, 3 must cover District of Columbia law and rules and the other 17 are the national SAFE Act topics and electives.
20 hours in total, 3 of them on District of Columbia law. Those 3 come out of the 20 rather than being added to it, so the total is the same as a state with no requirement at all, but a generic national course still will not satisfy it.
Requirements verified 2026-08-11 against the official source.
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How to become a mortgage loan officer in District of Columbia
Originating mortgage loans in District of Columbia takes 20 hours of pre-licensing education from a provider approved by the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, usually written NMLS. District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking issues the license and calls it the District of Columbia Mortgage Loan Originator License.
The number to slow down on is the 3. District of Columbia requires 3 of those 20 hours to cover its own mortgage law, and they come out of the 20 rather than being added on top of them. So the total matches a state that asks for nothing of its own, which is exactly what catches people out: a generic 20-hour national course looks like the whole requirement and leaves you 3 hours short of a District of Columbia license.
Continuing education is a separate annual obligation and it does not track the pre-licensing rules. District of Columbia wants 8 hours every year, 1 of them on District of Columbia law.
District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking charges $300 to apply for the District of Columbia Mortgage Loan Originator License. NMLS charges its own processing fees on top of that and those are the same in every jurisdiction, so the license costs more than the state's own figure suggests. The cost breakdown adds up the whole stack.
3 providers in this comparison sell pre-licensing courses for District of Columbia, priced from $89 to $649. Read the coverage column before the price column: a package that skips the 3 District of Columbia hours is cheaper and does not get you licensed.
District of Columbia mortgage license FAQ
How many hours of coursework do I need to become a loan officer in District of Columbia? ▾
20 hours in total, of which 3 must cover District of Columbia law and rules and the remaining 17 are the national SAFE topics and electives. Note that the 3 District of Columbia hours come out of the 20 rather than being added to it, so a generic 20-hour SAFE course will not cover them. Every hour has to come from an NMLS-approved course provider.
What exam do I have to pass in District of Columbia? ▾
The SAFE Act national test carrying uniform state content. Every state and territory has adopted it, so there is no separate District of Columbia exam behind it. You need 75 percent to pass.
What does the license itself cost in District of Columbia? ▾
$300 to District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking, plus the fees NMLS charges to process the application. Course tuition is separate and varies by provider. The cost breakdown page has the full stack.
Do I need a surety bond in District of Columbia? ▾
We have not confirmed this against District of Columbia's own rules yet, so check with District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking before you budget for one. Under the federal SAFE Act an originator has to be covered by a bond, but in most states an employee is covered by their employer's.
What does a District of Columbia mortgage license cost in total?
Course tuition is only part of it. See the full stack of state and NMLS fees.