How to verify a Virginia real estate license
There is one official source for license status: DPOR. Everything else is a proxy, not proof.
The official DPOR license lookup
DPOR maintains the official license verification system for Virginia real estate salespersons, brokers, and firms. This is the authoritative source to confirm whether a license is active, inactive, expired, or subject to disciplinary action — use it directly rather than relying on a third-party directory.
Course certificate vs. an actual license
A certificate of completion from your 60-hour Principles of Real Estate course confirms you finished pre-license education. It is not proof of licensure and does not appear on the DPOR lookup as a license record.
PSI exam result vs. an actual license
Passing both portions of the PSI exam confirms exam eligibility was met. It is a prerequisite for licensure, not the license itself — DPOR still has to issue the license.
A brokerage's website listing vs. DPOR's record
A real estate firm's website or roster page may list an agent as active, but that listing is not authoritative. Always cross-check against the DPOR lookup, since a firm's own site can lag behind an actual status change.
Pending applications
If you've applied but the license hasn't yet appeared as active in DPOR's system, that generally reflects normal processing time rather than an error. Confirm current processing times directly with DPOR rather than assuming a specific number of days.