From 1 January 1999 no person may practise estate agency work unless he is licensed either as an Estate Agent or a Salesperson.

All new entrants are required to pass the Estate Agents or Salespersons Qualifying Examination and satisfy other licensing requirements before they may apply for the respective licence. The other licensing requirements are:

1. be at least 18 years of age;
2. completed Form 5 of secondary education or its equivalent; and
3. fulfilling the "fit and proper" requirement.

An individual applying for an estate agent's or salesperson's licence must have passed the relevant Qualifying Examination of the EAA within 12 months immediately prior to the date of his/her application.

The Qualifying Examinations are administered by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority ("HKEAA") and are in the multiple-choice format. The Estate Agents Qualifying Examination has 50 questions and the time allowed is 3 hours. The Salespersons Qualifying Examination has 50 questions and the time allowed is 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Estate Agents and Salespersons Qualifying Examinations Handbook

Starting from 2008, the Salespersons Qualifying Examinations will be held six times a year in February, April, June, August, October and December. The Estate Agents Qualifying Examinations will be held four times a year in February, April, August and December.

For topics which may be examined please refer to the Estate Agents Qualifying Examination Syllabus or the Salespersons Qualifying Examination Syllabus.