States / Delaware
Delaware MLO licensing requirements
Quick answer
What does it take to become a licensed MLO in Delaware?
Delaware originators pass the same SAFE MLO National Test as every other state, then complete Delaware's own licensing steps through NMLS , regulated by Office of the State Bank Commissioner. See the quick facts below for what is different here, and the full breakdown after that.
- Regulator
- Office of the State Bank Commissioner
- How this state deviates
- Delaware licenses mortgage loan originators (MLOs) through one regulator, with no state-specific pre-licensure hour add-on found on that regulator's own page.
- Surety bond
- The Office's licensing page points to Regulation No. 2401 and Delaware Code Title 5 for the bond and fee specifics, without stating a dollar amount on the page reached in this pass. We do not host a bond figure we have not sourced and dated ourselves; use the state matrix and the Office's page for the current number.
The steps, in order
- Create an NMLS account and request a unique identifier
- Complete 20 hours of NMLS-approved pre-licensure education
- Pass the SAFE MLO National Test with Uniform State Test content
- Authorize a criminal background check and a credit report
- Obtain the required surety bond; the current amount is set by the Office of the State Bank Commissioner, not stated here
- File the state license application through NMLS with the Office of the State Bank Commissioner
- Get sponsored by an NMLS-registered company to activate the license
Delaware licenses mortgage loan originators (MLOs) through one regulator, with no state-specific pre-licensure hour add-on found on that regulator’s own page.
One regulator: the Office of the State Bank Commissioner
The Office of the State Bank Commissioner licenses MLOs. Delaware is a single-regulator state: there is no second agency by employer type the way California and Washington have.
The governing law
Delaware licenses MLOs under Delaware Code Title 5 and Bank Commissioner Regulation No. 2401, which implements the federal SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008. Filings run through NMLS, the same national system covered in our how to become an MLO guide: NMLS account, pre-licensure education, the SAFE MLO National Test, background and credit checks, bond, application, then sponsorship.
Pre-licensure education: no Delaware add-on found
The Office’s own MLO licensing page, as reviewed, does not list a Delaware-specific pre-licensure hour requirement beyond the federal 20-hour SAFE Act floor. A standard NMLS-approved 20-hour course should satisfy Delaware’s requirement, but confirm on the matrix and the Office’s page before enrolling, since add-ons do change.
A bond is required, but the amount is not on the page we could confirm
The Office’s licensing page points to Regulation No. 2401 and Delaware Code Title 5 for the bond and fee specifics, without stating a dollar amount on the page reached in this pass. We do not host a bond figure we have not sourced and dated ourselves; use the state matrix and the Office’s page for the current number.
Sponsorship and next steps
A Delaware MLO license, like every state license, stays inactive until an NMLS-registered company sponsors it. See sponsorship explained for how that works in practice, and use the state licensing steps tool to walk the full ordered sequence, or the cost breakdown tool to see where Delaware’s education, application, and bond costs land against other paths.
Sources
- Office of the State Bank Commissioner, MLO licensing page: banking.delaware.gov/mortgage-loan-originator-licensing/, reviewed 2026-07-29.
- Delaware Code Title 5 and Bank Commissioner Regulation No. 2401, as referenced on the Office’s licensing page, reviewed 2026-07-29.
- Fees and bond matrix: getlicensemap.com.
Last verified 2026-07-29. Requirements come from official sources and change over time: always confirm the current fee, bond, and hour figures at the regulator page linked above before you rely on them.
Want the shared federal order alongside every state's deviation in one wizard? Use the state-steps wizard. For the dollar picture, see the cost breakdown tool, and to see whether the whole path pays off for you, run the is-it-worth-it calculator.