How to get a travel agent license: what each US state requires

There is no single US travel agent license. To get licensed, you register as a "seller of travel" in states that require it, including California, Florida, Washington and Hawaii, and get a regular business license where you operate. Maryland's new registration isn't open yet. If you work under a host agency, some states let you skip your own registration.

Here is what "license" really means, which states require what, how to register in each, and where hosting fits.

Is there a travel agent license in the US?

No. There is no federal travel agent license. The SBA says a federal license is needed only for business activities regulated by a federal agency, and states regulate a broader range of activities.

What people call a "travel agent license" is usually one of four different things:

Registration lets you sell. Accreditation gets you recognized. For the full path from zero to first booking, see how to become a travel agent.

Which states require travel agent registration?

These are the Seller of Travel rules verified on each state's own site, as published, checked October 2026. It lists the states this guide verified, not every state. This is a summary, not legal advice.

Iowa used to have a travel agency law. It was repealed in 2020.

If your state isn't in the table, you still need whatever business license your state, county or city requires. Check other states where you actively sell, too. Texas, for example, has no seller of travel registration law that we could find: see how to become a travel agent in Texas.

How to register in California

California requires all sellers of travel to register with the Attorney General and show the registration number in their advertising. As published, checked October 2026:

1. Register before you sell. Apply at least 10 days before doing business in California, through the online registration application.
2. Pay the fee. It's $100 for each location. Late filers pay $5 a day, up to $500.
3. Protect traveler money. Put traveler payments in a trust account (§ 17550.15(b)), or keep a bond instead (§ 17550.15(k)). Card payments the carrier or provider processes are exempt from the trust deposit (§ 17550.15(j)). The Attorney General also accepts a Consumer Protection Deposit Plan or Escrow Plan.
4. Join the restitution fund if you're based in California. Sellers whose principal place of business is in California and who deal with Californians must participate in the Travel Consumer Restitution Fund. Register with the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation before the Attorney General registration.
5. Renew every year. Registration is valid for one year. Use the online renewal. Report material changes within 10 days.

The state aims to issue a certificate within 21 days of a complete application. Registration doesn't mean the state approves you. For fees, the restitution fund and setup steps in one place, see how to become a travel agent in California.

How to register in Florida

Florida requires any seller or promoter of travel-related services to register every year with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), unless exempt. As published, checked October 2026:

1. Create an account on the FDACS consumer compliance portal and file the travel registration.
2. Pay $300. It's nonrefundable. Vacation certificate sellers pay an extra $100.
3. Post a surety bond. It can be up to $25,000, or $50,000 for vacation certificate sellers.
4. Renew every year. Registration lasts one year from the issue date, and the bond renews each year too.

Exemption. Sellers that issue airline tickets directly and have contracted with the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) for at least 3 consecutive years under the same ownership don't register. They must offer no vacation certificates and certify their business activities each year. Vacation certificate sellers need 5 years. An ARC-exempt business still needs an FDACS exemption letter to get its local business license. For the independent agent filing and business setup, see how to become a travel agent in Florida.

How to get a Washington seller of travel license

Washington says you must be licensed to run a business that sells or advertises travel services. The Department of Licensing issues it, and the Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service processes it. As published, checked October 2026:

1. Apply online through the Department of Revenue, or by mail with the business license application and the Sellers of Travel Registration Addendum.
2. Pay $222 for the main office and $222 for each branch, plus business licensing fees.
3. Show a financial guarantee if you hold traveler money for more than 5 business days. Choose one:
   • a trust account, declared on DOL's form, at a Washington bank
   • a surety bond of $10,000 to $50,000, based on last year's income from Washington residents
   • membership in a professional association, with proof of at least $1,000,000 in errors and professional liability coverage and $250,000 in bond or equivalent protection
4. List your people. The application takes up to 5 employees, independent contractors or outside agencies. Add more on a separate sheet.
5. Renew every year. Licenses expire in one year, and you can renew up to 120 days early.

How to register in Hawaii

Hawaii requires each travel agency to be registered before selling or advertising travel services. It defines a travel agency as anyone who, for compensation, acts as an intermediary between a buyer and a seller of travel. As published, checked October 2026:

1. Open a client trust account at a federally insured bank located in Hawaii. Prove it with a bank letter or a bank-printed void check.
2. Register your entity first if you're a corporation, partnership, LLC or LLP. You need proof from Hawaii's Business Registration Division.
3. File the application with fees. It's $146 in an odd-numbered year, or $215 in an even-numbered year, because an even-year applicant also pays for the second year of the two-year period. Both include a Compliance Resolution Fund charge.
4. Renew every two years. Registrations run on a two-year cycle. DCCA's published renewal dates don't agree with each other, so check the current deadline with DCCA. The renewal fee for an active registration is $138.

Waiver. Hawaii's renewal page lists conditions for agencies already approved for a trust account waiver. They aren't physically located in Hawaii, accept only electronic payments, and send all payments directly to travel providers.

Maryland: new in 2026, not open yet

Maryland passed a law in 2026 requiring sellers of travel to carry at least $1,000,000 in errors and omissions insurance and file every year. The bill text lists a $300 annual filing fee, but it also has the Department of Labor set fees by regulation, so check the final amount. The department's October 2, 2026 notice says it is still writing the regulations. Until then, the program "is not able to accept registrations or filings at this time." A due date will be set once the regulations are adopted.

Do hosted travel advisors need their own registration?

Sometimes not. It depends on the state, and on how the money moves.

• California. You're exempt if you're an individual, single-member LLC or single-shareholder S corporation that meets all of the conditions in the statute. You need a written contract with a registered seller of travel and must sell only on its behalf. You take no money from the traveler, who pays the carrier or the registered seller directly. And you disclose the host's name, address, phone and registration number in writing and on your website.
• Florida. Some hosted advisors qualify as an "independent agent". That means a written contract with a registered seller, no payment directly from the traveler, and no ability to issue tickets. An independent agent files an application every year instead of registering as a seller. The fee is $50 a year, and the filing names each seller of travel you represent.
• Washington. The state's licensing page lets a licensed seller list its employees and independent contractors. It doesn't say whether a hosted advisor needs a separate license. Ask the Business Licensing Service.
• Hawaii. The application instructions don't address independent agents. Ask DCCA.

Practical guidance, not a stated rule: in California and Florida, the agent exemptions depend on the traveler paying the host or the supplier, never you. So if travelers pay you directly, you will likely need your own registration in those states. Confirm with your host, which should already hold the registrations it needs.

Do out-of-state sellers have to register?

Often, yes. Where you live doesn't settle it.

• California treats you as doing business there if you solicit buyers located in California, or solicit from a California location.
• Washington asks out-of-state applicants to provide proof of valid registration in their home state.
• Florida's definition of a seller of travel covers any resident or nonresident person or business.

Business license and EIN: the basics

Seller of Travel rules sit on top of ordinary business paperwork.

• Business license. What you need from your state, county or city depends on your activities and location. The SBA suggests starting with your Secretary of State's website.
• EIN. An Employer Identification Number is your business's federal tax ID. It's free from the IRS, and an approved online application gets one immediately.

IATAN will want proof of the business license. Its requirements list a current business license, plus Seller of Travel registration in Florida, Hawaii and Washington State where you operate. For entity choice and the rest of the setup, see how to start a travel agency.

Accreditation and certification are separate

Accreditation is industry recognition, not a government license. IATAN identifies your agency to suppliers, and ARC lets you issue airline tickets. A ticketing location applying to IATAN must submit an ARC approval letter. Costs and alternatives, including CLIA for cruises, are in IATA codes explained.

Certification is training. None of the state pages above require it to register. See travel agent certification for which programs exist and when they help.

Should you register on your own or work under a host?

This is practical guidance drawn from the state rules above, not legal advice.

Register on your own when you take traveler payments into your own account, sell under your own brand, or plan to apply for IATAN. You'll likely need the registration anyway.

Work under a host when you're starting out and are happy for travelers to pay the host or supplier. In California and Florida, that setup can qualify you for the agent exemption, if you meet every condition. See what a host agency does, and budget the fees in travel agent license cost.

Either way, keep traveler money where the state says it goes. How travel agencies collect payments covers trust accounts and who charges the card.

Getting started with Tripdash

Tripdash for Advisors is a host agency platform that comes with IATA accreditation, E&O insurance and supplier access. State Seller of Travel rules still apply to you, so check them before you sell. See Tripdash for Advisors.

Sources

1. California Attorney General. Seller of Travel, Registrant FAQs, Seller of Travel laws, Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 17550–17550.59, accessed October 2026.
2. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Sellers of Travel, accessed October 2026.
3. Florida Legislature. Section 559.927, Section 559.928 and Section 559.935, 2026 Florida Statutes.
4. Washington Department of Licensing. Get your license: Sellers of travel, Fees, Renew or update your license, accessed October 2026. RCW 19.138.140.
5. Hawaii DCCA, Professional and Vocational Licensing. Travel Agency Registration: Information, Instructions and Application, form TA-00, revised October 2024. Travel agency program page, accessed October 2026.
6. Maryland General Assembly. HB 994 (2026). Maryland Department of Labor. Travel sellers, October 2, 2026.
7. Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code chapter 9D.
8. IATAN. IATAN Accreditation Requirements, document 901-2025-12-20.
9. US Small Business Administration. Apply for licenses and permits.
10. IRS. Get an employer identification number.