Travel agent requirements by state
Travel agent requirements by state are simpler than most new advisors fear. There is no federal license, and only four states have a seller-of-travel law. The catch is that those laws can follow your clients, so an advisor in a state with no rules can still need to register somewhere else. This page sets out the national picture and links to a full guide for each state we cover.
The national picture
The United States has no federal license for travel agents. Nobody in Washington, D.C. issues a permit to sell a cruise or plan a honeymoon, and no national exam stands between you and your first booking. What regulation there is comes from the states, and only a few of them have written rules specific to selling travel.
Four states have a seller-of-travel law today. They are California, Florida, Hawaii and Washington. Each one asks travel sellers to register with a state agency, and some add requirements such as a trust account, a bond or a contribution to a consumer fund. Iowa used to be on this list, but the Iowa Legislature repealed its travel agency chapter in 2020, and the current Iowa Code now shows Chapter 9D as repealed.
The detail that surprises most new advisors is that these laws are not only about where you live. They are also about where your customer lives. Florida's law, for example, covers sellers who have a business location in Florida or who offer travel services in Florida, and California's covers many sellers outside the state who sell to Californians. An advisor working from a kitchen table in Ohio can therefore fall under a Florida or California rule the moment a client from Orlando or San Diego books a trip.
Most new advisors deal with this through their host agency. Many hosts hold registrations in the regulated states that extend to their affiliated advisors. That arrangement works well, but it is your responsibility to confirm it. Ask your host which states it is registered in, and keep the answer in writing.
Outside those four states, the requirements are the ordinary ones that apply to any small business. You register your business with the state or county, you arrange errors and omissions insurance, and you usually join a host agency so that suppliers will pay you commission. Our guide to whether travel agents need a license explains each of these steps in more depth.
Requirements in the states we cover
We have written a full guide for each of the seven states below. Each guide covers registration, the setup steps, the local travel market and the niches that suit it. The one-line rule is a summary, so read the guide before you act on it.
| State | The rule in one line | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| California | Sellers of travel must register with the Attorney General's Seller of Travel Program, including many based outside California who sell to California residents. | Becoming a travel agent in California |
| Florida | Sellers of travel must register every year with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services unless an exemption applies. | Becoming a travel agent in Florida |
| Georgia | No seller-of-travel registration. Register the business with the Georgia Secretary of State. | Becoming a travel agent in Georgia |
| New York | No seller-of-travel registration. Register the business with the New York Department of State. | Becoming a travel agent in New York |
| Texas | No seller-of-travel registration. Form an entity with the Secretary of State, or file a sole proprietor's assumed name with the county clerk. | Becoming a travel agent in Texas |
| Ohio | No seller-of-travel registration. Form an LLC or register a trade name with the Ohio Secretary of State. | Becoming a travel agent in Ohio |
| Michigan | No seller-of-travel registration. Form an LLC with LARA, or file a sole proprietor's assumed name with the county clerk. | Becoming a travel agent in Michigan |
Notice the pattern. Five of the seven states have no travel-specific rule at all, and in those states your only filings are the ordinary business ones. California and Florida are different, and they matter even to advisors who live elsewhere, because both are large sources of travel customers.
Hawaii and Washington
We have not yet written full guides for Hawaii and Washington, but both have seller-of-travel laws, so here is where to find the official rules.
- Hawaii. Travel agencies register with the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Hawaii also requires registered agencies to keep a client trust account at a financial institution in the state. The official information is on the Hawaii Travel Agency Program page.
- Washington. Sellers of travel register with the Washington State Department of Licensing, and the registration is processed through the state's business licensing system. The official information is on the Washington Department of Licensing sellers of travel page.
If you live in either state, start with those official pages. If you live elsewhere but expect clients from Hawaii or Washington, ask your host agency whether its registrations cover you there before you take the booking.
Where to go next
If you are just starting out, the best next step is our main guide on how to become a travel agent, which walks through choosing a niche, joining a host agency, setting fees and finding your first clients. If you are drawn to theme park travel, our guide on how to become a Disney travel agent covers that specialty, and it is worth reading alongside the Florida and California rules above, since both states are home to Disney parks.
When you are ready to learn the work properly, the Fundamentals Course covers setting up your business, how travel advisors get paid, working with suppliers and finding your first clients.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a federal license for travel agents?
No. There is no federal license or registration for travel agents in the United States. The rules that do exist come from a handful of states, plus the ordinary business registration every state expects of any small business.
Which states require travel agents to register?
California, Florida, Hawaii and Washington have seller-of-travel laws. Iowa used to have one, but its travel agency chapter was repealed in 2020. The remaining states have no travel-specific registration, although every state expects you to register your business in the usual way.
Do I need to register in a state I do not live in?
You might. Seller-of-travel laws can reach an advisor because of where the customer lives, not only where the advisor works. If you sell to residents of California, Florida, Hawaii or Washington, check whether your host agency's registration covers you or whether you need your own.
Does a host agency handle state registration for me?
Often, but not always. Many host agencies hold registrations in the regulated states that cover their affiliated advisors. Ask your host which states it is registered in and get the answer in writing before you take a booking from a client in one of those states.
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