As long as the agent is legally able to conduct real estate business in his/ her own country, you can pay a referral fee. Keep in mind that in many countries, real estate professionals do not have to be and are not licensed. For more details, contact the NAR Presidential Liaison to the country you are dealing with.  Regarding payment, a wire transfer is the easiest, currency exchange is not your problem. My recommendation is to have a written referral agreement in place.

I am a Canadian agent and received a referral from an agent in Colorado. The agent sent me a referral form and once my commission was received by our office, they then sent the referral fee cheque to the referring agent.

As long as they have an employing broker . . . no problem! It's the CA mortgage brokers with RE licenses and no managing broker we have issues with. You need to see what the laws in NH are, though. I just cited what I know to be true for the great state of AZ.

The funds are wired and currency exchange just as you would pay someone for services from another country. 

RE/MAX has many international brokers and that is how we handle international referrals. 

Make sure you follow local state laws of compliance for paying a referral fee. In TN is clearly states the referring agent must be licensed.

I've never dealt with a foreign referral.  However, it would be wise to consult with an attorney before getting involved in this type of a transaction.

I work with new construction so it would come through the builder directly but not me.

If your Designated Broker doesn't know, your State Association may have a legal hotline to call.

That's a great questions and I'm coming back to see if anyone has actual experience with it. I do not.

You are asking are foreign licenses honored for USA referral fees rules. Yes, I would like to know too Randy...Let's find out

I would talk to my broker. I've never worked with a foreign agent/broker before.

Have never had any experience with that.... 

I'd consult with my broker on that... every company has it's own policies. One big issue would be regarding currency.

I'm sorry, but I don't have any experience with this.  It sounds to me though that Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES has your best answer.  You may also want to check with your favorite escrow company (or one belonging to Fidelity Title (or one of it's subsidiaries)) to see if they have any experience with this.

As Debbie Reynolds said, make sure you follow your state laws and compliance for paying referral fees. Consult with your local Real Estate Commission. 

Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES nailed this one!

If that came up for me I'd be asking my risk management attorney. I am sure it can be done but like you, I'd want to know how to do so "correctly."

Ron and Alexandra Seigel and many of the luxury agents will know how to do this.

Randy,

By wire transfer.  You do need to check with your accountant, and they may be some legalities in terms of taxes that you have to meet.  A

Have never had this come up, so reading the comments.

Good answer Ron and Alexandra Seigel . I've not dealt with it before.

Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES has the answer. I would think it would also depend on your state laws, and what the brokerage requires.

If they are licensed, I think it is the same as in the U.S.: sign a referral agreement, co-signed by brokers, spelling out details and that should work.

In Oregon we can only pay a referral to a brokerage. If the referring agent is affiliated with a brokerage, I would authorize escrow to pay the fee out of the closing commission.

Bitcoin.

Seriously. They are not members of the MLS or NAR and may not hold a license recognized by the laws of the USA. 

Find out first what is common place in their country, then what they would accept. It takes little imagination, or you could consult your attorney to identfy other means of compensating a non-conforming real estate person. Still having trouble?  Contact the attorney who owns a title company. 

If the agent is legally licensed to do real estate trnsactions in the country of origin, pay the fee!

Depends  on your state law.

No idea.

I have the same issues, since my broker is not international like some big companies. I'm often reached out via LI to help to market their listings. 

Randy Hilman, Associate Broker as long as they send you the referral through legal channels, you can.

I would want to have my broker set the rules he/she would be comfortable with

I have no experience with foreign agents.

 Ron and Alexandra Seigel  gave you the definitive answer.

We do with broker referral agreement. 

I'd say to sing referral agreement with other broker.

Happy New Year and many sales in 2019! 

I wonder if the 10% escrow rule kicks in ?

I believe your state should have a policy for this.

Here in NH, I can pay referrals to licensed agents but state law does limit how much i can pay unlicensed agents.