How to Become a Licensed Insurance Agent
Becoming a licensed insurance agent generally follows the same broad path across states, though the exact requirements — pre-licensing education hours, exam fees, fingerprinting, and background checks — are set individually by each state's insurance regulator and can vary.
The typical steps
- Decide which line of authority you want to be licensed in (Life, Accident & Health, Property, Casualty, or a combination).
- Complete any pre-licensing education your state requires.
- Register for and pass your state's licensing exam.
- Complete a fingerprinting and background check, if your state requires one.
- Submit your license application to your state's department of insurance.
Before you register
Choosing a license type
Most states organize individual insurance licenses into a handful of "lines of authority." The four most common are:
Life
Authorizes selling life insurance policies and, in most states, annuity products — the most commonly held individual license.
Accident & Health
Authorizes selling health, disability, and accident insurance products, often paired with a Life license.
Property
Authorizes selling insurance covering physical property — homeowners, renters, commercial property, and related lines.
Casualty
Authorizes selling liability-based coverage — auto, general liability, and workers' compensation, among others.
Where to find exact requirements
Because requirements are set state by state, the most accurate source is always your state's own department of insurance. CARE verifies exam question counts, time limits, and passing scores directly against each state's regulator before publishing them — find your state's exact numbers on its state page.
Source discipline
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need pre-licensing education before I can take the exam?
It depends on your state — some require a set number of pre-licensing education hours before you can register for the exam, others don't. Check your state's department of insurance for the current rule.
Can one license cover more than one line of authority?
Many states let you hold multiple lines of authority (for example, Life and Accident & Health together) under one license, and some CARE exam bundles cover exactly that combination — see the Insurance Exams catalog for what's covered.
How long does an insurance license stay valid?
Renewal periods and continuing-education requirements are set by each state and vary — confirm the current renewal cycle with your state's department of insurance.
Ready to start studying?
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