Center for Insurance Careers Resources
Overview
Have questions about the Insurance program? See below for answers about licensing requirements, frequently asked questions, and helpful links to the NY Department of Financial Services website for license renewal and testing information.
Requirements
As per NY state law, all applicants must be 18 years of age or older to obtain any licenses necessary to work in the Insurance Industry.
FAQ’s | Question List:
Insurance Licensing Information
How old do I have be to apply for an insurance license?
Is obtaining my license really necessary?
What is the difference between an agent and a broker?
How many hours do I need for pre-licensing?
If I am applying for Life & Health license can I also get Variable?
What is the connection between public adjusters and insurance companies?
Can I have both an agent and broker license?
Who is considered a producer?
In what name can I solicit, sell, consult or negotiate business?
How do I register & take the licensure examination?
How can I find out the status of my license application?
Insurance Continuing Education Information
Can I renew or reinstate my license without completing all of my CE credits?
How soon can I renew it?
When is Continuing Education (CE) Required?
How many Continuing Education credits are required?
I do not remember the Continuing Education courses I have previously taken. What do I do?
When does my individual license expire?
How do I reinstate my expired license?
FAQ’s | Answer List:
Insurance Licensing Information
How old do I have be to apply for an insurance license?
You need to be 18, or older, per NY State law, to apply for an insurance license.
Is obtaining my license really necessary?
If you accept any commission, service fee or other valuable consideration for selling, soliciting or negotiating insurance, you must be licensed to do so.
What is the difference between an agent and a broker?
An insurance agent represents an insurance company(ies) and sells insurance for whichever company(ies) have appointed that agent. An insurance broker represents the public and can sell insurance for any insurance company licensed in New York State which deals with brokers.
How many hours do I need for pre-licensing?
Depending on the insurance specialty you’re interested in here are the pre-licensing minimum classroom hour requirements:
Insurance Agent/ Broker Specialty | Min. Number of Hours Needed |
Life, Accident and Health Agent /Broker | 40 hours |
Accident and Health Agent /Broker | 20 hours |
Life Agent/ Broker | 20 hours |
Personal Lines Agent /Broker | 40 hours |
Property and Casualty Agent /Broker | 90 hours |
Life Settlement Broker | 20 hours |
Public Adjuster | 40 hours |
If I am applying for Life & Health license can I also get Variable?
Yes. If you are registered with FINRA – Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, you are qualified to hold a Variable line of authority.
What is the connection between public adjusters and insurance companies?
A Public Adjuster is generally engaged by the policyholder to protect their interests. He or she works exclusively for their client and has no ties to any insurance company.
Some Public Adjusters do work with an insurance company and are assigned its to look after the company’s interests.
Can I have both an agent and broker license?
Yes. New York State allows producers to have both agent and a broker licenses.
Who is considered a producer?
A producer is defined as any person required to be licensed to sell, solicit or negotiate insurance. A producer can be an Agent, Broker, Adjuster, Consultant, Reinsurance Intermediary or Excess Lines Broker. The license will indicate if you are a Producer licensed as an Agent, Broker, Consultant, Reinsurance Intermediary or Excess Lines Broker.
In what name can I solicit, sell, consult or negotiate business?
You can only do business in the name in which you are licensed.
How do I register & take the licensure examination?
The New York State Department of Financial Services uses Prometric, Inc. to provide examination services to candidates wishing to obtain an insurance license in New York.
Effective Saturday September 7, 2013, licensing exams will be given at Prometric’s testing centers located in various sites across New York State.
How can I find out the status of my license application?
You can search for licensing information by name on the Producer Licensee Search on the NY State Department of Financial Services website. If you don’t find any licensing information, the license has not yet been issued. To inquire, please send an email to: Licensing@dfs.ny.gov
Insurance Continuing Education Information
Can I renew or reinstate my license without completing all of my CE credits?
If CE credits are required, all the CE credits must be completed before the license can be renewed or reinstated.
How soon can I renew it?
Licenses are eligible for renewal if it is within 180 days of the expiration date of the licenses.
When is Continuing Education (CE) Required?
After your license has been renewed the first time, continuing education (CE) will always be required upon subsequent renewal or relicensing applications. Credits must be accumulated during the renewal period, which begins with the effective date of the license. CE must be completed before processing the renewal or relicensing application.
In the case of relicensing, you may use credits accumulated in the previous renewal period, plus any completed up to the date that the relicensing application is completed.
How many Continuing Education credits are required?
As a licensee you must complete 15 credits of Continuing Education (CE) during each two year licensing period. All courses must be completed You are allowed to take any course that is state approved for your specific class of license.
I do not remember the Continuing Education courses I have previously taken. What do I do?
It is the responsibility of the Producer to maintain the course completion documents. For any further information, contact where you took your continuing education course.
When does my individual license expire?
If you were born in an even numbered year, your license will expire on your birthday in an even numbered year. If you were born in an odd numbered year, your license will expire on your birthday in an odd numbered year. The effective and expiration dates appear on all licenses. Licensing information is available at https://myportal.dfs.ny.gov/nylinxext/elsearch.alice. You may search by name or license number; instructions are posted.
How do I reinstate my expired license?
If you are a NY resident, and your license has been expired more than two years, you must retake the exam and submit a paper application with the passing score report and fee. If you are a nonresident and your license has been expired more than two years, you must currently be qualified in your home state and submit a paper application fee. If your license expired within the last two years, you may relicense on the NY State Department of Finance website at: http://www.dfs.ny.gov/insurance/relic.htm
Helpful Links
For your convenience here are some links to the New York Department of Financial Services website. There you will be able to find out even more about licensing requirements, schedule your licensing Exam, renew your license, and more.
- Department of Financial Services | Information for Agents and Brokers
- Online License Renewal
- Schedule a Licensing Exam
- Search for a License Number
- FAQ- Insurance Licensing
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