When it comes to renewing your insurance license, planning ahead and understanding the renewal requirements can help ensure everything goes smoothly. Here, you'll find guidance on topics including resident and non-resident renewals, fees and continuing education (CE), along with tips for staying compliant and getting it all done on time.
Resident versus non-resident license renewals
A resident insurance license is issued based on an individual’s state of residency or the state of their primary place of business.
Having a non-resident license means an insurance agent can sell, discuss or change insurance policies in a state where they aren’t a resident. There is a lot of overlap between renewing resident and non-resident licenses, and most insurance licenses are reciprocal across states. This means that after getting an insurance license or line of authority (also called an LOA) in your home state, it’ll be easier to get that license or LOA in other states.
The requirements in some states, however, are more stringent than in others, so it’s important to understand the requirements for insurance licensing in your home state, also called your resident state, as well as the other states where you conduct business. Our State overview page can help you find the insurance renewal requirements for all 50 states.
Understanding license expiration and renewal dates
Resident and nonresident licenses typically expire after two years. But the timing of those two years can differ by state.
In some states, licenses expire two years from their issue date. Others expire in even or odd years. And some state’s two-year expiration periods for individuals are based on the year and month of the agent’s date of birth.
Understanding continuing education for resident and non-resident renewals
Most states require producers to complete their CE requirements (CE) before they can submit their renewal application. It normally takes three to five business days for the test provider to report the results to the appropriate states and to NIPR.
Typically, as long as agents meet their home state requirements, they’ll satisfy the requirements in other states. Once the resident state’s department of insurance verifies that the agent has met these requirements, other states where the agent works in can verify that agent’s information through the NIPR Producer Database (PDB).
We recommend you complete the required hours at least 30 days before your license expiration date. It can be helpful to visit our CE transcripts page. And our CE Requirements Learn page will give you an overview of the CE process.
Adding a line of authority during renewals
When you renew an insurance license, you can only renew a LOA you already hold — you can’t add new ones. Visit our Adding a line of authority page to learn more about adding LOAs.
Required for license renewals
When you renew your license, you’ll need the following:
License number or National Producer Number (NPN).
Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) or the last four digits of your Social Security Number (SSN).
Date of birth (individuals)
Applicant, licensee, license, residency type.
Electronic payment method: Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, electronic check.
What happens when a license expires?
The exact outcome of a license expiration depends on the state, but it will be one of the following:
You must reapply for a license as if you were a new agent in that state.
There's a grace period after the expiration date during which you can still renew your license.
Your license gets canceled, and there’s a waiting period before you can reapply.
Fees for reinstating a license
Each state charges different amounts for obtaining and renewing licenses, which include transaction fees and state license fees. Late fees can increase the overall fees you’ll have to pay. You can learn more about state-specific renewal costs as well as renewal periods and eligibility on our State requirements page.
Make your renewal process go more effectively
There are some things you can do to help your renewal process go more smoothly. The tips below highlight the importance of not waiting till the last minute.
Give yourself plenty of time. You may find you need to fulfill additional renewal requirements, such as completing CE or making updates to contact information.
Gather what you need beforehand. Have your NPN, resident license numbers and other required documents easily accessible. Find your National Producer Number (NPN) using the NIPR Look up a National Producer number tool on our Licensing page.
Keep your contact information updated. It can take up to five days for changes to email, phone, address, etc., to be fully processed through our contact change request service.
Meet your CE requirements in advance. Most states require producers to complete their CE before submitting a renewal application, so familiarize yourself with your state’s CE reporting requirements. We recommend completing any required CE hours at least 30 days prior to your license expiration date.
Avoid the end of the month. Wait times for state insurance departments tend to be longer at the end of the month. States begin to accept renewal transactions 30-120 days prior to the expiration of a license.
For more information on renewing your license through NIPR, visit our Renew your license page. And to find more ways to improve your insurance license renewal process, read the Streamlining the producer licensing process article written by our Chief Executive Officer Karen Stakem Hornig.
