If you want to know how to get a life insurance license and become a life insurance agent, the path is shorter than most people expect: no degree requirement, state fees measured in tens of dollars, and in most states no mandatory course before the exam. This guide walks through every step - who qualifies, prelicensing rules, scheduling and passing the exam, fingerprints, the application itself, and what happens after approval. Every number here comes from the official candidate handbooks and state bulletins we verify for our state exam pages.
How to become a life insurance agent: the short version
Becoming a life insurance agent comes down to two things: earning a state producer license with the life line of authority, then getting appointed by at least one insurer. Everything below - prelicensing, the exam, fingerprints, the application - is how you earn that license. If you're weighing the career first, see how much life insurance agents make.
What a life insurance license actually is
A life insurance license - formally a producer license with a life line of authority - is issued by your state's insurance department and lets you solicit, sell, and negotiate life insurance policies (and in most states, annuities) for insurers that appoint you. There is no national license: each state licenses its own producers, though reciprocity makes adding non-resident states straightforward later.
Many candidates earn life and health together. Some states test the lines separately; others, like Texas with its General Lines - Life, Accident & Health exam, combine them in one sitting. If you plan to sell both, check how your state structures it on your state's page before booking anything - one exam instead of two can save weeks.
How to get a life and health insurance license
Most new agents add health to life, because the two sell together. How you earn both depends on your state:
- One combined exam. Texas tests both lines in its General Lines - Life, Accident & Health exam: 145 questions (130 scored) in 150 minutes for a $49 fee, versus 90 questions (80 scored) in 120 minutes and $39 for Life alone. New York offers a combined Life, Accident & Health exam (Series 17-55) of 150 items in 2.5 hours.
- Two separate exams. Other states test each line on its own, so you sit and pay for two exams.
- Prelicensing adds up. Where a course is required, a combined license usually needs more hours - New York requires 40 hours for Life, Accident & Health versus 20 for Life alone, and Georgia 16 hours versus 8.
Our guide to combined vs separate insurance exams by state lists how every state structures it. If you are in Texas, start with the Texas life insurance practice exam or the Texas life and health practice exam.
Step 1: Confirm you qualify
The baseline requirements are consistent across states:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be able to pass the state's background review (most states run fingerprints; answer every application question truthfully - undisclosed history causes far more denials than disclosed history)
- Reside in the state for a resident license (non-resident licenses come later, after your home state)
Step 2: Prelicensing education - required in 19 states, skipped in 30
This is where states differ most, and where bad information wastes the most money. From our verified state data:
- 30 states require no prelicensing course at all for the life exam - you can study on your own and book the exam immediately.
- 19 states require pre-exam education, from 8 hours in Georgia to 20 hours per line in states such as Ohio and New York (New York requires 40 hours if you take Life and Accident & Health together). California repealed its 20-hour course on January 1, 2026 but still requires 12 hours of ethics and California Insurance Code study.
- 2 states do not publish the requirement clearly - confirm with the insurance department.
The full breakdown with citations is in our prelicensing requirements by state guide. Where a course is required, the completion certificate can expire - Georgia's, for example, is valid for one year - so schedule your exam soon after finishing.
Step 3: Pass the licensing exam
Every state contracts a testing vendor - PSI, Pearson VUE, Prometric, or in a few cases the state itself (Alabama uses the University of Alabama; Kentucky administers its own). Our guide to who runs the exam in each state lists every vendor.
What to expect, from the official outlines we track:
- Length: from 60 questions (55 scored) in North Carolina up to 150 on some exams; 38 of 51 jurisdictions' life exams run 90-110 questions, most in about 2 hours.
- Fees: $32 to $96 per attempt depending on the state.
- Passing: typically 70%, though several states use a scaled score of 70 that is not a raw percentage.
- Content: national product knowledge plus a state-law section drawn from your state's insurance code - in Georgia and Texas it is 30 of the 80 scored life questions, and it is the section candidates most often underestimate.
Preparation is the whole game here: states that publish results show many candidates fail - Washington's insurance commissioner reports only 39.2% of 5,005 Life producer exams were passed between July 2025 and June 2026. Take a free life insurance practice exam for your state until you clear your state's passing bar comfortably on consecutive attempts; our mock exams mirror each state's real question count and time limit. For what the exam covers topic by topic, see what's actually on the insurance exam.
Step 4: Fingerprints and background check
Most states require electronic fingerprinting for a criminal background check, typically through vendors like IdentoGO, either before the application or triggered by it. Georgia, for example, requires registration and fingerprinting after applying through Sircon; Texas requires a fingerprint receipt as part of its general requirements. Your state's candidate handbook, linked from your state page, spells out the exact process.
Step 5: Apply for the license
Applications go through your state's portal or, in most states, the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) - the industry's shared licensing system - or Sircon. You'll need your exam pass on file, identifying information (SSN, date of birth), and an electronic payment for the state's license fee. NIPR states that applications typically take 7 to 10 days to review; many states are faster when fingerprints are already processed.
Step 6: Get appointed and start selling
A license alone doesn't let you sell - an insurer must appoint you (file a certificate of authority for you) before you can write its policies. If you're joining an agency or carrier, they handle appointments; independent agents secure appointments carrier by carrier. Expect contracting paperwork, E&O insurance requirements from some carriers, and possibly AML training.
How long does the whole process take?
Fastest realistic path in a no-prelicensing state: study one to two weeks with practice exams, pass, fingerprint the same week, application approved in about a week - 2 to 3 weeks total. Course states add their required hours up front. Our licensing timeline guide breaks this down state by state.
Start with your state
Every state's exact numbers - question count, time limit, passing standard, exam fee, prelicensing hours, and the official handbook they come from - are on your state's exam page, verified against primary sources and dated. Pick your state, read its quick facts, and take a free mock exam today; it is the single best predictor of whether you're ready to book the real thing.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a life insurance license?
In the 30 states with no prelicensing course, motivated candidates often finish in 1-3 weeks: a few days of study, the exam, fingerprints where required, and a state application that typically takes 7-10 days to review. States requiring 20-90 hours of prelicensing add one to several weeks. See our full state-by-state timeline guide for details.
Do I need a college degree to sell life insurance?
No. Every state licenses producers without a degree. The requirements are being at least 18, completing any state-required prelicensing education, passing the licensing exam, and clearing the state's background review.
What is the difference between a life license and a life and health license?
A life license covers life insurance and usually annuities. Many candidates sit a combined life, accident and health exam so one sitting earns both lines of authority - several states, like Texas with its General Lines - Life, Accident & Health exam, structure it exactly that way. Check your state page for how your state splits or combines the lines.
How much does it cost to get a life insurance license?
Exam fees in our verified state data run from $32 to $96 per attempt. Add the state's license application fee (collected through NIPR or your state portal at checkout), fingerprinting where required, and a prelicensing course only if your state mandates one. Total costs commonly land between roughly $50 and a few hundred dollars.
Can I take the life insurance exam online?
Some states offer remote proctoring through their exam vendor (for example Pearson VUE's OnVUE), while others require a test center. Your state's candidate handbook - linked with its source on every state page here - says which options your state allows.