Learn about the California insurance education requirements for insurance licensing.

To get an insurance license in California, you must satisfy these requirements:

• Complete the education requirements prior to applying for a license. Most commonly, students enroll in 52 hours of education for a Life Agent or Fire and Casualty license. The course on Ethics and the California Insurance Code must only be taken once; therefore, applicants applying for more than one license type do not need to repeat the Ethics and Code course. Note: A certificate of pre-license education is valid for three years.

License Type	Required Hours of General Insurance	Hours of Ethics and California Insurance Code
Life Agent (Life, Accident and Health)	40	12
Property and Casualty	40	12
Life	20	12
Accident and Health	20	12

• Submit fingerprints. Fingerprint impressions are required for unlicensed applicants and can be submitted at any time prior to taking the license examination or submitting the license application. 
• Schedule and pass the insurance examination. This link will provide you with the information on how to schedule your examination: Insurance License Examination Information.
• Apply for an insurance license. You may apply online at the Fast Licensing Application Service. You will be mailed your license upon application approval and passing the license examination. However, you may not transact, solicit or negotiate the sale of insurance until one of the following documents is completed and submitted to the California Department of Insurance:
• The sponsoring insurance company admitted to California completes an Action Notice of Appointment and submitted electronically. To submit appointments electronically contact the National Insurance Producer Registry and its authorized business partners for a list of approved partners.
• The sponsoring business entity licensed in California completes an Organization Endorsement, submitted through the Business Entity Endorsement and Termination Online Service.
• An Action Notice of Appointment- Fire and Casualty or Personal Lines Broker-Agent Only
• An Action Notice of Solicitor- Fire and Casualty or Personal Lines Broker-Agent Only 

Note: Brokers in California are required to post and maintain a $10,000 Bond of Insurance.

Exemptions from general insurance pre-license courses: 

• A new California resident applicant who had a current license in another state and completed 40 or 20 hours of pre-licensing education for each license held in that state, or;
• An applicant for a license holding one or more of the following designations:
• LUTCF: Life Only Agent, Accident and Health Agent
• CLU: Life Only Agent, Accident and Health Agent
• AAI: Personal Lines Broker-Agent, Fire and Casualty Broker-Agent, Limited Lines Automobile Agent
• CPCU: Personal Lines Broker-Agent, Fire and Casualty Broker-Agent, Limited Lines Automobile Agent
• CIC: Personal Lines Broker-Agent, Fire and Casualty Broker-Agent, Limited Lines Automobile Agent
• If any of the above exemptions are met, the applicant must still complete the 12-hour Ethics and California Insurance Code course.

 California Insurance State Exam Information

The California Department of Insurance's (CDI) examination vendor, PSI Services, LLC, schedules and administers the license examination at CDI's Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco examination sites, and at 15 of PSI's test centers located throughout California.

To successfully schedule your CDI license examination, you need to:

• Create an account, register and schedule your examination at PSI's website or call 1-877-392-6422.
• Pay the examination fee at the time you schedule your license examination. There is an additional $30 convenience fee when you schedule your exam to be taken at one of PSI's test centers. The convenience fee will not apply if you schedule your examination to be taken at one of the California Department of Insurance's locations.
• Submit a license application after passing your license examination with PSI. You must pay the application fee at the time of submission.
• Review the CDI's Candidate Information Bulletin for additional examination information.

California Insurance Licensing FAQs

• Is OnCourse Learning’s program approved to satisfy the education requirements needed to become licensed as a California Insurance Agent? OnCourse Learning’s California Insurance Programs are approved by the California Department of Insurance to satisfy the education requirements to be licensed as a California Insurance Agent.
• What do OnCourse Learning California Insurance programs include? OnCourse Learning’s online California Insurance programs include printable lessons, multi-media reviews, interactive exercises, quizzes and comprehensive exams. All the tools you need to prepare for the state exam are included!
• Do I need to enroll in an exam prep course to prepare for my California Insurance Agent licensing exam? OnCourse Learning’s California Insurance programs include everything you need to pass your state licensing exam.
• Once I enroll, when can I start studying for my California Insurance Agent license? Upon enrolling, you will have immediate access to your coursework. Simply log-in using your e-mail address and password and you can get started immediately. Best of all, you will have access to your course 24/7 and from any computer with an internet connection. You can work at home, at the office, wherever is the most convenient for you!
• California Insurance Continuing Education FAQs
• What are the requirements to renew an California insurance producer license? In order to renew a license, a property and/or casualty broker-agent, personal lines broker-agent, or life-only and/or accident and health broker-agent must complete 24 hours of insurance continuing education during the two-year license term prior to renewal, three of which must be in ethics training. There are additional insurance training courses required if you sell or wish to sell homeowners insurance, annuities, flood insurance, or long-term care products.
• Are OnCourse Learning’s insurance continuing education courses approved to satisfy my California Insurance Agent continuing education requirements? Yes. OnCourse Learning’s California insurance continuing education courses are approved by the California Department of Insurance to satisfy the education requirements to renew your California Insurance license.
• Are there required courses if I want to sell or do sell homeowners insurance, annuities, long term care or flood insurance? Yes. Property and casualty or personal lines licensees must complete a 3-hour Homeowners Insurance Valuation training course to sell homeowners insurance. OnCourse Learning’s 3-hour Homeowners Insurance Valuation course satisfies this training requirement. There are additional courses required if you sell or wish to sell annuities, flood insurance or long-term care products. All states require licensees who sell flood insurance to complete a one-time course that is at least three hours in length.  Several states require courses to represent annuity products and long-term care products.
• Where can I find more information on the requirements to renew my California insurance license? OnCourse Learning is a valuable resource for licensing information. View the “Rules and Regulations” section of our website, or contact your state agency for more information.
• How do OnCourse Learning’s California Insurance continuing education courses work? OnCourse Learning’s approved California Insurance continuing education courses are offered online for your convenience. Once enrolled, your Table of Contents will serve as your roadmap for completing the course. You will be given access to lesson material, multimedia reviews, quizzes and a final exam. To demonstrate course completion, you will need to read the lesson material, pass all quizzes and pass the final exam.
• Will I receive a certificate of completion immediately after completing the coursework? Yes. Upon completion of all course elements, you will immediately receive your certificate of completion. You may access your certificate of completion at any time by logging into your account.
• Once I enroll, when can I access my California Insurance continuing education courses? Upon enrolling, you will have immediate access to your coursework. Simply log-in using your e-mail address and password and you can get started immediately. Best of all, you will have access to your course 24/7 and from any computer with an internet connection. You can work at home, at the office, wherever is the most convenient for you!

California Insurance Licensing

For more information, please contact the California Department of Insurance at:

• California Department of Insurance Producer Licensing Bureau
• 320 Capitol Mall Sacramento, CA 95814
• Phone: 1-800-967-9331 
• Email: click here for email inquiry information 
• Website: www.insurance.ca.gov