How to get an insurance license in California: the official requirements
The producer (agent or broker-agent) license, its lines of authority, pre-licensing education, the exam, the fingerprint or background check and how to apply, from the California Department of Insurance.
To sell insurance in California, you get licensed by the California Department of Insurance. California licenses producers by type: property broker-agent, casualty broker-agent, life agent, and accident and health or sickness agent (plus personal lines and limited lines automobile). How to apply: Submit a completed license application to the Department, through its online licensing services, after you pass the exam. Pre-licensing education: 12 hours of study on ethics and the California Insurance Code, completed before your license can be issued; one course covers both the property and casualty and the life licenses. The separate 20-hour prelicensing course was repealed for these licenses from January 1, 2026. Licensing exam: A license examination given by PSI; a 60 percent score passes the producer exams, and a pass is valid for one year. Fingerprints and background check: Fingerprints from every unlicensed applicant, taken through the Department's live scan vendor, Capital Live Scan, after you file your application.
California insurance producer license requirements
| Requirement | California |
|---|---|
| License you apply for | California licenses producers by type: property broker-agent, casualty broker-agent, life agent, and accident and health or sickness agent (plus personal lines and limited lines automobile). |
| Lines of authority | Select both property and casualty, or both life and accident and health or sickness, on the application when you qualify for both. |
| How to apply | Submit a completed license application to the Department, through its online licensing services, after you pass the exam. |
| Eligibility | At least 18. |
| Pre-licensing education | 12 hours of study on ethics and the California Insurance Code, completed before your license can be issued; one course covers both the property and casualty and the life licenses. The separate 20-hour prelicensing course was repealed for these licenses from January 1, 2026. |
| Licensing exam | A license examination given by PSI; a 60 percent score passes the producer exams, and a pass is valid for one year. |
| Fingerprints and background check | Fingerprints from every unlicensed applicant, taken through the Department's live scan vendor, Capital Live Scan, after you file your application. |
| Insurer appointment | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the California Department of Insurance. |
| State fees | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the California Department of Insurance. |
| License term | Two years. |
| Continuing education | 24 hours in each two-year license period, including at least 3 hours of ethics. |
Where the official source we read does not state something, the table says so rather than guessing. Fees shown are the regulator's own. Fees charged by exam vendors, course providers, fingerprint vendors and application portals are not included.
How to get licensed in California
- Study the License Examination Objectives and complete the 12-hour ethics and California Insurance Code course.
- Pass the licensing examination, scheduled with PSI.
- Submit a completed license application to the Department.
- Submit fingerprints to a live scan vendor.
Go further
Requirements state by state.
Open →CareerHow to become an insurance agentThe career path, nationally.
Open →PayInsurance agent salaryWhat agents earn.
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Open →InterviewInsurance agent interview questionsWhat hiring managers ask.
Open →IndustryCareers in the insurance industryRoles across the industry.
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Questions people ask
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How this page is built
Each fact on this page comes from the California Department of Insurance (sources named below), read on the dates shown, with the exact wording we relied on kept on file. Requirements and fees change; the California Department of Insurance's current instructions govern. We re-read each state's sources every six months (next review by May 7, 2027).
- Not legal advice.
- Licensing rules can change. Verify current requirements with the issuing agency.
- Fees shown are the regulator's own. Fees charged by exam vendors, course providers, fingerprint vendors and application portals are not included.
- This page covers the resident individual license. Nonresident, business entity, limited lines, adjuster and temporary licenses have their own rules.
- California Department of Insurance, Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, revised October 2026), hosted by the Department, official source, read Nov 6, 2026.
- California Department of Insurance, Notice: New Law Repeals the 20-Hour Prelicensing Requirements for Insurance Producers (November 10, 2025), official source, read Nov 6, 2026.
- California Department of Insurance, Life-Only Agent: Qualifications, official source, read Nov 6, 2026.
- California Department of Insurance, California Resident Licensing Fingerprint Requirements, official source, read Nov 6, 2026.