California insurance courses, 100% online

Yes, with one exception. The required 12-hour ethics and Insurance Code course can be taken online, the license application is filed online through Sircon, and PSI offers remote online proctored versions of every insurance licensing exam (a $43 convenience fee applies). The exception is fingerprinting: resident applicants must visit one of more than 800 live scan locations after filing the application.

You can complete most of the California licensing process remotely. Complete the required 12-hour ethics and California Insurance Code course online, then take the qualifying exam through PSI's remote online proctored option (a $43 convenience fee applies, along with the $55 CDI exam fee). File your license application online through Sircon or NIPR, then submit fingerprints at one of over 800 live scan locations statewide. The two-year license filing fee is $188.

A nonresident applies for a California license online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) or Sircon, and must hold an active resident license in good standing in the home state. The nonresident fee equals the resident fee for the same license type ($188 for a two-year producer term). Most nonresidents must submit fingerprints before the state can review the application, though applicants holding a resident license from certain states, including Texas, Arizona, and Florida, are exempt.

In California, you sell commercial insurance under a Property and Casualty Broker-Agent license, which covers commercial and personal property and casualty lines. You complete a 12-hour ethics and California Insurance Code course, pass the combined Property and Casualty exam (150 questions, 195 minutes, 60% to pass), apply online through Sircon, and submit fingerprints ($74). The license filing fee is $188 for a two-year term.

To become a public insurance adjuster in California, complete a 20-hour prelicensing course, then pass the Public Adjuster exam, which requires a 70% score. You must also file a $264 application, a $20,000 bond (form 94A), a department-approved contract, an authorization application, and fingerprints, and you may not hold any other adjuster license.

Surplus lines broker is a separate license issued by the California Department of Insurance. You must actively hold, or apply simultaneously for, both the property broker-agent and casualty broker-agent licenses, but no separate qualifying exam is required. As of the current fee schedule, the filing fee is $646 for a two-year term if you transact only on behalf of a surplus line broker business entity, and $1,296 otherwise, and you apply through Sircon or the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR).

California does not issue a separate license for independent agents; you qualify through the standard producer license path. You must be at least 18, complete a 12-hour course on ethics and the California Insurance Code (including 1 hour on insurance fraud), pass the qualifying exam for your line with PSI (60% passing score), apply through Sircon or NIPR with a $188 two-year filing fee, and submit fingerprints ($74).

First complete the one-time 12-hour course on ethics and the California Insurance Code, then pass the Life exam (60% to pass) scheduled through PSI. Next, apply online through Sircon or the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR), pay the $188 filing fee for a two-year license, and submit fingerprints ($74) through the state's live scan vendor. You can select both the Life-Only and Accident and Health license types to become a full Life Agent with one combined exam and one fee. To sell as an independent, you must then hold appointments with the insurers whose products you market.

To become an independent insurance adjuster in California, be at least 18, document 2 years of certified adjusting experience (4,000 hours of compensated time), and pass the Insurance Adjuster exam, which requires a 70% score. Then apply through Sircon or the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR), pay the $311 two-year license fee per qualified manager, and submit fingerprints, a passport photo, and a $2,000 surety bond unless you adjust only under an already bonded adjuster or organization.

California sets no prior experience requirement to become an insurance agent. You must be at least 18 years old, complete a 12-hour course on ethics and the California Insurance Code, pass the licensing exam for your line, submit fingerprints ($74), and file an online application with a $188 fee for the two-year license. After licensure, an insurer appointment must be filed before you transact insurance.