How do I become an independent insurance agent with no experience?

You can start with no industry experience: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education for insurance sales agents. Get a producer license in your resident state by completing any required prelicensing education, passing the state licensing exam, and clearing a background check. You then secure carrier appointments, the contracts that authorize you to sell insurers' products. Most agents build experience inside an agency first: 63% work in insurance agencies and brokerages, while 12% are self-employed.

Delaware does not pre-screen insurance candidates or require experience, so you can start with none. You must pass the Pearson VUE exam for each line of authority you want ($90 per exam, or one fee for two major-line exams scheduled the same day), then apply online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) with a State Criminal Background Report and the $125 producer fee. The department's fee schedule also lists a $75 company appointment fee.

New Hampshire does not require prior experience or a prelicensing course to become an insurance producer. You must be at least 18 years old, pass the PSI licensing exam for your line of authority, and apply online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) with a $210 fee. After licensing, independent agents typically secure carrier appointments and purchase errors and omissions liability insurance.

North Dakota requires no experience to become a licensed insurance producer. You must be at least 18, pass the exam for each line of authority through PSI, submit fingerprint cards, and apply through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) with the $100 fee. No prelicensing education or classroom instruction is required, so you can prepare entirely by self-study.

No experience is required for a Vermont producer license. You must be at least 18, pass the written exam for your line of authority, wait 48 hours, and apply through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR); Vermont requires no prelicensing education and no routine fingerprints. To operate, you must then be appointed by an insurer within 15 days of executing an agency contract or submitting your first insurance application, whichever is sooner. Some agencies hire candidates before they are licensed.