How to Get an Arkansas Insurance License

Getting an insurance license in Arkansas means completing a 20-hour prelicensing course for each line of authority, submitting a resident application through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) before you take the exam, clearing an Arkansas State Police criminal background check, and passing a PSI licensing exam by getting 70% correct. The state charges three fees for a single exam-required line: a $15 application fee, a $24 background check fee, and a $50 exam fee. Arkansas sets no experience requirement, and most applicants move from first study session to printed license within a few weeks.

Arkansas insurance licensing requirements

Arkansas grants a resident producer license to applicants who are 18 or older, maintain a residence address in Arkansas, and provide a valid business email address, according to the NIPR Arkansas resident licensing requirements page^[1]. Canadian citizens cannot apply electronically and must contact the state directly.

The Licensing Division of the Arkansas Insurance Department^[2] (AID) screens every resident applicant by reviewing Arkansas State Police records. A "yes" answer to any background question on the application requires supporting documents, which you upload through NIPR's Attachments Warehouse. The state sets no prior insurance experience requirement for producer applicants.

What an Arkansas insurance license lets you do

An Arkansas producer license authorizes you to sell, solicit, and negotiate insurance, and the state uses this single license class for both agents and brokers: an agent represents insurers, while a broker represents the customer. The lines of authority on your license determine which products you may sell. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics^[3] notes that an agent's license is valid only in the states that issued it, and that selling life and health products takes different credentials than selling property and casualty coverage.

Licensed agents either represent one insurer as a captive agent or represent several insurers as an independent agent. Before you can sell an insurer's products, that company must appoint you with AID, a step described after the exam sections below.

Lines of authority and application fees

Arkansas licenses producers line by line. Six lines require an exam: Life, Accident & Health or Sickness, Property, Casualty, Personal Lines, and Crop. The remaining producer lines are limited lines that require no exam and no prelicensing education.

Before a license with the variable line of authority is issued, you must provide AID proof of a Series 6 securities registration, though that line carries no Arkansas state exam. A consultant license costs $120 with no exam, and the surplus lines producer license costs $1,035, per the NIPR fee listings^[1].

Prelicensing education in Arkansas

Each exam-required producer line demands a 20-hour prelicensing course from a provider the Insurance Commissioner approves. Under Arkansas Insurance Department Rule 23 CAR Part 14^[4], the hours must be completed before the exam date and no more than 2 years before it. Courses may be taken in a classroom or online, and an online provider must record the exact time you spend on each segment of the course.

Your signed certificate of completion must be presented when you schedule the exam and at every attempt; arriving without it means rescheduling. When you add another line within 2 years of finishing a course, you do not have to repeat the 5-hour state laws and rules portion or the 1-hour ethics portion, a waiver provided by Arkansas Code § 23-64-202. Adding a line through NIPR costs a $5.60 transaction fee plus any state fees.

Instructors must have at least 3 years of insurance experience in each part they teach and be approved by the Commissioner. RealEstateU offers approved 20-hour online prelicensing courses for the Arkansas producer lines, with study time tracked to satisfy the rule's verification requirement.

Life insurance license in Arkansas

The Life line requires a 20-hour course divided by rule into 1 hour of introduction to insurance, 5 hours of state laws and rules, 5 hours of life insurance basics, 5 hours of policies, options, and provisions, 3 hours of annuity contracts, and 1 hour of ethics. The Life exam allows 2.5 hours, and many applicants pair it with the Health exam so they can sell both life and health products.

Accident & health insurance license in Arkansas

The health line, officially Accident & Health or Sickness, requires a 20-hour course: 1 hour introduction, 5 hours state laws and rules, 3 hours health policy provisions, 2 hours disability income, 1 hour medical expense, 1 hour Medicare supplement, 2 hours long-term care, 2 hours Social Security and Medicare, 1 hour group coverage, 1 hour health maintenance organizations, and 1 hour ethics. The Health exam allows 2.5 hours, and the line covers health plans, disability income, long-term care, and Medicare supplement products.

Property insurance license in Arkansas

The Property line requires a 20-hour course: 1 hour introduction, 5 hours state laws and rules, 4 hours fire and allied lines including the Arkansas Earthquake Authority, 5 hours homeowners and multiple-line products, 0.5 hours National Flood Insurance Program, 3 hours commercial property and crime, 0.5 hours Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, and 1 hour ethics. Property and Casualty are tested in a single combined 3.5-hour exam, so most applicants earn both lines at once.

Producers who hold a property line and sell flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program must also complete a one-time 3-hour flood training course approved by AID, under Arkansas Bulletin No. 7-2006^[5].

Casualty insurance license in Arkansas

The Casualty line requires a 20-hour course: 1 hour introduction, 5 hours state laws and rules, 1 hour ocean and inland marine, 2 hours general liability, 5 hours automobile insurance and assigned risk plans, 3 hours workers' compensation, 1 hour commercial crime and fidelity, 1 hour surety bonds, and 1 hour ethics. Because the combined Property/Casualty exam covers both lines, adding this line to a property license takes one exam sitting. The line covers auto, liability, and workers' compensation products.

Personal lines insurance license in Arkansas

The Personal Lines line requires a 20-hour course: 1 hour introduction, 5 hours state laws and rules, 2 hours fire and allied lines including manufactured housing, 5 hours homeowners and multiple-line products, 5 hours automobile insurance and assigned risk plans, 1 hour National Flood Insurance Program, and 1 hour ethics. The line covers insurance for individuals and households, such as auto and homeowners coverage, and excludes commercial business. Its exam allows 3.5 hours.

Adjuster, title, and specialty licenses in Arkansas

Arkansas licenses several credentials outside the standard producer lines, each with its own fees and rules.

Adjuster license in Arkansas

Arkansas licenses adjusters in three lines: Property, Casualty, and Workers' Compensation. The application fee is $55, and each adjuster exam costs $40 and allows 1.5 hours; up to three adjuster exams can be taken together. Under 23 CAR Part 14^[4], each adjuster line requires 20 hours of prelicensing education, though PSI's exam check-in does not collect the completion certificate from adjuster candidates, and applicants holding a current certification from a national or state claims association are exempt from the education requirement. Arkansas no longer requires adjuster applicants to prove 12 months of experience or complete an apprenticeship.

Two limits matter for adjusters. Out-of-state adjusters who come to Arkansas to adjust claims from a declared catastrophe must register with AID. Public adjusters are prohibited from adjusting claims in Arkansas; the state licenses independent and company adjusters only. The Arkansas Adjusters Association^[6]{rel="nofollow"} estimates that staff adjusters earn $45,000 to $80,000 or more, while independent adjusters can earn over $100,000 a year.

Title insurance agent license in Arkansas

The title agent application fee is $15, and the title exam costs $50 and allows 2.5 hours. Title applicants file an Affidavit of Prior Title Work Experience with the state, and nonresident licensees file an Affidavit of Employment, per the AID forms and instructions page^[7]. Under Arkansas Insurance Department Rule 88, the individual title agent renewal fee is $35 plus a continuing education filing fee, and the late renewal penalty is $105. Title agencies pay a $250 license fee.

Surplus lines producer license in Arkansas

Surplus lines applicants must be licensed as property and casualty agents for 3 years, with no exceptions, and must document affiliation with a licensed Arkansas broker firm. The application fee is $1,035, the exam allows 2 hours, and a $50,000 surety bond (Form AID-LI-SLBB) must be mailed or emailed to the Licensing Division. The surplus lines exam must be taken alone.

Temporary license in Arkansas

Arkansas Code § 23-64-511 allows a temporary license for up to 180 days for the surviving spouse or court-appointed personal representative of a licensed producer who dies or becomes disabled, for the designee of a producer entering active military service, or for a member or employee of a licensed business entity when its designated individual dies or is disabled. The temporary license fee is $35, and the request must include a producer application, a criminal background form, and documents such as a death certificate or doctor's statement, per the AID emergency temporary license instructions^[8].

How to apply for an Arkansas insurance license

Arkansas is an application-first state: you must submit the resident licensing application before you take the exam. The application goes through NIPR's online application system, and first-time applicants provide a Social Security Number, date of birth, and an electronic payment method.

The steps in order:

1. Complete your prelicensing course and hold the signed certificate.
2. Submit the resident application through NIPR^[1] and pay the $15 application fee for an exam-required line, as of October 2026.
3. Complete the criminal background check through the online portal listed on the NIPR Arkansas resident licensing requirements page, and pay the $24 fee electronically to the Arkansas State Police at submission.
4. Wait for AID's review. Once the background check and application clear, PSI emails an Authorization to Test with scheduling instructions.
5. Schedule the exam with PSI.

Exam scheduling questions go to examschedule@psionline.com.

Taking the Arkansas insurance licensing exam

PSI Services administers every Arkansas insurance exam at computer testing centers and through online remote proctoring, under contract with AID. The exams are closed book and computer based, and you must get 70% correct to pass, per the PSI candidate bulletin^[9]. Your score appears on screen at the end and is emailed to you; a failed attempt comes with a diagnostic report. Exams include 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions, and the tutorial time, up to 15 minutes, does not count against your working time.

Combination rules: Life and Health can be taken together; the combined Property/Casualty exam cannot be taken with any other exam; any three adjuster exams can be taken together; Crop Hail can only be taken with Life or Health; and Surplus Lines must be taken alone.

You must pass within 90 days of the original approval date, with a maximum of 3 attempts inside that 90-day permit; otherwise you wait 4 weeks and repeat the entire application process. Exam fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable, and you must give PSI notice 2 days before the exam date to reschedule without forfeiting the fee. A passing score stays valid for 12 months, per NIPR's Arkansas state information^[10]. PSI sells practice exams with unlimited attempts for a fee through its website.

Test centers operate in Bentonville, Conway, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Harrison, Jonesboro, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and Searcy. Exams can also be taken at PSI centers in other states or through remote proctoring.

After you pass: printing your license and getting appointed

You can print your license from NIPR about 24 hours after passing the exam. Employers and customers can verify any Arkansas license through NIPR's public license search using a name or National Producer Number.

Before you sell, an insurance company must appoint you. The company has 15 calendar days to submit your appointment to AID, starting from the day it signs a contract with you or receives your first piece of business, per the PSI bulletin^[9]. Appointment fees are the company's responsibility and are paid through NIPR: $20 for a resident appointment and $60 for a nonresident appointment, per the AID appointment fee schedule^[11]. Appointments renew annually on June 1, and a termination request filed through NIPR costs $10.

Report any change in address or name to AID within 30 days; address changes can be made online through NIPR.

Arkansas insurance license timeline

Most applicants complete the process within a few weeks, and study pace, not state processing, drives the timeline. After the background check and application clear, the Authorization to Test from PSI typically arrives within 2-5 days, according to NIPR^[1]. AID processes applications in the order received once all forms and exam results are on file. A focused applicant can move from course to license in two to four weeks; part-time study stretches the calendar to six weeks or more.

Renewing your Arkansas insurance license

An Arkansas license renews every 2 years on the licensee's birthday, and the initial license is issued for a two-year period, under 23 CAR Part 18^[12]. The renewal window opens 90 days before the expiration date and closes on the expiration date. There is no grace period, because renewal fees are due on the license's expiration date, per the AID renewal fee schedule^[13].

The producer renewal fee is $70, and producers subject to continuing education (CE) pay an additional $20 CE filing fee, for $90 total. A late renewal costs $140 in addition to the renewal fee, and late renewals are accepted up to 12 months past expiration through NIPR. The CE filing fee escalates if education is filed late: $25 at 1 to 30 days, $50 at 31 to 60 days, $100 at 61 to 90 days, and $150 at 91 days to 1 year. Partial renewals are not allowed; you must renew all lines you actively hold, per the NIPR Arkansas renewal requirements^[14].

Renewal fees vary by class: adjusters pay $120, crop adjusters pay $50 with a $100 late fee ($150 total if late), title agents pay $35 plus a CE filing fee with a $105 late penalty, and surplus lines producers pay $60.

Continuing education requirements

Nonexempt producers and adjusters must complete a minimum of 24 hours of commissioner-approved continuing education every 2 years, including at least 3 hours of ethics, under 23 CAR Part 18^[12]. Holders of both a producer and an adjuster license must meet the requirements of both licenses without duplicating courses. Excess hours carry forward only to the next biennial period, and excess ethics hours carry over as regular hours. A course may not be repeated within a 2-year period.

NIPR verifies CE compliance before it accepts a renewal submission, and compliance status can take up to 72 hours to update after a provider files your completion. By rule, providers must file rosters within 10 days of course completion.

Exemptions include licenses that require no exam, company-employed and limited adjusters, nonresidents whose home state imposes comparable CE, insurance consultants, military members on active duty, medical hardship extensions of up to 12 months, and resident producers licensed before July 1, 2003 who are at least 60 years old or have 15 consecutive years of licensure. Title agents' education is governed by a separate title rule.

Nonresident Arkansas insurance licenses

A nonresident producer license costs $70 per application and is issued on reciprocity, per the NIPR nonresident requirements^[15]. Applicants moving to Arkansas file the Change from Non-Resident to Resident form and should contact AID's Licensing Division at Insurance.License@arkansas.gov to confirm whether an exam is required. Nonresident adjuster licenses cost $120, and the crop adjuster license costs $50, per the NIPR nonresident adjuster requirements^[16].

Variable product applicants must actively hold variable products in their resident state. Nonresidents whose home state lacks comparable continuing education must meet Arkansas hours instead.

Next steps

Pick your lines of authority first, because that choice determines how many 20-hour courses you need. Then enroll in an approved prelicensing course, submit the resident application through NIPR before scheduling anything, complete the background check, and pass the PSI exam with 70% correct. After printing your license, line up a carrier appointment and plan for the continuing education hours due before your first birthday renewal.