How to get a Michigan insurance license

Michigan issues insurance producer licenses to applicants who are at least 18 years old, complete pre-licensing education from a state-approved provider, pass the licensing exam for their line of authority, and file an application through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) website. The Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) regulates the process, and PSI Services LLC administers the exams in person at its testing centers. The fixed state costs are low: a $41 exam fee and a $15 resident application fee, plus the price of your pre-licensing course. Most applicants who study part time move from start to license within a few weeks.

The Michigan insurance licensing process: five steps from start to license

You become a licensed insurance agent in Michigan by working through five steps: choose a line of authority, complete pre-licensing education, pass the PSI exam, apply through NIPR, and get appointed by an insurer.

1. Choose your line of authority. Michigan licenses producers by line, such as Life, Accident and Health, Property, Casualty, or Personal Lines. Your line determines your coursework, your exam, and what you can sell.
2. Complete pre-licensing education. DIFS requires coursework from a Michigan-approved provider before you can sit for the exam, taken in a classroom or as self-study.
3. Pass the PSI exam. Every Michigan insurance licensing exam is administered in person at a PSI testing location.
4. File your application through NIPR. Michigan residents submit an Electronic Resident Licensing (ERL) application on the NIPR website and pay the state fee plus a transaction fee.
5. Get appointed by an insurer. A license alone does not let you sell. Each insurer you represent must file an appointment with the state.

The coursework can be done from home, since Michigan accepts self-study and online formats for pre-licensing education.

Who qualifies for a Michigan insurance license

You must be at least 18 years old, and DIFS screens applicants through background questions on the application rather than a fingerprint check. The DIFS resident producer instructions^[1] list no fingerprinting step, and applicants who answer "yes" to a background question submit supporting documents through NIPR's Attachments Warehouse, such as a written statement and a certified copy of any resolution or judgment. Neither DIFS nor NIPR lists a college degree among the requirements. Michigan bars applicants connected with a funeral establishment, mortuary, or cemetery from holding any license except Limited Life, and non-citizens must already hold a resident license in one of the 50 U.S. states, according to the NIPR Michigan resident licensing page^[2].

Michigan's lines of authority at a glance

Michigan licenses more than a dozen producer lines of authority, and the major lines each require 20 hours of pre-licensing education plus a line-specific exam. The available producer lines include Life, Accident and Health, Property, Casualty, Variable Annuities, Personal Lines, Credit Products, Crop, Surety and Fidelity, Title, Travel, Limited Lines Property and Casualty, and Limited Life, per the DIFS lines of authority page^[3].

The table below shows the requirements for the major lines and the combined exams, drawn from the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin^[4].

Applicants who want both a life and health insurance license can take the combined Life, Accident and Health exam, and applicants pursuing a property and casualty (P&C) license can take the combined Property and Casualty exam. Selling variable products also requires registration with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Pre-licensing education in Michigan

Michigan requires 20 hours of DIFS-approved pre-licensing education for each single producer line and 40 hours when you combine Life with Accident and Health or Property with Casualty, according to the DIFS pre-licensing education FAQ^[5]. Personal Lines requires 20 hours of property and casualty coursework. You may complete the hours in a classroom or as self-study, and many approved providers deliver the courses online.

Your Course Completion Certificate is valid for 12 months from completion, and you must pass the corresponding exam within that 12-month period. Do not bring the certificate to the test site: providers transmit completion data electronically to DIFS, which matches it to your exam score. The DIFS Insurance Education locator^[5] lists approved pre-licensing courses.

Waiving pre-licensing education with a designation or college credit

DIFS waives the pre-licensing education requirement for holders of certain professional designations, applied line by line. For the Life line, the designations are CEBS, ChFC, CFP, CLU, FLMI, and LUTCF; for Accident and Health, RHU, CEBS, REBC, and HIA; for Property and Casualty, AAI, ARM, CIC, and CPCU, per the DIFS waiver FAQ^[6]. A designation waives only its matching line, so a CFP holder taking the combined Life and Accident and Health exam still needs the Accident and Health coursework. DIFS also waives the requirement for applicants with 21 term credits or 17 semester credit hours of insurance coursework from an accredited college. Request the waiver in writing before scheduling your exam, sending your date of birth, the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, and proof of the designation or transcript to DIFS.

Choosing a Michigan-approved pre-licensing course

Choose your course from the DIFS-approved list, because only approved providers can issue the certificate the state matches to your exam. RealEstateU offers Michigan-approved pre-licensing courses that you complete online at your own pace, covering the line-specific content plus Michigan insurance law. Other approved providers appear in the DIFS Insurance Education locator, and prices range from under $50 for basic self-study packages to several hundred dollars for classroom programs.

Taking the Michigan insurance exam

PSI Services LLC administers every Michigan insurance licensing exam under contract with DIFS, and each attempt costs $41 at a PSI testing location. You register and schedule through PSI online or by phone at 855-579-4639, per the DIFS examination page^[7]. The exam fee is nonrefundable and nontransferable, and it is valid for one year from the payment date.

Exams are in person only. Effective June 10, 2025, DIFS discontinued all remote proctored examinations^[8] after a review of security risks in uncontrolled environments, so licensing examinations are available only at PSI testing locations. Candidates who already had remote exams scheduled could take them on or before June 30, 2025. Michigan test centers operate in Dearborn, Holt-Lansing, Southfield, Grand Rapids, Gaylord, and Marquette, with additional sites in other states.

On exam day, arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled start and bring one form of valid, unexpired, signature-bearing government identification, such as a driver's license or passport. Roughly 10% of the exam items may be unscored experimental questions, and they still count against your time. Your score displays on screen when you finish, and passing results are valid for 12 months from the pass date.

You can cancel or reschedule without forfeiting the fee if you give notice at least 2 days before the exam date. A missed appointment forfeits the fee. If you fail, you cannot schedule a retake on the same day: a candidate who fails on a Wednesday can call Thursday and retest as soon as Friday, paying the exam fee again. A time-and-a-half accommodation for extra time costs an additional $50 per examination, while Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations carry no extra fee. DIFS publishes examination performance reports, and its data show the combined Property and Casualty exam is the hardest producer exam, with fewer than half of candidates passing.

PSI publishes content outlines for every Michigan licensing exam on its website, and reviewing the outline for your line is the most direct way to focus your study time.

Life insurance license in Michigan

A Michigan Life insurance license requires 20 hours of pre-licensing education and a 72% passing score on the Life Producer exam (16-65), which has 100 items in a 2-hour session. The Life line covers life insurance and credit life, per the DIFS lines of authority page^[3]. If you want both major health-related lines, you can instead take the combined Life, Accident and Health exam after 40 hours of coursework.

Two extra rules apply after you hold the license. Producers licensed on or after June 29, 2021 must complete a one-time, 4-hour Annuities - Best Interest course before selling annuities, and those hours count toward continuing education, per the DIFS annuity training FAQ^[9]. Selling variable life and variable annuity products requires the separate Variable Annuities line of authority and FINRA registration.

Accident and health insurance license in Michigan

An Accident and Health license requires 20 hours of pre-licensing education and a 76% passing score on the Accident and Health Producer exam (16-66), which has 100 items in 2 hours. That 76% cut score is the highest among Michigan producer exams. The line covers accident and health insurance products sold to individuals and groups.

Producers who sell long-term care insurance face an added training requirement. Under MCL 500.1204f, they must complete a one-time, 8-hour LTC-Partnership training course and then at least 4 hours of ongoing training in every two-year compliance period, per the DIFS long-term care FAQ^[10]. The rule applies to resident and nonresident producers, and satisfying a substantially similar requirement in any other state satisfies Michigan's.

Property insurance license in Michigan

A Property license requires 20 hours of pre-licensing education and a 75% passing score on the Property Producer exam (16-67), which has 100 items in 2 hours. The Property line covers property insurance and marine coverage.

Property producers who sell flood insurance have a one-time training obligation. Under Michigan Bulletin 2007-07-INS^[11], republished on FEMA's FloodSmart site, all Michigan resident producers who sell federal flood policies through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) must complete the program's minimum training and basic flood education. Completing a DIFS-approved NFIP course earns 3 hours of continuing education credit.

Casualty insurance license in Michigan

A Casualty license requires 20 hours of pre-licensing education and a 74% passing score on the Casualty Producer exam (16-68), which has 100 items in 2 hours. The Casualty line includes liability, workers compensation, and auto coverage, along with related classes such as plate glass, sprinkler, credit, burglary, livestock, and malpractice insurance, per the DIFS lines of authority page^[3]. Applicants who want the full property and casualty license can take the combined exam (16-81) with 40 hours of coursework.

Personal lines insurance license in Michigan

A Personal Lines license requires 20 hours of property and casualty coursework and a 75% passing score on the Personal Lines Producer exam (16-69), which has 100 items in 2 hours. The line covers personal auto and homeowners insurance. If you already hold a Property and Casualty license, Personal Lines is covered automatically, and the NIPR Michigan resident licensing page^[2] blocks applicants who hold or apply for Property and Casualty lines from also holding a separate Personal Lines license.

Limited lines and specialty licenses in Michigan

Several Michigan licenses require no pre-licensing education, including Limited Lines Property and Casualty, Title, Adjuster, Counselor, Surplus Lines, and Variable Life and Annuities, per the DIFS waiver FAQ^[6]. Each still requires its own exam, with formats drawn from the PSI bulletin^[4].

Limited Lines Property and Casualty covers narrow markets such as aviation, legal expense, livestock mortality, malpractice and professional liability, and turkey insurance. Surplus Lines applicants must already hold an active Property and Casualty license, and the application costs $110.00 plus a $5.00 transaction fee. Variable Life and Annuities applicants must supply a FINRA Central Registration Depository (CRD) number and hold an active resident Life license, and they cannot apply for both at the same time. Limited Life holders may sell only pre-need "associated life" policies and cannot hold any other line. Credit Products can also be obtained through an appointment if you already hold Accident and Health, Life, Property, or Casualty lines.

Applying for your Michigan insurance license through NIPR

Michigan residents file an Electronic Resident Licensing application on the NIPR website for a $10.00 state fee plus a $5.00 NIPR transaction fee, and DIFS asks applicants to allow 14 to 21 business days for review, per the DIFS resident producer page^[1] and the NIPR Michigan licensing page^[2]. Wait at least 48 hours after your exam scores are released before submitting, so the results have time to process, per the NIPR application guide^[12].

The application is valid for 180 days from entry into the DIFS database. If you do not pass the exam within 180 days, you must submit a new application and fee on NIPR and reschedule the exam. Residents can apply for only one license class at a time. Your license number is your National Producer Number (NPN), which follows you across states.

The fixed costs for a resident producer license are:

The figures come from the DIFS fee schedule^[13], which notes it is not all-inclusive. The only other required cost is the pre-licensing course itself.

Nonresident licenses and moving to Michigan

Out-of-state producers add a Michigan nonresident license by filing a $10.00 state fee plus a $6.18 transaction fee through NIPR, with Michigan verifying the home-state license through the Producer Database instead of requiring a Letter of Certification, per the DIFS nonresident producer page^[14]. The application is valid for 180 days. A nonresident licensee who changes home states keeps the Michigan license active by updating contact information through NIPR's Contact Change Request within 30 days of the move.

Moving to Michigan with an existing license

New Michigan residents can keep selling without a gap if they move quickly. Surrender your previous home-state license within 90 days of the move, and you may apply for a Michigan resident license without taking the Michigan exam. If the surrender happened more than 90 days but less than 12 months ago, you must pass the Michigan exam but do not need new pre-licensing education. If it has been more than 12 months, you must complete pre-licensing education and pass the exam, per the DIFS pre-licensing education FAQ^[5].

Adjuster, counselor, and solicitor licenses in Michigan

Michigan licenses adjusters, counselors, and solicitors alongside producers, and a resident adjuster application costs $15.00 plus a $5.00 transaction fee. The state issues two adjuster licenses: an Insurance Adjuster, who works independently for insurance companies, and an Adjuster for the Insured, the public adjuster who represents policyholders, per the DIFS adjuster licensing page^[15]. Adjuster lines of authority cover fire and other hazards, workers compensation, and crop. The application is good for six months, and the exam must be passed within that window. Salaried staff adjusters employed directly by an insurer do not need the license. Adjuster licenses renew directly with DIFS, expire annually on March 31, and carry a $5 annual renewal fee, per the NIPR Michigan renewal page^[16].

Counselor and solicitor licenses each cost $20.00 plus a $5.00 transaction fee for residents, per the DIFS fee schedule^[13]. The counselor exams carry the state's highest cut scores, from 80% to 82%.

Getting appointed before you can sell

A Michigan producer cannot act as an agent of an insurer until that insurer files an appointment, and the insurer must file it within 15 days from the date the first insurance application is submitted or the agency contract is executed, per the DIFS appointments page^[17]. The insurer, not the producer, files the notice electronically through NIPR. An agency cannot receive its appointment until an affiliated individual producer holds the identical qualification and is appointed by the same insurer.

Michigan does not allow "brokerage" in the consumer-representation sense: a broker represents the consumer rather than an insurer, and a broker's acts do not bind any insurer. Michigan instead requires licensure and appointment of producers who represent insurers, and insurers are responsible to consumers for the acts of their appointed producers.

Keeping your license: continuing education and the birth-month rule

Resident producers earn 24 credits of state-approved continuing education (CE) every two years, including at least 3 credits in ethics, and the compliance date falls on the first day of the licensee's birth month, every two years based on birth-year parity, per the DIFS continuing education FAQ^[18]. Your first review date is printed on your license and is set far enough out to allow at least 12 months after the license is first approved.

Resident producer licenses carry no renewal fee. The license is perpetual as long as you stay CE-compliant, and resident producers do not receive a renewal invoice, per the DIFS producer renewal page^[19]. The exception is Surplus Lines, which renews annually for $100 during a window that runs February 1 through March 31, per the NIPR Michigan renewal page^[16].

The compliance mechanics are strict. Up to 12 excess credit hours carry over to the next review period as general hours, duplicate courses earn zero credit, and providers charge a $1.00 per credit hour reporting fee at registration. Miss your review date, and DIFS suspends the license for 90 days, during which you may service existing business but must not transact new business, and your carriers are notified. Within one year of the review date, you can seek reinstatement by completing the 24 hours, reapplying through NIPR, and paying the fees. After one year, you start over as a new applicant with pre-licensing education, the exam, and a new application.

Several lines are exempt from CE: Limited Life, Turkey, Crop and Hail, Travel, Accident and Baggage, Title, Credit Products, and Limited Lines Property and Casualty. Nonresidents need no separate Michigan CE, because the state is reciprocal with all others and accepts home-state compliance.

What licensed insurance agents earn

Insurance sales agents earned a median of $62,280 per year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics^[20], with the top 10% earning above $138,140 and the lowest 10% below $37,330. The occupation held 572,600 jobs in 2025 and is projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, generating about 43,100 openings per year. Most jobs sit in insurance agencies and brokerages (63% of employment), followed by self-employed agents at 12%.

How to look up or verify a Michigan insurance license

You can verify any Michigan insurance license for free through the DIFS Insurance License Locator or through the NIPR Producer Database. Both lookups return the license status, lines of authority, and appointments, and licensees can download one free Producer Report per year from the NIPR verification page^[21]. Michigan does not offer electronic license printing, so a screen print from either system is the standard documentation of licensure, per the NIPR Michigan licensing page^[2].

Next steps

Start by choosing your line of authority, since that choice sets your hours, your exam, and your sales scope. Then open the DIFS Insurance Education locator, pick an approved pre-licensing course that fits your schedule, and finish the coursework within a 12-month certificate window. Schedule your PSI exam early, because seats at the in-person testing centers fill around peak periods, and plan to file your NIPR application within two days of passing. Once your license issues, line up your first insurer appointment, because that filing is what turns the license into a working insurance agent license.