How to get a Missouri insurance license

Missouri licenses insurance agents as insurance producers through the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI). To get an insurance license in the state, you must be at least 18 years old, pass a Pearson VUE exam for each line of authority you want to sell, and submit an application with a $100 fee. Missouri requires no pre-licensing education, so the path to become an insurance agent is short: the required costs are the exam fee ($32 for single-line producer exams, $40 for combined exams) and the license fee. A producer license is valid for two years and renews on your birthday, according to the DCI resident producer licensing requirements page^[1].

Missouri insurance license requirements

You qualify as a Missouri resident producer by being at least 18 years old, passing the required examinations, and submitting an application with the $100 fee, per the DCI resident producer licensing requirements page^[1]. Missouri imposes no coursework before the exam: the department states that Missouri "does not require pre-licensing courses," so the exam is the only knowledge hurdle between you and the application.

Your application needs a residence or business address in Missouri. You cannot apply electronically if you held a resident license in another state within the past 90 days, and you must not hold an active Missouri nonresident license when you apply, per the NIPR Missouri resident licensing page^[2].

Producer applicants are not fingerprinted. Fingerprints, submitted through the Missouri Automated Criminal History System (MACHS), are required only for bail bond and surety recovery applicants. Producer screening instead runs through the application's background questions, and a "yes" answer requires supporting documents uploaded to NIPR's Attachments Warehouse.

Criminal records and license denials

A criminal conviction does not automatically disqualify you. DCI requires a signed statement of the circumstances plus certified copies of the Indictment or Information and the Judgment or Sentencing documents with the application, per the DCI producer licensing FAQs^[3].

Veterans taking a state licensing examination required by the department can be reimbursed for the exam cost, and the DCI fee schedule^[4] links license fee waiver programs for low-income individuals and for veterans and their spouses.

Lines of authority on a Missouri insurance license

Missouri issues producer licenses line by line, and the line you choose determines your exam. The Pearson VUE candidate handbook^[5] assigns every exam a code; the codes, fees, time limits, and question counts below come from that handbook and the Pearson VUE content outlines effective February 1, 2026^[6].

Three producer lines require no exam at all: Credit and Travel, which are limited lines issued on application, and Variable Life and Variable Annuities, which you can add only if you already hold the Life line or apply for it at the same time, per the NIPR Missouri resident licensing page^[2]. Agencies are licensed separately as business entity producers, at the same $100 fee, and can only transact through licensed individual producers, per the DCI producer licensing FAQs^[3].

Life insurance license in Missouri

A Missouri life insurance license authorizes you to sell life insurance and annuities, and you earn it by passing exam code 50. The exam runs 2 hours and delivers 90 scored questions, split into 50 general life insurance questions and 40 Missouri-specific questions, plus 10 unidentified pretest questions that do not count, per the Pearson VUE content outlines^[6]. The Missouri-specific portion covers the Director of Commerce and Insurance, licensing requirements, marketing practices, fiduciary responsibilities, commissions, and the Missouri Insurance Guaranty Association.

If you want a life and health insurance license, the combined Life, Accident and Health exam (code 54) earns both lines in one 3-hour sitting: 145 scored questions (50 general life, 50 general accident and health, and 45 Missouri-specific) plus 15 pretest, per the same outlines.

Selling variable life or variable annuity products adds a securities registration requirement. Agents who sell securities such as variable annuities must also be licensed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), typically with a Series 6 or Series 7 exam, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics^[7].

Accident and Health insurance license in Missouri

The Accident and Health or Sickness license authorizes you to sell health coverage, and it requires exam code 51. Like the Life exam, it runs 2 hours with 90 scored questions (50 general and 40 Missouri-specific) and 10 pretest questions, per the Pearson VUE content outlines^[6]. The state portion tests Medicare supplement rules and required policy provisions alongside the general licensing and marketing topics.

If you will sell qualified Long-term Care Partnership policies, Missouri requires 8 hours of initial training before your first sale and at least 4 hours of partnership continuing education in each two-year renewal period, under the Missouri Long-term Care Partnership Program Act (sections 208.690 to 208.698 RSMo), per the DCI long-term care training page^[8].

Property insurance license in Missouri

The Property license covers insurance against damage to property, and it requires exam code 52. The exam runs 2 hours with 90 scored questions (50 general and 40 Missouri-specific) and 10 pretest questions, per the Pearson VUE content outlines^[6], and its Missouri portion includes the Missouri FAIR Plan.

Property producers who sell federal flood policies through the National Flood Insurance Program must also complete a one-time 3-hour training course. Missouri adopted the requirement by Bulletin 06-06, effective January 1, 2007, as republished by the FEMA FloodSmart state training requirements page^[9]; the 3 hours count within, not on top of, Missouri's normal continuing education.

Casualty insurance license in Missouri

The Casualty license covers liability coverage, and it requires exam code 53, a 2-hour exam with the same 90 scored and 10 pretest structure as the Property exam, per the Pearson VUE content outlines^[6]. Its Missouri-specific portion tests motor vehicle financial responsibility law.

Most candidates skip the single-line exams and take the combined Property and Casualty exam (code 55), which earns the full property and casualty (P&C) license in one 3-hour sitting: 140 scored questions (the national property and casualty content plus 40 Missouri-specific) and 25 pretest questions.

Personal lines insurance license in Missouri

The Personal Lines license authorizes you to sell personal coverage such as auto and homeowners insurance rather than commercial lines, and it requires exam code 56. It is the longest single-line producer exam: 2.5 hours, with 115 scored questions (75 general and 40 Missouri-specific) plus 10 pretest, per the Pearson VUE content outlines^[6].

Crop, title, and surplus lines licenses in Missouri

Missouri's smaller lines have shorter exams but their own rules. The Crop (code 31), Title (code 58), and Surplus Lines (code 82) exams each run 1 hour with 50 scored questions, per the Pearson VUE content outlines^[6].

Title has a training wheels option. A Temporary Title License requires a producer application, a letter requesting the temporary license while you work toward passing the exam, a statement signed by a licensed title agent attesting to direct supervision, and the application fee; it is good for 6 months, within which you must pass the title exam and submit the full application, per the DCI resident producer licensing requirements page^[1].

Surplus lines sits on top of the standard license. Resident applicants must hold, or be applying for, a property and casualty producer license, pay the $100 surplus lines fee, and pass the surplus lines exam; nonresidents may qualify by reciprocity if they are licensed for surplus lines in their home state, per the DCI surplus lines page^[10].

The DCI Licensing Section also issues licenses outside the producer system. Bail bond applicants must be 21, complete 24 hours of initial training, and submit fingerprints; public adjuster applicants pass exam code 20, pay a $100 fee, post a $10,000 corporate surety bond (or $1,000 for solicitors), and renew annually at $50 under Missouri Revised Statutes section 325.025, per the Pearson VUE candidate handbook^[5] and the DCI public adjuster page^[11].

Taking the Missouri insurance exam

Pearson VUE administers every Missouri insurance exam, and you reserve your appointment and pay the exam fee at pearsonvue.com or by phone at 866-274-4740. Reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance, and walk-in examinations are not available, per the Pearson VUE candidate handbook^[5].

Exams are in person only. Under DCI Bulletin 25-03^[12], effective May 7, 2025, Missouri residents may take producer exams only at a physical testing center; the remote OnVUE option is no longer available for new reservations. Missouri test centers include Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia, Joplin, St. Joseph, and Cape Girardeau, and you may test at any U.S. Pearson VUE center.

On exam day, bring two forms of current signature ID (a primary government-issued photo ID plus a secondary ID with a signature), arrive 30 minutes early, and leave your own calculator at home. The exam fee is paid at reservation by credit card, debit card, voucher, or electronic check; fees are not accepted at the test center and are non-refundable, and you must call 48 hours ahead to change or cancel without forfeiting the fee.

Scoring works on a 0 to 100 scale, and a scaled score of 70 passes. Pretest questions are mixed in, unidentified, and unscored. A failed exam reports a score showing how close you came to passing, and you must wait one day before scheduling a reexamination.

To prepare, Pearson VUE publishes free content outlines for every exam code, and sells online practice tests for life, health, property, and casualty for $19.95 each, per the Pearson VUE Missouri insurance page^[13].

Applying for your Missouri license through NIPR

Wait 24 to 48 hours after passing so your results load into the state system, then apply online. Missouri handles applications and renewals through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) LicenseHub, per the NIPR Missouri state information page^[14]; the handbook directs you to insurance.mo.gov for application instructions after results load. Have your Social Security number (or FEIN for a business), date of birth, and an electronic payment method ready, per the NIPR apply-for-a-license page^[15]. A National Producer Number (NPN), the unique identifier assigned during licensing, is created with your application.

Your exam pass has an expiration date: scores are valid for one year, and the license application must be filed within that window, per the DCI producer licensing FAQs^[3]. After you submit, review generally runs from a few business days to about two weeks.

Nonresident licenses and reciprocity in Missouri

Producers licensed in another state skip Missouri's exams for the lines they already hold, provided the other state grants the same break to Missouri licensees; Title is the exception, and title agents must always sit for Missouri's exam. A certification letter from your home state is not required, because license status is verified through the Producer Database, per the DCI nonresident producer licensing requirements page^[16].

Moving to or from Missouri

Your options depend on timing and what you already hold, per the DCI moving-to-and-from-Missouri guide^[17]:

• If you hold an active Missouri nonresident license, file the Change of Producer Status form within 30 days of moving to convert it.
• If you moved within the last 90 days and hold, or recently held, an out-of-state license but no Missouri nonresident license, file a paper application with a statement of your move date and prior state; no exam is required.
• If you moved more than 90 days ago without a nonresident license, you must take the applicable exam and apply as a resident.
• If you moved more than 90 days ago holding an active or expired nonresident license, complete 16 hours of Missouri continuing education (3 of them ethics) and then renew as a resident.

Missouri does not issue Letters of Clearance. On request, DCI can cancel the license or update it to nonresident status, verifiable through the Producer Database.

After you pass: appointments and license records

A license alone does not let you sell. You must be appointed by an insurance company before soliciting, applying for, or selling policies, and the insurer must record you in its company register within 30 days of authorizing you. Insurers do not notify DCI of appointments, and no fees are assessed for appointments or terminations, per the DCI producer licensing FAQs^[3].

Keep your records current. Name and in-state address changes must be filed electronically within 30 days, and failing to notify DCI of an address change that prevents service of a complaint can result in immediate license revocation. You can print your license through DCI's online services or through NIPR, per the NIPR print license help page^[18].

Renewing your Missouri license and continuing education

A Missouri producer license is valid for two years and expires on your birthday, under sections 375.018 and 384.043 RSMo, per the DCI producer licensing FAQs^[3]. The renewal window opens 90 days before expiration, renewal notices go out 60 to 90 days ahead, and the renewal fee is $100, per the DCI fee schedule^[4].

Continuing education requirements

Resident producers complete 16 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years, including at least 3 hours of ethics instruction; Title producers complete 8 hours, per the DCI producer CE requirements page^[19]. Courses must be DCI-approved, taken during the biennium they apply to, and cannot be duplicated within a renewal period. Active membership in an insurance association can earn up to 4 of the required hours under section 375.029 RSMo, per the DCI continuing education hub^[20]. Crop, Credit, Travel, and Surplus Lines lines carry no CE requirement, per the NIPR Missouri renewal requirements page^[21].

Nonresident producers follow their home state's CE rules when that state has a mandatory CE law. DCI can waive CE for serious physical injury or illness, extended active duty in the Armed Forces, residence outside the United States, or being 70 or older. NIPR verifies CE compliance before accepting a renewal, and compliance status can take up to 72 hours to update after hours post, per the NIPR renewal requirements page^[21].

Late renewals

Late renewal is available for up to 12 months past expiration at $25 per month, per the DCI producer licensing FAQs^[3]. After 12 months, the license cannot be renewed and you must apply for a new license, which means retaking the exam.

Insurance agent pay and job outlook

Insurance sales agents earned a median of $62,280 per year ($29.94 per hour) in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics^[7]. The lowest 10% earned less than $37,330 and the highest 10% earned more than $138,140, and the typical entry-level education is a high school diploma. Employment is projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 43,100 openings per year. Earnings vary widely by line, market, and whether the agent works captive for one company or independent for several.

Getting started

Pick your lines first, because each line means its own exam. Download the Pearson VUE content outline for each exam code you will take, study it, and reserve your exam; then file the NIPR application within a year of passing. DCI answers licensing questions at licensing@insurance.mo.gov or (573) 751-3518, per the DCI producers hub^[22].