How to get an insurance license in Montana

Montana licenses insurance producers, adjusters, and consultants through the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (CSI), and a resident insurance license takes four steps: pass a Pearson VUE licensing exam with a score of 75 or better, apply online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR), email a signed fingerprint consent form, and mail a fingerprint card for a background check. Montana requires no prelicensing education for any producer line, the resident producer application carries no state fee, and a single-line license costs $95 in required fees.

Requirements for an insurance license in Montana

To qualify for a resident insurance producer license, you must be at least 18 years old, live in Montana, have passed the licensing exam for your line within one year before you apply, and clear a fingerprint-based state and federal background check. The Montana insurance candidate handbook^[1] (June 2025) states the age rule directly:

"For the protection of the people of this state, the Commissioner of Insurance shall not issue or extend any license to any individual less than eighteen (18) years of age."

Montana is one of the states with no prelicensing education requirement for producers. NAIC chart PR-20^[2], reviewed April 2024, lists no education hours for Montana producers because Montana Code Annotated (MCA) §33-17-212 requires only a written examination. The single education exception in state law is narrow: viatical settlement brokers must complete 24 hours of training on life insurance, viaticals, and ethics under §33-20-1303.

Non-citizens must show proof of U.S. work authorization with the application, per the NIPR Montana resident requirements page^[3]. A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you. If you answer yes to any background question, you submit supporting documents, and the CSI contacts applicants whose applications are not approved.

The cost of getting licensed in Montana

A resident producer license costs $95 in required fees for one line of authority, and each additional line means another exam fee, so a producer who wants both property and casualty pays two of them. The CSI fingerprinting instructions^[4], the NIPR resident fee schedule^[3], and the Pearson VUE candidate handbook^[1] set the amounts:

Pass the Montana insurance licensing exam

Pearson VUE administers every Montana insurance licensing exam, each attempt costs $65 paid by credit card, debit card, or voucher at the time of reservation, and a score of 75 is required to pass. You reserve online at least 24 hours before your test date through the Pearson VUE Montana insurance portal^[5]; walk-in examinations are not available. The fee is nonrefundable, though you can transfer it or request a refund by calling (800) 274-8906 at least 48 hours before the appointment.

Test day rules come from the candidate handbook^[1]: bring two forms of current signature identification (a government-issued photo ID with signature, plus a secondary form such as a Social Security card), arrive at least 30 minutes early, and make sure the name on your registration matches your ID exactly. Results are confidential and are not given by phone; a score below 75 tells you how close you came rather than a percentage of questions answered correctly. If you fail, you must retake the entire exam, wait 24 hours before rebooking, and pay the fee again. Candidates testing online receive two attempts per exam, and any further attempts must happen at a Pearson VUE test center.

Preparation is self-directed because the State Auditor's Office publishes no study material and neither it nor Pearson VUE endorses any course. The official references are the free candidate handbook and the exam content outlines^[6], effective March 2, 2026, which list the exact topics and question counts for every exam. Many first-time candidates nationwide do not pass on the first attempt, so plan real study time even though no course is required.

Every exam uses the same fee and passing score. The formats differ by line:

Source: Pearson VUE exam content outlines^[6] and the candidate handbook^[1]. Two-part exams split their time between the general and Montana sections.

Life insurance license in Montana

Selling life insurance requires the Life line of authority on a producer license, earned by passing the Pearson VUE Life exam. The exam has 86 scoreable questions, 50 on general knowledge and 36 on Montana law, with unscored pretest questions mixed into each part.

Montana adds an eligibility restriction specific to this line: an applicant for a life producer license must not be a funeral director, undertaker, or mortician operating in any state, and must not be an officer, employee, or representative of such a business or hold a financial interest in one, per the candidate handbook^[1]. The Life line is also a prerequisite for other credentials: you must actively hold it before applying for the Viatical or Variable lines, and you cannot hold the Life and Funeral lines at the same time, according to the NIPR resident requirements page^[3].

Health insurance license in Montana

Health and disability coverage falls under the Disability (Health) line of authority, and producers who carry both lines hold what is commonly called a life and health insurance license. Montana treats them as separate lines with separate exams: the Accident & Health (Disability) exam has 92 scoreable questions, 50 general and 42 on Montana law.

The Disability (Health) line is a prerequisite for the Certified Exchange Producer credential used for Marketplace business, per the NIPR resident requirements page^[3].

Property and casualty insurance license in Montana

A property and casualty (P&C) license in Montana means two separate lines and two separate exams. The Property exam has 82 scoreable questions, 50 general and 32 on Montana law; the Casualty exam has 87 scoreable questions, 50 general and 37 on Montana law.

Montana does not offer a separate personal lines credential. The producer lines that require an exam are Life, Disability (Health), Property, Casualty, Limited Lines Credit, Pre-Paid Legal, Surety, and Title, per the NIPR resident requirements page^[3]. Holding both property and casualty also qualifies you to apply for the Surplus Lines Producer license, which carries a $50 application fee.

Limited lines and specialty licenses in Montana

The limited lines carry shorter exams, shown in the format table above: Limited Lines Credit (30 scoreable questions), Title (35), Surety (20), Bail Bond (50), and Pre-Paid Legal (50). Four producer lines require no exam at all in Montana: Variable, Marine, Viatical, and Travel, according to the NIPR resident requirements page^[3]. Variable still requires an active Life line and a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) CRD number on the application.

The state also offers a temporary surety bail bond insurance license under ARM 6.6.6007. It requires a supervisor who has been licensed and actively in business in Montana for at least five consecutive years, is a Montana resident, and is in good standing, per the CSI licensing page^[7].

Insurance adjuster license in Montana

To become an insurance adjuster in Montana, you must be a state resident, pass the multi-line adjuster exam through Pearson VUE, apply for the $50 license through NIPR, and submit fingerprints under the adjuster statute. The multi-line exam has 88 scoreable questions and covers property policies, casualty policies, surety bonds, insurance terms, policy provisions, and Montana statutes, per the exam content outlines^[6]. Resident adjusters must also have and maintain a Montana office accessible to the public with usual and customary records, per the candidate handbook^[1].

Public adjusters hold a separate license with an exam of 50 scored questions, and they must post a $5,000 surety bond; their authority is limited to investigating and reporting on first-party physical damage claims. Crop adjusters take an exam with 50 scored questions. Nonresident adjusters apply for $50 through NIPR using an adjuster designated home state, per the NIPR nonresident adjuster page^[8].

Insurance consultant license in Montana

Consultants take the Life and Disability Consultant exam or the Property and Casualty Consultant exam, each with 100 scoreable questions, as shown in the format table above. The application fee is $50 through NIPR. The exam content outlines^[6] reference professional designation coursework in each, The American College's HS 311, 323, 324, 330, and 331 for life and disability, and The Institutes' AAI 81, 82, and 83 for property and casualty.

Apply for your Montana license through NIPR

All Montana licensing transactions, resident and nonresident, run online through NIPR, and paper applications are generally not accepted, per the CSI licensing page^[7]. NIPR verifies your exam result before it lets you submit the application, so you cannot apply before passing. If you answer yes to any background question, upload supporting documents through NIPR's Attachments Warehouse, per the NIPR apply page^[9]. You can add lines of authority later by amending an active license through NIPR.

Agency owners should know that business entity licenses are perpetual and carry no renewal fee, but they stay active only while at least one active licensed producer is affiliated, per the CSI licensing page^[7]. Licensing questions go to producerlicensing@mt.gov or the CSI producer licensing line at (406) 444-2020, per the CSI contact page^[10].

Fingerprints and the background check

No resident insurance license is issued without a complete background check through the Montana Department of Justice (MTDOJ). Submit a fingerprint card with a $30 payment payable to Montana Criminal Records, mailed to P.O. Box 201403, Helena, MT 59620-1403; cards sent to the CSI are returned to the applicant and delay processing, per the CSI fingerprinting instructions^[4]. The card's Employer and Address line must read "David Dachs, State Auditor's Office, 840 Helena Ave., Helena, MT 59601" so the completed report routes to the CSI, and the Reason Fingerprinted line must cite the correct statute: §33-17-220 for producers and navigators, §33-17-301 for adjusters, and §33-17-505 for consultants.

You must also complete the Applicant Rights and Consent to Fingerprint Form, which can be signed electronically and emailed to csiapplicantrights@mt.gov with your first and last name in the subject line, per the CSI resident steps page^[11]. Fingerprints are valid for one year, so applicants with older prints must be printed again. Fingerprinting is available at many local sheriff and police departments and at listed locations in Billings, Helena, and Missoula.

After you apply: processing, printing, and looking up a license

NIPR, the portal Montana applications run through, states that states typically take 7 to 10 days to review applications. Once the CSI issues the license, you print it yourself: Montana's print-your-license tool, education transcript, and CE course search run on one shared online platform, per the CSI licensing page^[7].

Nonresident insurance license in Montana

If you hold an active resident license in your home state, you can add Montana as a nonresident producer without retaking Montana's exams, provided your home state extends a similar privilege to Montana residents and you are licensed there for the kinds of insurance you want to sell in Montana. The application goes through NIPR, where you pay the nonresident application fee of $100.00, and each biennial renewal costs $50, per the CSI nonresident steps page^[12] and NAIC chart ZZ-8^[13]. Fingerprints are typically not required for nonresident applicants who were previously fingerprinted for their resident license.

Renewing your license and continuing education

Resident producer licenses renew every 2 years with no renewal fee and no application, but only automatically: your continuing education must be reflected on your state transcript by the expiration date, or you must file a renewal application and pay a late renewal fee of $100, per the NIPR resident renewal page^[14]. The renewal window opens 90 days before expiration, and late renewals are possible up to one year after that; after one year you must reapply. Partial renewals are not allowed, so all lines renew together. Adjuster, consultant, and surplus lines licenses renew for $100 per biennial, with a late renewal of $200, per NAIC chart ZZ-8^[13].

Continuing education (CE) for major lines is 24 approved credit hours per biennial cycle, including at least 3 hours of ethics and 1 hour of legislative changes in Montana insurance statutes and rules, per the CSI licensing page^[7]. Producers licensed only in limited lines credit, prepaid legal, or surety bail bonds need 5 approved credit hours, including the 1-hour Montana law course. Course providers report completions directly to the CSI, but it may take up to 30 days for the provider to report the completion, so if CE is not completed 30 days in advance of expiration, the license may lapse (CSI licensing page^[7]). Nonresident adjusters who live in a state with no CE requirement must complete 24 hours or designate a CE completion state.

Selling certain products adds one-time training on top of the standard hours:

Source: CSI licensing page^[7], the CSI long-term care compliance report^[15], and the Federal Register flood training notice^[16].

Working as a licensed insurance agent in Montana

A producer license authorizes you to transact insurance as an agent or a broker, and Montana issues no separate broker credential, so learning how to become an insurance broker in Montana means earning the producer license. New licensees typically choose between two paths: captive agents, who receive a salary, benefits, and training from one insurer in exchange for lower commissions, and independent agents, who represent multiple insurers and keep higher commissions. Carrier appointments in Montana carry no fee for either resident or nonresident producers, per the candidate handbook^[1]. The adjuster and consultant licenses open claims-handling and advisory career paths instead of sales. Income depends heavily on pay structure and how fast you build a client base, and commission income grows slowly as renewal commissions accumulate over several years.

Next steps

Start with the exam, since nothing else in the process can proceed without it:

1. Pick your line of authority and download its content outline from the Pearson VUE content outlines page^[6].
2. Create an account on the Pearson VUE Montana portal^[5] using your legal name exactly as it appears on your government ID, and reserve your exam at least 24 hours ahead.
3. After passing, apply for your license through NIPR^[9], and answer any background questions with documents uploaded to the Attachments Warehouse.
4. Sign the Applicant Rights and Consent to Fingerprint Form electronically and email it to csiapplicantrights@mt.gov, then mail your fingerprint card and the fee to Montana Criminal Records.
5. Watch for your license within roughly 7 to 10 days, then print it from the state's online tool and verify your CE transcript before your first renewal date.