How to get an Ohio insurance license: requirements, exams, and costs

Getting an insurance license in Ohio is a four-step process: complete 20 hours of state-approved pre-licensing education for each line of authority, pass the matching exam through PSI with a minimum passing score of 70%, submit fingerprints for a state and federal background check, and file your application through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). The Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) issues the license, sets the fees, and publishes the list of approved education providers. Most candidates who study part-time move from first lesson to issued license within a few weeks.

Eligibility requirements for Ohio resident agents

You must be 18 or older, be a US citizen or have proof of legal authorization to work in the United States, and live in Ohio or maintain your principal place of business in the state. The ODI resident licensing overview^[1] also requires that you not have committed any act that is a ground for denial, suspension, or revocation under Ohio Revised Code 3905.14, and that you consent to a criminal records check under Ohio Revised Code 3905.051.

The application itself asks for details beyond the basics. NIPR's Ohio resident requirements^[2] call for five years of employment history with no date gaps, your Social Security number if you are a first-time applicant, and confirmation that you hold no active resident license in another state.

Ohio sets no experience or degree requirement. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics^[3] lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for insurance sales agents, though some employers prefer a bachelor's degree.

Ohio lines of authority

Ohio's five major lines are Life, Accident & Health, Property, Casualty, and Personal Lines, and each line carries its own education course, its own exam, and an application fee charged per line. The table below shows what each line requires, based on the ODI fee chart^[4] and the PSI candidate information bulletin^[5].

Two lines can be tested in a single sitting through combined exams, described with the Life and Property lines below. Limited lines and specialty licenses are covered in their own section.

Life insurance license in Ohio

A Life license authorizes you to sell life insurance policies and annuities, and it requires a 20-hour pre-licensing course followed by the Series 11-44 exam, which has 100 questions and a 2-hour time limit per the PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]. If you also want the Accident & Health line, you can take the combined Life, Accident & Health exam (Series 11-35), which covers both lines in 150 questions over 2.5 hours.

Accident and health insurance license in Ohio

The Accident & Health line covers health plans, disability coverage, and long-term care products, and it requires a 20-hour course plus the Series 11-45 exam, with 100 questions and a 2-hour limit (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). Agents who will sell long-term care products face an additional approved training requirement, described under license renewal below.

Property insurance license in Ohio

Property is a separate line from casualty in Ohio, so a Property license requires its own 20-hour course and the Series 11-46 exam, which has 100 questions and a 2-hour limit (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). Candidates who want both property and casualty authority can sit for the combined Property & Casualty exam (Series 11-36), which has 150 questions in 2.5 hours.

Casualty insurance license in Ohio

The Casualty line covers auto, liability, and related coverage, and it requires a 20-hour course and the Series 11-47 exam, with 100 questions and a 2-hour time limit (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). Most agents who want to sell both auto and home coverage take the combined exam described in the Property section rather than two separate sittings.

Personal lines license in Ohio

A Personal Lines license covers auto and homeowners insurance sold to individuals rather than businesses, and it requires a 20-hour course plus the Series 11-43 exam, which consists of 100 questions with a 2-hour time limit (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). Agents who plan to sell flood insurance must also complete a one-time National Flood Insurance Program training course, described under renewal.

Variable life and variable annuity license in Ohio

The variable line requires no pre-licensing course and no state exam, but you must be registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) as a registered representative after passing the Series 6, 7, 63, or 66 exams, according to the ODI resident licensing overview^[1]. The fingerprint background check still applies to variable applicants (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]).

Limited lines and other Ohio insurance licenses

Limited lines licenses require no pre-licensing education and no exam, only the application fee and the fingerprint background check, which makes them the fastest Ohio credentials to obtain. Specialty licenses such as title, public insurance adjuster, and surety bail bond have their own exam and fee structures.

Limited lines

ODI issues limited lines licenses for car rental insurance, credit insurance, crop, funeral expense, and travel, and none of them requires a course or exam (ODI limited lines page^[6]). Funeral expense applicants must hold an active Ohio funeral director's license. Limited lines licensees are exempt from continuing education, renew biennially based on birth month, and still need a company appointment to actually sell.

Portable electronics

The initial application fee for a portable electronics vendor license is $100.00 for vendors with 10 or fewer locations and $1,000.00 for vendors with 11 or more locations, per the ODI fee chart^[4] updated April 16, 2026. An older PSI bulletin lists much higher figures, but the regulator's current published schedule governs.

Surety bail bond

A Surety Bail Bond license requires a 20-hour pre-licensing course, the Series 11-42 exam (100 questions, 2 hours), and a $150.00 application fee (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). Unlike the major lines, it renews annually on or before April 1 under Ohio Revised Code 3905.85. After ODI approves the license, you can order the required identification card from PSI for a $20.00 processing fee, with delivery in 7 to 10 days.

Title and public insurance adjuster

Title agents take the Series 11-37 exam (100 questions, 2 hours) with no pre-licensing course, and public insurance adjusters take the Series 11-38 exam (100 questions, 2 hours), also with no course (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). The title application fee is $10.00 and the public insurance adjuster fee is $100.00 (ODI fee chart^[4]). Ohio issues public adjuster licenses only; it does not license independent or company adjusters.

Surplus lines

Surplus lines applicants pay a $100.00 fee, must hold an active Ohio property and casualty license, and must provide proof of a $25,000 bond payable to the State of Ohio on Form INS3222 (NIPR's Ohio resident requirements^[2]).

Ohio pre-licensing education requirements

Each major line requires a separate 20-hour pre-licensing course from a school ODI has approved, and the course can be taken in a classroom, through distance learning, or on a self-study basis (ODI pre-licensing education page^[7]). The course must be finished before you can sit for the exam in that line.

Your course completion certificate starts a strict clock. Each certificate is valid for 180 calendar days, and you must pass the corresponding exam within that window, or retake the course (ODI pre-licensing education page^[7]). Certificates must be paper originals, signed and dated by the provider and the candidate, and candidates taking a combined exam must bring one certificate per line (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]).

Two paths can waive the coursework. Applicants holding an associate or bachelor's degree in insurance may request the INS3276 pre-license education waiver for all major lines except Surety Bail Bond, valid for 180 calendar days. ODI also waives education for holders of industry designations: CLU, CEBS, ChFC, CIC, CFP, FLMI, and LUTCF for Life; RHU, CEBS, REBC, and HIA for Accident & Health; and CPCU, AAI, ARM, and CIC for Property, Casualty, and Personal Lines (ODI pre-licensing education page^[7]).

Taking the Ohio insurance license exam

PSI Services LLC administers every Ohio insurance exam as a computer-based, multiple-choice test. The minimum passing score is 70% (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). The examination fee is $49.00, paid to PSI at the time of reservation (ODI exam scheduling page^[8]).

All exams are given in person. PSI stopped offering remote proctored exams on March 13, 2026, so every candidate tests at a PSI center, at locations including Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo, or at any other PSI location nationwide (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]).

Scheduling works through PSI's Ohio insurance exam portal^[9] or by phone at 855-807-3995, with online reservations due at least 24 hours before the exam date (ODI exam scheduling page^[8]). The reservation requires your legal name, address, Social Security number, exam codes, preferred date and test center, your provider's name and ID number, and your course completion dates. You can cancel or reschedule without forfeiting the fee if PSI receives notice 2 days before the exam date (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]).

On exam day, you must present one form of valid, non-expired, signature-bearing identification with a photograph, with the name exactly matching your registration, per the ODI and PSI candidate handbook updated March 20, 2025. Up to about 10% of questions are experimental items that do not count toward your score but do consume exam time (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]).

Your score appears on screen at the end of the test, and passing results are transmitted to ODI daily (PSI Ohio exam page^[9]). If you fail, you receive a diagnostic report showing strengths and weaknesses, and you can retest as soon as the following day, with no limit on attempts while your course certificates remain valid (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). A passing score stays valid for 6 months, so the NIPR license application must be submitted within that period (NIPR's Ohio state information^[10]).

Fingerprints and the criminal background check

Every resident applicant must submit fingerprints for criminal records checks by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the FBI, under Ohio Revised Code 3905.051, at a total cost of no more than $72.25 (ODI background check page^[11]). BCI charges $22.00 and the FBI charges $25.25, with the remainder being the vendor service fee.

Fingerprints must be captured through National WebCheck, the state's electronic fingerprinting system, and results must go directly from BCI or the FBI to ODI; results sent any other way are not accepted (ODI background check page^[11]). PSI test centers offer fingerprinting on site for $72.25, payable by VISA or MasterCard only, which lets you combine fingerprinting with your exam sitting.

Plan the timing around your exam. A background check completed for another purpose cannot be reused, but results are valid for 1 year and can be reused for multiple Ohio license types during that period (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). WebCheck requests are usually processed within 2 business days, though ODI may not receive results for 4 to 6 weeks in some cases, and ODI cannot finish processing your application until the reports arrive. Out-of-state residents can call BCI at 877-224-0043 to have fingerprint cards mailed (ODI background check page^[11]). Nonresident applicants and renewals are not subject to the check.

Applying for your license through NIPR

Ohio accepts individual resident applications only through NIPR, filed electronically after you pass your exam (ODI resident licensing overview^[1]). The application fee is $10.00 per line of authority for major lines and limited lines, with fees for specialty licenses set at the amounts listed earlier (ODI fee chart^[4]).

You can file the application at a kiosk at the exam center immediately after passing, or online afterward through NIPR's LicenseHub, which charges a transaction fee on top of the state fee (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). Payment online is by credit card, debit card, or electronic check. First-time applicants supply a Social Security number, and previously licensed applicants supply their National Producer Number (NIPR apply page^[12]).

Paper applications are available only by calling ODI's License Division at (614) 644-2665 and take considerably longer to process (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]). All fees are non-refundable and non-transferable (ODI fee chart^[4]).

Appointments and using your license

A license alone does not authorize you to sell; you need an appointment, which is a contractual agreement between an insurance company and a licensed agent authorizing the agent to sell that company's products (ODI appointments page^[13]). No appointment is required at the time of application, but one is required before you sell, solicit, or negotiate policies.

The insurer, not the agent, pays the appointment cost: $10.00 for each line of authority, for each initial appointment and each annual renewal, per the ODI appointment fee schedule^[14]. Once licensed, you can print a copy of your license and verify any Ohio licensee online at no cost.

Renewing your Ohio license and continuing education

Resident agents holding major lines licenses renew every two years by the last day of their birth month, after completing 24 hours of continuing education (CE), 3 of which must be approved as ethics-specific credit (ODI continuing education fact sheet^[15]). The initial license term runs longer: it expires on the last day of your birth month no less than 18 months and no more than 29 months from issuance.

Ohio law requires the CE to be completed before the renewal application is submitted (ODI continuing education fact sheet^[15]). The renewal window opens 90 days before expiration, and resident agents who are CE compliant have the $25.00 biennial renewal fee waived, while limited lines and nonresident agents pay $25.00 (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]; ODI fee chart^[4]). Up to 12 excess hours can carry over to the next period as general credit, and the same course cannot be counted twice in one renewal period (ODI continuing education fact sheet^[15]).

Missing the deadline carries real costs. A one-month late period applies with a $50 late fee; after that, the license is suspended and company appointments are terminated, and a suspended license can be reinstated within one year for a $100 reinstatement fee. Past one year, you must complete the entire licensing process again, including education, exam, and background check (PSI candidate information bulletin^[5]).

Certain products require training beyond the base hours. Ohio property, casualty, and personal lines agents who sell flood insurance must complete a one-time National Flood Insurance Program course providing at least 3 CE credit hours, which count within the regular requirement rather than in addition to it, per the FEMA state training requirements for Ohio^[16]. Long-term care and annuity products each trigger additional approved training before you may sell them. Nonresident agents, inactive-status licensees, and limited-lines-only holders are exempt from Ohio CE.

Nonresident agents and moving to Ohio

Ohio licenses nonresidents who hold an active resident license in good standing in their home state for the same lines of authority, and whose home state grants nonresident licenses to Ohio residents (ODI nonresident licensing overview^[17]). No pre-licensing education, exam, or Ohio CE is required, and nonresident application fees match resident fees. Nonresidents whose home state does not issue a surplus lines license must instead prove a $25,000 bond and complete Form INS3222 (NIPR's Ohio nonresident requirements^[18]).

Agents relocating to Ohio get a transition window. If you apply within 90 days of establishing Ohio residency or a principal place of business, and your previous resident license is in good standing, Ohio exempts you from its education and exam requirements (NIPR's Ohio state information^[10]). Agents moving the other direction, from Ohio resident to nonresident status, submit Form INS3241 within 30 days of a home-state change, and ODI converts a license in good standing without a new application or fee. A current nonresident Ohio license must be inactivated through ODI before a resident application can be filed through NIPR.

A criminal record and Ohio licensure

A conviction does not automatically disqualify you from an Ohio insurance license; only Third Party Administrator applicants face an automatic ban, for a financially related felony (ODI disqualifying offenses page^[19]). For all other license types, ODI reviews the facts of each case, weighing the nature and seriousness of the offense, the time passed and court-ordered terms completed, evidence of rehabilitation, and whether denial is needed for public safety.

Ohio law gives applicants tools before they file. Under R.C. 9.78, a person convicted of any offense can request a pre-application determination of whether the conviction disqualifies them, at any time. ODI is prohibited from refusing a license based solely on a charge or conviction, or on vague standards such as "moral turpitude," and a disqualification can be overcome with a certificate of qualification for employment under R.C. 2953.25 or a certificate of achievement of employability under R.C. 2961.22 (ODI disqualifying offenses page^[19]).

Licensing costs and timeline

The state fees are modest, and the course is the only cost that varies by provider. The table below lists the fixed amounts; the pre-licensing course price depends on the school and format you choose.

NIPR adds a transaction fee to each electronic application (NIPR apply page^[12]). On the timeline, states typically take 7 to 10 days to review applications once exam results, fingerprints, and the application are all on file, so a focused candidate can move from finished coursework to issued license in a few weeks (NIPR apply page^[12]).

What Ohio insurance agents earn

Insurance sales agents earned a median annual wage of $62,280, or $29.94 per hour, in May 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics^[3]. Earnings at the 10th percentile came in below $37,330, while the 90th percentile earned more than $138,140.

The occupation is sizable and steady. BLS counted 572,600 insurance sales agent jobs in 2025, projects 3% employment growth from 2025 to 2035, and expects about 43,100 openings each year over the decade (US Bureau of Labor Statistics^[3]).

Next steps

Start by choosing the lines of authority that match the products you plan to sell, since that choice sets your coursework and exams. Then pull the approved provider list from the ODI pre-licensing education page^[7], enroll in the course for your first line, and schedule your PSI exam soon after finishing so your certificate stays well inside its validity window. Complete your fingerprints through National WebCheck before or on exam day, then file through NIPR the same day you pass. Once the license posts, secure your first carrier appointment, and set a reminder now for your birth-month renewal date and its 24-hour CE requirement.