How to get an insurance license in Oregon

To get an insurance license in Oregon, you complete 20 hours of prelicensing education for each line of authority, pass the corresponding PSI licensing exam with a score of at least 70%, submit fingerprints for a background check, and apply online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, the state's insurance regulator, issues producer licenses, and every line of authority you qualify for sits on that single license. Most applicants move from first lesson to issued license within a few weeks of focused study.

The Oregon licensing process, step by step

Oregon licenses insurance agents as insurance producers, and the sequence is the same whether you target life, health, property, casualty, or personal lines: train, test, get fingerprinted, apply, and then secure insurer appointments before you can sell.

1. Complete your prelicensing education. Oregon requires approved training for each producer line before you can sit for that line's exam.
2. Pass the PSI exam for your line. Exams run at computer test centers in Oregon and through remote proctoring.
3. Get fingerprinted. New resident applicants submit prints for a state and federal background check.
4. Apply through NIPR. The Division of Financial Regulation no longer accepts paper applications.
5. Get appointed. An insurer must appoint you before you can act as its agent.

The main costs, tracked in detail in the sections below:

Oregon insurance license requirements

The qualifying bar is low: an applicant must be 18 or older, must reside in Oregon or keep a business location there, and must pass a fingerprint-based criminal records check. Per the PSI candidate bulletin^[1], the qualification list asks for nothing beyond age, residency, the required education, and the exam, so no college degree appears anywhere in the state's requirements.

A few application details deserve early attention:

• If you have no Social Security number, you may use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead, per the Oregon DFR producer licensing page^[2].
• NIPR's Oregon resident licensing requirements^[3] call for an Oregon residence or business address (no P.O. Box), valid business and residence phone numbers, and a valid business email; the same phone number entered twice satisfies both phone fields.
• The application asks whether you lived outside Oregon for 60 or more consecutive days in the last three years, along with your driver's license state and number.

Lines of authority on an Oregon producer license

Oregon requires a separate qualification for every class of insurance you sell, but it issues all of those classes on one producer license. Under ORS 744.053^[4], a person may not sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance in Oregon for any class of insurance unless licensed as an insurance producer for that class.

The Division states the single-license rule plainly:

In Oregon, all lines of authority are on one license. If you apply for a second 'license' before the original license is issued, your second application will fail.

That warning comes from the Oregon DFR producer licensing page^[2]. The practical effect: either pass all of your exams and apply for every line at once, or wait until your first license issues before adding lines.

Two structural rules shape the table. Personal lines is a subcategory of the casualty line under OAR 836-071-0180^[5], and surplus lines requires you to hold or be applying for both property and casualty, per NIPR's Oregon resident requirements^[3].

Life insurance license in Oregon

A life insurance license in Oregon requires completing the life line's prelicensing training and passing the Series 12-01 exam. The life line covers life insurance policies and annuities, so producers who will sell annuity products must also complete the one-time annuity training described under continuing education below.

Health insurance license in Oregon

A health insurance license in Oregon requires the health line's prelicensing training and the Series 12-02 exam. Many candidates earn a life and health insurance license in one pass: Oregon offers a combined Series 12-03 exam covering both lines in a single sitting of 150 scored questions completed in 2 hours and 40 minutes, per the PSI Series 12-03 content outline^[6].

Property insurance license in Oregon

A property insurance license in Oregon requires the property line's training and the Series 12-12 exam. Marine and transportation insurance may sit under the property line or the casualty line under OAR 836-071-0180^[5]. Candidates who want both property and casualty commonly take the combined Series 12-04 exam, which the PSI candidate bulletin^[1] treats as equivalent to property, casualty, marine and transportation, and surety.

Casualty insurance license in Oregon

A casualty insurance license in Oregon requires the casualty line's training and the Series 12-13 exam. Surety insurance is included within the casualty line under OAR 836-071-0180^[5]. Many agents carry a property and casualty license, often shortened to a P&C license, because the two lines together cover the auto, home, and business market. Surplus lines sits on top of this line: per the PSI candidate bulletin^[1], surplus lines producers must also be licensed for property and casualty and must pass the Series 12-05 surplus lines exam.

Personal lines insurance license in Oregon

A personal lines license authorizes a producer to sell insurance covering individuals and households rather than businesses, such as auto and homeowners coverage. Oregon treats personal lines as a subcategory of the casualty line, so training for the casualty line qualifies you to transact personal lines with no separate course, under OAR 836-071-0180^[5]. Two mechanics follow: the PSI candidate bulletin^[1] accepts a property and casualty Certificate of Completion for the personal lines exam, and NIPR's Oregon resident requirements^[3] bar you from holding or applying for the personal lines line at the same time as the casualty line.

Lines of authority that require no exam in Oregon

Several Oregon lines require no licensing exam: credit, title, travel, and surety per the PSI candidate bulletin^[1], with crop, managing general agent, and reinsurance intermediary lines also exam-free per NIPR's Oregon resident requirements^[3]. Title is the lightest of all: ORS 744.067^[7] exempts title and limited-class licenses from prelicensing education as well.

Variable lines require no Oregon insurance exam, but they carry their own gate. Per NIPR's Oregon resident requirements^[3], variable lines applicants must be registered with an Oregon securities dealer and supply a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) CRD number, and the PSI candidate bulletin^[1] notes that the agent must pass the Series 6 or 7 securities exam first.

Adjuster and consultant licenses in Oregon

Oregon licenses insurance adjusters separately from producers, and every resident adjuster applicant must pass the Oregon adjuster exam, with no prelicense training required, per the Oregon DFR adjusters page^[8]. The adjuster exams are Health (12-06), General Lines (12-07), and Crop (12-15) per the PSI candidate bulletin^[1], each carrying the standard single-line exam fee. Adjusters follow the same fingerprint and NIPR application steps as producers. Adjuster continuing education runs 24 hours per two-year cycle including 3 hours of ethics, residents add 3 hours of Oregon law, and a producer who also holds an adjuster license completes 24 hours total rather than 48, per the Oregon DFR adjusters page^[8]. Nonresident adjusters should contact the Division about whether an exam is necessary, and applicants from non-reciprocal states such as California, Hawaii, and New York must pass the Oregon adjuster exam before renewal.

The consultant license is a different credential. Per the PSI candidate bulletin^[1], it requires 5 years of insurance experience or equivalent educational qualifications, a consultant exam (waived for Oregon resident agents already licensed in that class), and errors and omissions (E&O) coverage of at least $500,000. Consultants file a Notice of Affiliation within 30 days and carry no continuing education requirement, per the Oregon DFR continuing education page^[9].

Oregon insurance prelicensing education

Oregon requires 20 hours of approved prelicensing training for each producer line of authority: life, health, property, casualty, and personal lines each carry their own 20-hour minimum under OAR 836-071-0180^[5]. The course covers the basic principles of the line, the duties and responsibilities of a producer, and the Oregon laws that apply. Training can be delivered in person, through recorded lectures watched under supervision, or through an online self-study program the provider can verify; plain unsupervised self-study does not qualify. One hour of training means at least 50 minutes of instruction.

Three routes substitute for the coursework, all under OAR 836-071-0180^[5]: 3 years of verifiable experience performing permitted duties (with any part within 2 years of application), 3 years of licensure in another state, a Canadian province, or Mexico, or an insurance degree from an accredited college or university. Designation coursework can count toward the experience requirement, and claimed experience must be verified on a Division Qualification Form submitted by the employer.

Two designations waive both the education and the exam: the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation for life and health lines, and the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation for property and casualty, under ORS 744.067^[7]. The PSI candidate bulletin^[1] requires waiver recipients to bring the original waiver letter to the test center, with designation verification submitted to the Division with the license application.

RealEstateU provides Oregon-approved online prelicensing courses for every producer line, with lessons that track the content PSI tests on each exam series. Other Oregon-approved providers offer classroom and live-lecture formats if you prefer a structured schedule.

The Oregon insurance licensing exam

PSI Services LLC administers every Oregon insurance exam at computer test centers in the state and through remote proctoring, and you must answer at least 70% of the questions correctly to pass; the Crop Insurance Adjuster exam alone requires 80%, per the PSI candidate bulletin^[1] published August 5, 2025. Exams can include 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions.

You can schedule only after your school issues a Certificate of Completion, and that certificate expires one year to the day it is issued: you must pass the exam and apply for licensure before that date. Registration fees are non-refundable, non-transferable, and expire after one year. If you do not pass, you can retest as soon as the second day after the attempt, depending on seat availability, with unlimited retakes inside the one-year eligibility period. To reschedule without forfeiting the fee, PSI must receive notice at least 2 days before the exam date.

Home testing is available through remote sessions, and the Oregon DFR producer licensing page^[2] notes that remote sessions beginning August 3, 2026 will require a smartphone serving as a second camera. Each single-line producer exam costs $45 and each combined exam costs $55, per the Oregon DFR fees page^[10]. Oregon exam scores stay valid for 12 months, per NIPR's Oregon state information page^[11].

Fingerprints and the Oregon background check

Every new resident applicant pays $61.25 for fingerprinting and the background check, a $46.25 state processing fee plus a $15.00 PSI fee, and processing can take up to 4 weeks, per the PSI candidate bulletin^[1]. PSI takes prints at Oregon test centers on a walk-in basis during certain hours, or you can book a FieldPrint appointment at FieldprintOregon.com using the code FPORDeptConsumerBusServDAS; both vendors transmit prints digitally to the Oregon State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), per the Oregon DFR fingerprinting page^[12]. Pay with a money order, cashier's check, company check, VISA, or MasterCard; personal checks are not accepted.

Prints expire 6 months from the date taken, and licensees testing for another class do not print again. Fingerprinting is not required when a resident licensee adds a line of authority, per the Oregon DFR fingerprinting page^[12].

A record is not an automatic bar:

A criminal conviction does not automatically disqualify a person from getting a license. The Division of Financial Regulation determines this on a case-by-case basis after evaluating many factors.

That fitness standard comes from the Oregon DFR fingerprinting page^[12]. One category does carry a federal overlay: crimes involving dishonesty or breach of trust require a written 1033 consent waiver from the Division, under 18 U.S.C. § 1033, before the person can participate in the insurance industry in Oregon.

Applying for your Oregon license through NIPR

Oregon accepts initial producer applications only through NIPR's online portal, at a $100 state fee, per NIPR's Oregon resident licensing requirements^[3]. NIPR adds its own transaction fee, which was $5.60 as of October 2026, per NIPR's initial license help article^[13].

Timing and mechanics matter:

• Wait at least 48 hours after your exam scores are released before submitting, so the results have time to process, per NIPR's initial license help article^[13].
• NIPR verifies that a passing exam is on record and will not process the application without one, per NIPR's Oregon resident requirements^[3].
• A resident application covers one license class at a time, and fees are not refundable, so heed NIPR's duplicate-application warnings before paying.
• Answer "yes" to any background question with supporting documentation, uploaded to NIPR's Attachments Warehouse or sent to the state.
• An agency license requires the firm to be filed with the Secretary of State's Corporation Division before applying, per the PSI candidate bulletin^[1].

After your license issues: appointments, printing, and updates

Your producer license authorizes you to transact insurance, but you cannot act as an insurer's agent until that insurer appoints you, and once appointed you may represent as many insurers as appoint you under the single license, per ORS 744.078^[14]. The agency you join must file an Affiliation of Producer within 30 days of hire and remove it within 30 days of termination, per the Oregon DFR producer licensing page^[2].

The Division no longer mails or issues printed licenses. You print one free copy through State Based Systems (SBS) at www.statebasedsystems.com under State Services, Oregon, Print Your License, per the Oregon DFR common agent questions page^[15]. Update your email through SBS and your address through NIPR's change option, notify the Division of an address change within 30 days, and note that an address change made at NIPR propagates to every participating state where you hold a license.

Renewing your Oregon insurance license

An individual license renews every two years and expires on the last day of your birth month, with the renewal window opening 90 days before expiration, per the Oregon DFR renewal page^[16] and NIPR's Oregon resident renewal requirements^[17]. The first renewal can run longer than two years to reach your birth month. Renewal costs $45 paid on time and $90 if late, with a processing fee additional, per the Oregon DFR fees page^[10]. The Division emails a renewal notice about 90 days before expiration, but the notice is not required to renew.

NIPR will not accept the renewal until your completed continuing education appears in your transcript. Providers have 15 days by law to enter credits, and updates can take overnight to several days to reach NIPR, so finish your hours early. A lapsed license can be late-renewed for up to 1 year after expiration; after that, you must apply for a new license. Within 12 months of the due date, ORS 744.072^[18] lets an individual reinstate without re-examination by paying double the unpaid renewal fee and completing all unsatisfied continuing education, including hours for the lapse period. Business entity licenses renew every other year in the month the license was first issued.

Oregon continuing education requirements

Resident producers complete 24 hours of continuing education each two-year renewal cycle, including at least 3 hours of professional ethics and at least 3 hours on Oregon statutes and administrative rules, under OAR 836-071-0215^[19], which the Oregon DFR continuing education page^[9] corroborates. No more than 4 hours of approved agency-management coursework counts, and no more than 8 hours of credit is given in any one day. Hours are due by the last day of the renewal month, and the Division recommends finishing the month before.

The requirement applies to the life, health, property, casualty, personal lines, surplus lines, and variable lines; title, credit, crop, travel, and surety lines carry no CE. Continuing education completed for a producer license counts toward adjuster CE, and independent-study courses require a proctored exam with a proctor registered with the Division, per the Oregon DFR continuing education page^[9].

Long-term care training

Producers licensed for life or health who sell long-term care insurance must complete a one-time 8-hour course before selling, then 4 hours of ongoing training every two years, per the Oregon DFR long-term care page^[20]. Life and health licensees who never sell long-term care products do not need the training.

Annuity training

Any producer who sells annuity products must complete a one-time 4-credit course from a Division-registered provider. Oregon Senate Bill 536 (2023) added best-interest standards effective January 1, 2024, and after June 30, 2024 a complete 4-hour course including best-interest content is required, per the Oregon DFR annuity suitability page^[21].

Flood training

Selling flood insurance requires a one-time 3-hour course on the National Flood Insurance Program, plus 2 hours of flood CE each renewal cycle for licenses expiring August 31, 2020 or later, per the Oregon DFR flood insurance page^[22]. You keep your own completion records, and the Division can audit your files after a flood-related complaint.

Moving to Oregon or applying as a nonresident

Agents who move to Oregon can keep their lines without retesting if they act within 90 days: surrender the prior resident license or convert it to nonresident, then apply for the Oregon resident license within 90 days of establishing residency, and the state waives the exam and prelicensing training for the lines held in the previous state. Fingerprints are still required, per the Oregon DFR producer licensing page^[2] and ORS 744.067^[7].

Nonresidents apply through NIPR at the same $100 state fee, per NIPR's Oregon nonresident requirements^[23]. A producer licensed in the home state is exempt from Oregon's prelicensing education and exams, per the PSI candidate bulletin^[1]. If your license does not appear in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Producer Database, submit an original letter of certification from your home state dated within the past 90 days. NIPR permits only one active resident license on its Producer Database. Adjusters transferring into Oregon must take the Oregon adjuster exam, and spouses of U.S. Armed Forces members duty-stationed in Oregon who hold a current license in another state may receive a temporary Oregon license by contacting the Division at 503-378-4140.

Next steps

Start by choosing your line of authority, because every step that follows depends on it. The concrete sequence:

1. Confirm the exam series for your line and decide whether a combined exam saves you a sitting.
2. Enroll in an Oregon-approved prelicensing course and complete the line's required training.
3. Schedule your PSI exam as soon as your Certificate of Completion issues, since the certificate has a limited validity window.
4. Get fingerprinted at a PSI test center or FieldPrint location while you wait for exam results.
5. File the NIPR application while your scores are still valid, answering every background question completely.
6. Line up insurer appointments, since your license alone does not authorize you to act as an agent.