How to get an insurance license in South Carolina

An insurance license in South Carolina takes three steps: pass the Pearson VUE licensing exam for your line of authority, apply online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR), and submit fingerprints after applying. The South Carolina Department of Insurance requires no prelicensing education, so the mandatory costs are the $59 exam fee, the $25 resident license fee, and a fingerprinting charge. Complete applications are processed in 24 to 72 business hours, so a license can follow the exam within days. The sections below cover how to get an insurance license in South Carolina line by line, along with renewal rules, nonresident licensing, and adjuster requirements.

South Carolina insurance license requirements

A resident producer applicant must be at least 18 years old, pass the licensing exam, pay the fees, and meet the state's character standard. Under S.C. Code Section 38-43-100^[1], the department's director must find that the applicant is of good moral character before approving a license. A felony conviction within the last 10 years disqualifies an applicant, as does a misdemeanor involving dishonesty, breach of trust, or a financial or insurance crime within the last 5 years.

South Carolina's insurance agent license is formally an insurance producer license, and the two names describe the same credential. Under Section 38-43-20^[1], no person may sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance in the state for any line without a license for that line. The statute exempts a few groups, including certain insurer employees and employers administering their own benefit plans.

For anyone deciding how to become an insurance agent in South Carolina, the entry bar is the exam rather than credentials. The NIPR resident licensing page^[2] lists no college degree and no work history among the requirements. The state also mandates no prelicensing course hours: the NAIC's producer education chart^[3] records South Carolina's prelicensing education provision as none.

Resident applicants need a South Carolina residence address that is not a P.O. box, and they must not hold an active resident license in another state or an active South Carolina nonresident license. Agencies that transact producer business under a corporate or trade name must hold their own license, with a $40 initial fee and a $40 biennial renewal under Section 38-43-80^[1]; single-owner sole proprietorships are exempt. The director may also issue a temporary producer license for up to 180 days in narrow cases, such as the death or disability of a producer, under Section 38-43-102.

Lines of authority in South Carolina

South Carolina licenses producers across eight lines of authority, and the license fee does not change with the number of lines you hold. Section 38-43-75^[1] lists the lines as life, accident and health, property, casualty, variable life and variable annuity products, personal lines, and limited line insurance, plus any other line the state permits by law or regulation.

Exam requirements by line, per the NIPR resident licensing page^[2]:

Other individual license types carry different fees: adjuster, public insurance adjuster, and appraiser licenses cost $80 each, and a surplus lines broker license costs $200. Surplus lines applicants must already hold an active resident producer license with property and casualty lines and must email the original bond and power of attorney to the department.

What it costs and how long it takes

The mandatory fees are the exam and the license: $59 for the exam and $25 for the resident producer license. Fingerprinting and NIPR transaction fees add to that, and the fingerprinting charge is set by the state's vendor, IdentoGO. Each retake costs the exam fee again, so budget for a possible second attempt.

The timeline depends mostly on exam preparation, since the state sets no study-hour minimum. Complete applications are processed in 24 to 72 business hours, so the gap between passing the exam and holding a license is measured in days rather than weeks.

Life insurance license in South Carolina

Pass the Life Insurance Producer exam (InsSC-Life01) to earn the life line of authority. The exam has 85 items and a 120-minute time limit, and 75 items are scored: 50 general-knowledge questions plus 25 South Carolina-specific questions, per the Pearson VUE content outlines^[4].

The outline weights types of life policies at 15 scored questions, riders and provisions at 15, and application and underwriting at 12. The 25 state-law questions cover licensing, unfair trade practices, and fiduciary rules. Annuities and retirement concepts appear in the general outline, so life candidates study them even though annuity products sit in a separate line.

Pre-need producers take only the life exam, but they must also hold a South Carolina funeral director's license and submit a letter of employment from a South Carolina-licensed funeral home, per the SCDOI producer licensing page^[5].

Accident and health insurance license in South Carolina

Pass the Accident and Health Insurance Producer exam (InsSC-AH02) for the accident and health line. It also has 85 items and a 120-minute limit, with 75 scored questions. The general outline covers health policy types, Medicare supplement policies, long-term care coverage, and Social Insurance topics such as Medicare and Medicaid.

Candidates pursuing a life and health insurance license can take the combined Life, Accident and Health exam (InsSC-LAH03) instead of two separate exams. The combined exam has 140 items and a 150-minute limit, and one score qualifies both lines, per the Pearson VUE candidate handbook^[6].

Property insurance license in South Carolina

Pass the Property Insurance Producer exam (InsSC-Prop04), which has 80 items and a 120-minute limit. Seventy-five items are scored: 50 general plus 25 state-specific. The South Carolina section tests cancellation and nonrenewal rules, rate regulation, the South Carolina Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association, the Valued Policy Law, and the South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association.

Casualty insurance license in South Carolina

Pass the Casualty Insurance Producer exam (InsSC-Cas06), which also has 80 items and a 120-minute limit. Most candidates on the property and casualty license path take the combined Property, Casualty, Surety and Marine exam (InsSC-PCSM04) instead: 140 items, a 165-minute limit, and a single score that qualifies all four lines, including the surety and marine lines that have no standalone producer exams.

Personal lines, variable, and limited lines licenses in South Carolina

Personal lines producers pass the Personal Lines Insurance Producer exam (InsSC-Pers17), which has 105 items and a 120-minute limit; 95 items are scored. The line covers personal, rather than commercial, property and casualty insurance.

The variable life and variable annuity line requires no state exam. The application must supply a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Central Registration Depository (CRD) number, and the applicant must hold the life line or apply for it at the same time.

Credit and travel are limited lines with no exam. A producer licensed in any major line may sell travel insurance under Section 38-43-25^[1], though a property and casualty producer must be appointed by an insurer to do so. Crop and surety exams each run 50 items in 60 minutes, and the title exam runs 60 items in 65 minutes, per the Pearson VUE candidate handbook^[6]. Title producers must also file a Financial Interest Disclosure Form under Section 38-75-960(B).

Taking the South Carolina insurance exam

Pearson VUE has administered South Carolina's insurance exams since May 1, 2023, when it replaced PSI as the state's vendor, per the SCDOI producer licensing page^[5]. Exams run in person at Pearson VUE test centers or online through OnVUE remote proctoring, per the Pearson VUE South Carolina insurance program page^[7].

Scheduling and exam formats

Reserve online at least 48 hours before the test date, or by phone at 888-873-6205 at least 24 hours ahead; the department also lists 877-759-5226 for registration. South Carolina test centers include Columbia, Beaufort, Bennettsville, Florence, Greenville, Granitesville, Myrtle Beach, North Charleston, and Sumter, and candidates anywhere in the country may test at any Pearson VUE center. Bring one valid, non-expired government photo ID with a signature that matches the registration exactly, including suffixes such as "Jr." or "III"; a mismatched ID means denial of admission and forfeiture of the exam fee. Payment happens at reservation by credit card, debit card, or voucher, and changes or cancellations need 48 hours' notice to avoid penalty.

Exam formats per the Pearson VUE candidate handbook^[6]:

Scoring, retakes, and pass rates

The passing score for every exam is 70 on a scale of 0 to 100, and the handbook warns that the score is not a percentage and not the number of correct answers. Each exam pairs a general section with a South Carolina section; passing one and failing the other requires retaking the entire exam. A candidate may sit for each exam up to six times in a one-year period and may retake a failed exam 24 hours later. Passing results stay valid for 12 months.

First-time pass rates are demanding. In calendar year 2020, the first-time pass rates South Carolina reported to the NAIC's compiled pass-rate workbook^[8] ranged from 39.16% on Personal Lines to 58.00% on the combined life and health exam:

Preparing for the exam

The state mandates no coursework before the exam, so preparation is a personal choice. Pearson VUE publishes the candidate handbook and content outlines free on its South Carolina page, and it sells online practice tests for $19.95 in life, health, property, and casualty. Most candidates take a structured prep course or work from the outlines, because the first-time pass rates above leave little margin for casual study.

Applying for the license through NIPR

Submit the NIPR license application online after at least 48 hours have passed since you passed the exam, so the results have time to upload. The license fee is non-refundable, not pro-rated, and non-transferable, per the SCDOI producer licensing page^[5]. The application asks for a South Carolina residence address, and the department returns paper applications except in certain situations, so apply through the NIPR resident licensing page^[2].

Answer every background question truthfully; a "yes" answer requires supporting documents submitted through NIPR's Attachments Warehouse, by mail, email, or fax. Non-citizens must email a copy of a green card, work authorization, or resident card to the department. Once the department approves the application, the license is issued electronically, and you print your own copy through the state's license print tool. Once issued, the license becomes a public record that anyone can look up.

Fingerprinting and the background check

Get fingerprinted after you apply, not before. The department emails fingerprint scheduling directions once it receives the application, and prints taken before submission are destroyed, per the NIPR resident licensing page^[2] and the SCDOI fingerprinting page^[9]. Appointments run through IdentoGO, and the applicant pays the fee.

The prints enable a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) statewide criminal check and an FBI national check. All new resident producer applications require prints, but once they are processed, you are not re-fingerprinted at renewal as long as the license stays active. The department sends no notice when results arrive, and once prints are on file, new criminal charges are reported to the department automatically. A waiver is available only for a medically certified physical inability to provide prints.

Carrier appointments

The appointing insurance company, not the licensee, files appointments electronically through NIPR, within 15 days of the contract execution or the first insurance application, per Section 38-43-50(C)^[1] and the SCDOI appointments page^[10]. An appointment cannot be requested until an active South Carolina producer license is in place.

Appointment fees under Section 38-43-80^[1]: local appointments cost $40, general appointments $100, and travel accident and baggage appointments $20. A general appointment covers a representative who supervises producers, while a local appointment covers selling, soliciting, and negotiating on an insurer's behalf. Appointments renew in September of even-numbered years, with fees due by September 30 of the even year; an unpaid appointment is canceled and can be reactivated by December 1 only after paying the fee plus a $250 penalty.

Renewing your South Carolina insurance license

Resident producer licenses renew every two years, expiring on the last day of the licensee's birth month, with the cycle set by the year of birth. The renewal window opens 90 days before expiration, and the renewal fee is $25, per the NIPR resident renewal page^[11] and Section 38-43-110^[1].

Renew late and the fee climbs: $75 for a renewal filed 1 to 30 days after expiration, $125 at 31 to 60 days, and $275 at 61 to 180 days, plus a $50 late fee if continuing education (CE) was incomplete at expiration. A producer may reinstate within six months of the compliance deadline by paying the penalty and proving the CE hours. Past that window, the license goes inactive, and the producer must retake the exam, file a new application, submit new fingerprints, and pay the license fee again. The department no longer mails renewal notices, so keep the email address on the state's licensing system current.

Continuing education in South Carolina

Resident producers complete 24 hours of approved CE in each two-year period, including 3 hours of ethics, per the SCDOI continuing education page^[12]. The compliance period ends with the producer's month and year of birth, so a producer born in an even year reports in even years. Producers holding multiple lines of authority must complete at least 8 hours in each line, in addition to the 3 ethics hours.

Only courses on the department's approved list count, and a course cannot be repeated for credit within two years of completion. Up to 18 excess credit hours carry forward to the next period under Section 38-43-106^[1]. Self-study exams no longer require a state-approved proctor; any disinterested third party may proctor, though not an employer, employee, supervisor, relative, spouse, or minor. Producers holding professional designations, such as CLU or ChFC for life and health or CPCU or CIC for property and casualty, may apply the hours required to maintain the designation toward the 24.

Finish the hours at least one week before the expiration date. Producers licensed only in limited lines are exempt, and nonresident producers comply by meeting their home state's requirements.

Product-specific training

Separate training rules apply to specific products. A producer who sells federal flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) must complete a one-time, 3-hour NFIP-related course approved for CE credit, per FEMA's state training requirements for South Carolina^[13]. Long-term care and annuity products carry their own training prerequisites before a producer may sell them. Travel-only producers are exempt from renewal but must clear an FBI background check before the license can renew.

The 65-and-over CE exemption

Producers with 25 or more years of licensure who are 65 or older are exempt from CE. Senate Bill 158, signed May 16, 2022, amended Section 38-43-106 to create the exemption, and SCDOI Bulletin 2022-04^[14] requires an application. The 25 years need not be continuous, and the count runs from the date of the first producer license regardless of line.

Nonresident licenses and moving to South Carolina

A nonresident producer pays the same $25 fee and holds the same lines as on the home-state license, provided the home state grants reciprocity, under Section 38-43-70^[1]. The application goes through the NIPR nonresident licensing page^[15].

A producer licensed for the same lines in another state does not take the South Carolina exam if the application arrives within 90 days of canceling the prior home-state license and the prior state certifies good standing, under Section 38-43-101^[1]. A letter of clearance is not required when the cancellation is verifiable on the State Producer Licensing Database. New residents should apply within 90 days of establishing legal residence, and no exam is required for lines previously held in another state.

Moving out of South Carolina works in reverse: cancel the South Carolina resident license, become licensed in the new home state, then apply for a South Carolina nonresident license through NIPR. A producer moving between states files a change of address with certification from the new resident state within 30 days, with no fee and no new application. Non-citizens must email proof of a green card within 90 days of applying. New residents may take South Carolina licensing exams at any Pearson VUE test center nationwide before they move.

Adjuster and public adjuster licenses in South Carolina

Adjusters hold a separate license with its own exam, fee, and renewal calendar. Public adjusters hold a related but distinct license, and an applicant may not hold both at the same time, per the SCDOI adjuster licensing page^[16].

Independent adjuster license

Pass the state adjuster exam, apply online through NIPR, pay the $80 fee, and provide the original SLED report. The combined Property, Casualty, Surety and Marine adjuster exam has 105 items and a 120-minute limit. Adjuster fees are retaliatory under South Carolina law, with an $80 minimum: the department's nonresident examples include $115 for Georgia residents and $175 for North Carolina residents. If your home state requires no adjuster exam, a certificate from another state where you are licensed and have passed an adjuster exam substitutes for the South Carolina exam. Adjuster licenses renew in August of odd-numbered years for $80, and adjuster lines include property, casualty, personal lines, workers compensation, crop, commercial lines, marine, and surety.

Because South Carolina requires no adjuster fingerprints or continuing education, the department states that applicants should never select South Carolina as a designated home state on NIPR applications.

Public adjuster license

Public adjusters pay the same $80 fee, pass a 60-item exam with a 65-minute limit per the Pearson VUE candidate handbook^[6], and provide the original SLED report. A public adjuster investigates, appraises, and reports on first-party property claims for the insured, excluding motor vehicle damage claims, under Title 38, Chapter 48 of the state code, per the SCDOI public adjuster page^[17]. Public adjuster licenses renew in October of even-numbered years.

Next steps

Download the content outline for your exam from Pearson VUE's South Carolina page and register for a test date that leaves time to study. After passing, apply through NIPR, watch for the fingerprint scheduling email, and set a reminder for the biennial renewal deadline. If you intend to sell flood, long-term care, or annuity products, schedule that product training before your first renewal so the hours count toward your continuing education.