How to Get an Insurance License in Tennessee

To get an insurance license in Tennessee, you must be at least 18 years old, complete 20 hours of pre-licensing education for each line of authority, pass the Pearson VUE licensing exam for that line with a minimum score of 70%, submit fingerprints, and file a $50 application online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) issues the license, and most applicants move from first course session to a license number within a few weeks. This guide covers every line the state licenses, the exam, the application, and what comes after.

Who must hold a Tennessee producer license

Anyone who sells, solicits, or negotiates insurance in Tennessee must hold an insurance producer license, the credential required under Tennessee Code §§ 56-6-101 et seq. The TDCI producer licensing procedure^[1] defines an insurance producer as a person required to be licensed under the laws of Tennessee to sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance, and licensing is governed by that statute and Rule Chapter 0780-1-56. The department's Agent Licensing Section, reachable at 1-888-416-0868, regulates producers, business entities, title agencies, surplus lines agents, and education providers, and approximately 300,000 producers are licensed to do business in the state, according to the TDCI licensing hub^[2]. Tennessee issues one producer license rather than separate agent and broker credentials, so brokers hold the same producer license.

Lines of authority in Tennessee

Tennessee issues producer licenses in seven classifications, and each line requires its own exam unless the law exempts you. The lines are Life; Property (which includes industrial fire coverage); Accident and Health; Casualty (which includes surety); Variable Life and Variable Annuity; Title; and Personal Lines (non-commercial property and casualty), per the TDCI classifications list^[3].

A combination exam such as Property and Casualty or Life and Accident and Health costs $80, and a larger combination such as Property, Casualty, and Title costs $125, per the Pearson VUE Tennessee candidate handbook^[4] (October 2026 edition). Separately from the exam fees, the license application filed at NIPR costs $50 for residents.

Pre-licensing education: the required hours

You must complete 20 hours of pre-licensing coursework per line of authority, taken through a provider the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance approves. Under Rule 0780-01-56-.06^[5], effective September 10, 2020, the requirement applies to Life, Accident and Health, Property, Casualty, and Personal Lines. Title applicants must complete 30 hours under Tennessee Code § 56-6-106, as amended by Public Chapter 890 of 2024, effective July 1, 2024.

Designation holders are exempt from the course hours, though not from the exam. Rule .06(5)^[5] waives pre-licensing education for CLU holders (life), CPCU holders (property, personal lines, and casualty), CIC holders, life and health designations such as ChFC and RHU, and holders of an insurance degree from an accredited college or university.

Only approved providers count, and the approved provider and course list is maintained in State Based Systems, the state's licensing database (TDCI quick links^[6]). RealEstateU offers online Tennessee pre-licensing courses for each major line, built around the required hours and the Tennessee-specific exam content, and other approved providers, including Kaplan, offer Tennessee coursework as well. Most students spread the coursework over several weeks alongside a job.

Life insurance license in Tennessee

The Life line of authority lets you sell life insurance policies and annuities, and it is the prerequisite for the variable products line. You take the Pearson VUE Life exam, or the combined Life and Accident and Health exam if you want both lines in one sitting. After licensing, you cannot sell annuities until you finish a one-time 4-credit annuity training course approved by the department, a requirement effective January 1, 2024 under Rule 0780-01-86-.07 (TDCI continuing education requirements^[7]).

Accident and health insurance license in Tennessee

The Accident and Health line covers health coverage, including health maintenance organization (HMO) products: agents must hold an Accident and Health producer license before acting as an HMO agent under Rule 0780-01-56-.10^[5]. Health is a separate exam from Life, though the combined exam option exists. Selling long-term care products adds a one-time 8-hour training requirement plus at least 4 hours of ongoing training every 24 months under Rule 0780-01-61-.31(5)^[7], and those credits count toward your continuing education total.

Property insurance license in Tennessee

The Property line covers property insurance, including industrial fire coverage. Resident producers authorized to sell property insurance must also complete a one-time 3-hour flood training course meeting section 207 of the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 before selling flood products, or risk their authority to write through the National Flood Insurance Program (TDCI continuing education requirements^[7]). The flood credits count toward the continuing education total for one renewal cycle.

Casualty insurance license in Tennessee

The Casualty line covers liability coverage and includes surety bonding authority (TDCI classifications list^[3]). You can take the combined Property and Casualty exam to earn both lines at once, which is the common route for agents who want to sell both commercial and personal coverage.

Personal lines insurance license in Tennessee

Personal Lines is the non-commercial property and casualty (P&C) line, covering home, auto, and related coverage sold to individuals. Its exam is longer than the other single-line exams: 100 scored questions in 2 hours, against 68 scored questions in 1 hour 45 minutes for the other major lines, at the same passing standard. A full Property and Casualty combination covers commercial and personal lines together, so agents who plan to sell both do not need a separate Personal Lines license.

Variable life and variable annuity authority in Tennessee

Variable contracts require no Tennessee insurance exam of their own. You must first hold a Tennessee Life producer license, then qualify through a securities examination approved by the NASD and SEC, and file a separate application at NIPR with its own fee (TDCI procedure without exams^[3]). Agents selling variable products also need FINRA registration such as the Series 6 or Series 7, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics^[8].

Title insurance license in Tennessee

Title is the one line with its own longer course, and non-attorney applicants must pass the title examination (TDCI procedure without exams^[3]). Practicing attorneys may obtain the title license without an exam by filing a certification of business method under Tennessee Code § 56-35-131 and a $25,000 surety bond within 30 days after the license issues. A title agency certificate of authority carries a $110 filing fee.

Limited lines that require no exam

Tennessee sells several limited producer lines with no examination: Credit (covering credit life, credit disability, credit property, GAP, and related products), Travel, Crop, Bail Bondsmen, and Title for practicing attorneys, plus the Legal line (TDCI procedure without exams^[3]). Applications are filed at NIPR, and limited producers renew on the same two-year cycle at a $30 renewal fee.

The Tennessee insurance licensing exam

Every major line requires its own Pearson VUE exam, with a national section and a Tennessee-specific section, and the minimum score considered passing for any exam is 70% under Rule 0780-01-56-.07^[5]. You schedule online through Pearson VUE at home.pearsonvue.com/tn/insurance or by phone at (800) 274-4957, where the Tennessee Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook and content outlines are also published (TDCI quick links^[6]).

Total questions include unscored pretest items, and every line's exam carries the same minimum passing score. Single-line exams cost $55 and combination exams cost $80, with larger combinations at $125 and the public adjuster exam at $50, per the Pearson VUE Tennessee candidate handbook^[4]. Most candidates pass on the first attempt, with first-attempt pass rates across the major lines running from roughly the low 70s to the low 80s in percent.

If you fail, you must wait 10 days before retaking after a first failed attempt and 30 days after each later attempt, per the current candidate handbook^[4]. Under Rule 0780-01-56-.07^[5], you must pass within 6 months of your first attempt or retake the pre-licensing education. Both test centers and remote testing from home are options when you schedule with Pearson VUE.

Fingerprinting and background check

Every applicant must submit fingerprints, which the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) screen for criminal history. You register at www.identogo.com, select Digital Fingerprinting, choose the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance as the agency, and use ORI number TN920680Z with transaction type IP for producers, per the TDCI fingerprint registration page^[9]. TDCI advises completing fingerprinting at least 2 business days before you submit the NIPR application, and IdentoGO assistance is available at (855) 226-2937. Fingerprinting carries a separate fee set by the vendor.

Applying for your license through NIPR

After you pass, wait 48 hours, then file the application online at www.nipr.com; Pearson VUE submits your scores to TDCI electronically, and the department matches them to your application (TDCI producer procedure^[1]). You must apply within 12 months of passing the exam, or the exam must be retaken, per the candidate handbook^[4]. Paper applications take 15 days to process from receipt by the Agent Licensing Section, per the TDCI producer procedure^[1] (updated March 23, 2026). The same portal serves licensees after issuance.

Appointments and your license record

Before you act as an agent of an insurer, the insurer must appoint you: the appointing insurer files a notice of appointment within 15 days of the agency contract or the first insurance application, and each appointment filing carries a $15 fee at NIPR (TDCI procedure without exams^[3]). Your license record is maintained in the state's licensing systems from the day it issues.

Working as an insurance agent in Tennessee

Insurance sales agents earned a median annual wage of $62,280 nationally in May 2025, about $29.94 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics^[8]. Earnings range widely: the lowest 10% earned less than $37,330, and the highest 10% earned more than $138,140. Employment stood at 572,600 jobs in 2025 and is projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 43,100 openings per year, and 63% of agents work in insurance agencies and brokerages.

Neither prior experience nor a college degree is required for licensure, and federal labor data treats a high school diploma as the usual entry education. Agents commonly work captive, selling for one company, or independent, selling for several. By industry, the May 2025 medians were $73,440 for direct health and medical insurance carriers, $63,810 for direct carriers outside life and health, and $61,550 for agencies and brokerages (Bureau of Labor Statistics^[8]).

Renewal and continuing education

Producer licenses run 2 years and renew by the last day of your birth month, with a $60 renewal fee for producers (TDCI procedure without exams^[3]). Every individual renewal requires 24 continuing education (CE) hours including 3 ethics hours, and the department will not process a renewal until the hours are complete (TDCI continuing education requirements^[7]). TDCI emails a renewal notice 90 days before expiration, and renewals are filed at NIPR.

Up to 12 excess hours carry forward to the next term, though ethics hours do not, and a course cannot be repeated for credit within 2 years (Rule 0780-01-56-.08^[5]). Producers continuously licensed since January 1, 1994 are exempt from CE (TDCI^[7]). An expired license can be reinstated without examination within 12 months of expiration by paying the license fee plus a penalty of double the renewal fee (TDCI procedure without exams^[3]).

Moving to Tennessee and nonresident licenses

Nonresidents who hold a like license in their home state qualify without a Tennessee exam, filing at NIPR with fees subject to retaliatory charges under Tennessee Code § 56-4-218 (TDCI procedure without exams^[3]). Producers moving to Tennessee must inactivate the previous resident license and any Tennessee nonresident license, wait 24 to 48 hours for the National Producer Database to update, then apply at NIPR; the application must be filed within 90 days of the previous license cancellation or the move to keep the exam exemption, and the variable line requires a second application and fee after the Life license issues (TDCI quick links^[6]). Tennessee stopped issuing certification and clearance letters in May 2010, so license history is verified through the National Producer Database.

Public adjuster, surplus lines, and crop adjuster licenses

Public adjusters, who represent policyholders rather than insurers, pay a $100 filing fee, pass the Pearson VUE public adjuster exam, file a $50,000 surety bond, and carry errors and omissions (E&O) coverage of $500,000 (TDCI public adjuster requirements^[10]). Resident surplus lines agents must hold a current Tennessee producer license and pay a $120 filing fee, and the surplus lines license expires on the same date as the producer license (TDCI surplus lines requirements^[11]). Crop adjusters pay a $100 fee with a National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Uniform Application and must pass the Risk Management Agency (RMA) proficiency test for multi-peril crop adjusting (TDCI crop adjuster requirements^[12]).

Adjuster licensing in Tennessee

Tennessee does not issue a license for independent adjusting; the Agent Licensing Section's regulatory list covers producers, public adjusters, crop adjusters, and related roles, with no separate independent-adjuster credential (TDCI licensing hub^[2]).

Auto coverage when the owner has no driver's license

You do not need a driver's license to own and insure a car, and many national insurers will write the policy, though they commonly attach conditions when the owner cannot be rated as a driver. Selling that coverage is different: anyone selling, soliciting, or negotiating auto insurance in Tennessee must hold a producer license under the state's producer licensing procedure^[1].

Next steps

Start by choosing your line of authority, since every later step follows from it. Enroll in an approved pre-licensing course for that line, such as RealEstateU's online Tennessee courses, and work through the required hours. Schedule the Pearson VUE exam once the course is underway, complete fingerprinting at IdentoGO before you apply, and file the application at NIPR within the year after passing. Once the license issues, line up your first insurer appointment and calendar your birth-month renewal so the continuing education deadline never catches you off guard.