How Do I Get an Insurance License in Washington D.C.?

Depending on what type of insurance agent you want to be or what types of policies you need to sell, you will need to choose what type or types of insurance licenses you need to get. After you’ve determined which licenses you need, it’s time to begin studying for the District of Columbia insurance exams. D.C doesn’t require any pre-licensing education hours, so you can do self-study, or find an exam prep course to help you get ready. You will take one exam for each line of insurance you wish to carry. After you have completed your exams, they will be graded and you’ll have your “pass/fail” score marked for each exam you take. If you fail an exam, you’ll get information on how you can apply for reexamination. You’ll need to wait at least 24 hours before you can do this. Once you have your passing scores, you can apply for your license. The District of Columbia requires that all insurance license applications provide fingerprints and submit to a background check. For more information, call the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking at (202) 727-8000 or email the department at <a href="mailto:disb@dc.gov" data-uw-rm-brl="exc" aria-label="send an email to disb@dc.gov" data-uw-rm-vglnk="">disb@dc.gov</a>.

How Do I Get a State Adjuster License in Washington D.C.?

<span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Depending on what type of insurance agent you want to be or what types of policies you need to sell, you will need to choose what type or types of insurance licenses you need to get. After you’ve determined which licenses you need, it’s time to begin studying for the District of Columbia insurance exams. D.C doesn't require any pre-licensing education hours, so you can do self-study, or find an exam prep course to help you get ready. You will take one exam for each line of insurance you wish to carry.\n\nAfter you have completed your exams, they will be graded and you’ll have your “pass/fail” score marked for each exam you take. If you fail an exam, you’ll get information on how you can apply for reexamination. You’ll need to wait at least 24 hours before you can do this. Once you have your passing scores, you can apply for your license. The District of Columbia requires that all insurance license applications provide fingerprints and submit to a background check.\n\nFor more information, call the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking at (202) 727-8000 or email the department at disb@dc.gov."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":513,"3":{"1":0},"12":0}">Depending on what type of insurance agent you want to be or what types of policies you need to sell, you will need to choose what type or types of insurance licenses you need to get. After you’ve determined which licenses you need, it’s time to begin studying for the District of Columbia insurance exams. D.C doesn’t require any pre-licensing education hours, so you can do self-study, or find an exam prep course to help you get ready. You will take one exam for each line of insurance you wish to carry. After you have completed your exams, they will be graded and you’ll have your “pass/fail” score marked for each exam you take. If you fail an exam, you’ll get information on how you can apply for reexamination. You’ll need to wait at least 24 hours before you can do this. Once you have your passing scores, you can apply for your license. The District of Columbia requires that all insurance license applications provide fingerprints and submit to a background check. For more information, call the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking at (202) 727-8000 or email the department at <a href="mailto:disb@dc.gov">disb@dc.gov</a>.

How do I renew my insurance license in Washington DC?

In Washington DC, insurance licenses expire every two years. The expiration will be on the last day of your birth month, biennially. This means that if you were licensed in an even-numbered year, your license will expire on the last day of your birth month in the next even-numbered year. Depending on the difference between your birthday and the date you were issued your license, your first licensing period may be between 18 and 29 months. There is no requirement to take another exam from the state. <a href="https://agentsync.io/" data-uw-rm-brl="false">AgentSync</a> can also help with the renewal process.

How do I renew my nonresident insurance license in Washington DC?

If Washington DC is where you reside, then renewing your license will also keep any nonresident license you have in good standing. You will still need to pay the license renewal fee for nonresident licenses held in other states. Washington DC requires that resident individual licensees complete twenty-four (24) credit hours of continuing education every two-year licensing period. If you have a producer license in more than one line of authority (ex. Property & Casualty and Life & Health), you don’t need to complete double the hours. You can take your continuing education courses either in person or <a href="https://www.kaplanfinancial.com/insurance-continuing-education/washington-dc?utm_source=MKT-005318&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=INS_IL_Affiliate&utm_term=dcce_link&utm_content=staterequirement" data-uw-rm-brl="false">online as a self-paced course</a>. The online courses usually require reading,, then a test at the end. When you finish the course, the company who you took the course from should send the certificate of completion directly to the state. You should print a copy of this certificate to keep in your records just in case. After you have completed your continuing education and you are within 60 days of your license expiration, you may renew your Washington DC insurance license online through the <a href="https://nipr.com/licensing-center/state-requirements/district-columbia-resident-renewal-individual" data-uw-rm-brl="false">National Insurance Producer Registry</a>. <a href="https://agentsync.io/" data-uw-rm-brl="false">AgentSync</a> can also help with the renewal process. There is a fee of $100 to renew your license. Once this process is complete, your license will be renewed and your new expiration date will be two years from your previous expiration date.

How Do I renew My Non-Resident Adjuster License in District of Columbia?

In Washington DC (District of Columbia), Non-Resident Adjuster Licenses expire every two years. The expiration will be on the last day of your birth month, biennially. Applicants with Washington DC nonresident adjuster licenses will get an email that is sent to the auto claims adjuster during the renewal cycle. A premium billing cycle exists to ensure that premiums are paid on time. Washington, D.C. does not license insurance adjusters. For residents of D.C. who want to become a licensed independent adjuster, we recommend obtaining a nononresident designated home state (DHS) license. All CE requirements of the DHS must be completed to be compliant with District of Columbia Non-Resident Adjuster license regulations. There is a $100 fee to renew your District of Columbia Non-Resident Adjuster license. You can renew your District of Columbia license through NIPR. For more information, contact the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.

How Do I Renew My Adjuster License In District of Columbia?

Washington, D.C. does not license insurance adjusters. For residents of D.C. who want to become a licensed independent adjuster, we recommend obtaining a nononresident designated home state (DHS) license from Florida. A DHS license is required by most employers and also enables you to apply for reciprocal licensing privileges. If youre looking to become an insurance adjuster in a non-licensing territories such as D.C. the Florida 70-20 DHS License is the next best thing for the following reasons: The state offers the quickest turnaround time after you submit your documents. The Florida 70-20 license is reciprocal with most states. A Florida DHS license is good for 4 years. This is not to say this is the only way to obtain a DHS license, it is simply the easiest. Many of the licensing states offer DHS licenses. So be sure to do additional research to find the best fit. For more information, contact the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.

District of Columbia

state commissioner

Karima M. Woods

STATE email

disb@dc.gov

STATE phone

(202) 727-8000

STATE LICENSE DIVISION ADDRESS

District of Columbia Dept. of Insurance, Securities & Banking

Address

810 First Street

NE Suite 701

Washington, District of Columbia, 20002

Visit State Website

Appointments & Terminations

Required to report appointments?

Yes

Permits Just-in-time (JIT) appointments?

Yes

Initial appointment deadlines

Within 30 days of contract execution or first business submission

Initial appointment deadline rule

DC CODE § 31-1131.14(b) To appoint a producer, the insurer must file a notice of appointment with the Commissioner within 30 days from the date the agency contract is executed, or the first insurance application is submitted.

Can be processed via nipr?

Yes

Fees for appointing a resident agency or individual?

$25

Fees for appointing a nonresident agency or individual?

$25

Appoint agencies?

Yes

Agency appointment covers affiliated producers?

Adjuster appointments via NIPR?

Appointment effective date can be specified?

Appointment effective date rule

Not required. Date effective is date transaction is processed by the state.

State requires appointment renewal?

Yes

Appointment renewals via

Via NIPR Portal

When is the state renewal period?

March 4 through May 31

Appointment renewal fee

$25 per appointment

Fees are retaliatory?

Licenses require appointment or affiliation?

State terminates appointment if license expires?

Yes

Terminations processed via NIPR?

Yes

Termination reasons

Termination reason code is not required

Termination date can be specified by carrier?

Termination Effective date rule

Not required (ignored) and is the date transaction is processed by the state

Termination fee

No fee

Allows carriers to terminate the appointment if license has expired?

Yes

Can a not-for-cause termination notice be emailed?

Notices must be mailed

Licensing

Initial individual new license fee

Resident New License Insurance Producer: $100 (Property & Casualty)
Resident New License Insurance Producer: $200 (Surplus Lines)
Resident New License Limited Lines: $100
Nonresident New License Insurance Producer: $100 (Property & Casualty)
Nonresident New License Insurance Producer: $200 (Surplus Lines)
Nonresident New License Limited Lines: $100

License renewal fee

Resident Renewal Insurance Producer: $100 Resident Renewal Limited Lines: $100 Resident Renewal Surplus Lines: $200 Nonresident Renewal Insurance Producer: $100 Nonresident Renewal Limited Lines: $100 Nonresident Renewal Surplus Lines $200

When does the resident individual producer license renewal period begin?

90 days before expiration

What is the resident individual producer license renewal date?

Last day of birth month every 2 years based on year of first state license issue

Late renewal or reinstatement period for resident individual producer license?

Late renewal allowed for 30 days after expiration

When does the nonresident individual producer license renewal period begin?

90 days before expiration

What is the nonresident individual producer license renewal date?

Last day of birth month every 2 years based on year of first state license issue

Late renewal or reinstatement period for nonresident individual producer license?

Late renewal allowed for 30 days after expiration, reinstatement allowed via NIPR with fee up to 365 days after expiration

Can a producer use a P.O. Box in their resident or business address?

Not for residence address

Are individuals required to list their county as part of the address?

What addresses are required for individual license maintenance?

Residence, Business, and Mailing

State individual licenses include

Life Accident & Health or Sickness Property Casualty Personal Lines Variable Life & Variable Annuity Car Rental Credit-Limited Line Credit Ins Crop Travel Surety Bail Bond Managing General Agent Portable Electronics Reinsurance Intermediary Surplus Lines Public Adjuster Title Producer Title Attorney

State recognizes a licensing exemption for nonresident commercial lines producers with multistate contracts?

Yes

State broker license rule

Included in Producer License Class. Insurers are not required to appoint Brokers per NAIC PLMA

Requires pre licensing courses?

Exemptions to pre licensing requirements

Effective February 14, 2025, District of Columbia will be updating the exam requirements when an applicant moves to the District of Columbia from another state. The applicant is exempt from the license exam if applying within 90 days of the cancellation of their former resident state's license.

Prelicense education requirement

Fingerprints Required?

Yes, for Resident Licensing

Fingerprint Submission Details

Fingerprints collected via Fieldprint

State Pre-Licensing Exam Website

Pearson VUE

How Long are State Pre-Licensing Exams Active?

One Year

Where to apply for resident license?

NIPR Gateway

What Transactions are Retaliatory Fees Applied to?

None

Submit Partial License Renewals through NIPR?

Has Personal Lines LOA?

Yes

Deadline to report personal data changes (address, name change, phone number, etc.)

A licensed producer must notify the Commissioner of a change of home or business address within 30 days of such a change. Contact Change Request is supported via NIPR Gateway.

Name Change Form

Individual and Business Entities can process via NIPR

Penalty for failure to timely report personal data changes

A producer is subject to a penalty for the failure to notify the Commissioner of changes in a timely manner.

Agency

Can a sole proprietor be licensed as an entity?

If commissions connected to SSN, then individual license will work. If have FEIN number set up and receiving commissions with FEIN, must have entity license.

DRLP must have active state license

Yes

DRLPs must cumulatively cover all LOAs in application

Yes

DRLP Notes

Designated responsible insurance producers with title attorney may serve as the designated responsible insurance producer for a Title Producer application.

Agency Licensing renewals

60 days prior to expiration date until May 31st (biennially). Late renewal period ends 30 days after expiration.

Agency License required?

Yes, if selling insurance

Affiliations: Indicates if producers selling on behalf of/through an entity must be formally affiliated with that entity and if the entity must notify the department of changes

In DC, DRLPs are the same as an affiliate. See DRLP rules for affiliation parameters.

Branch office

Main license meets requirements

Deadline to report key business entity changes (address, dba, phone, email, etc.)

A licensed producer must notify the Commissioner of a change of home or business address within 30 days of such a change. No fee or license application is required. Contact Change Request supported via NIPR Gateway.

Other Agency Requirements

If agency will receive direct commissions, only the agency needs to be appointed.

Adjuster

Requires adjuster license?

Only Public Adjusters

Offers designated home state?

Public Adjuster Renewal Period

Biennially, on the last day of the individual's birth month.

Public Adjuster LOAs

Public Adjuster

Public adjuster fees

Licensing Fee: $100 Reinstatement Fee: $200 Renewal Fee: $100 Late Renewal Fee: $200

Public adjuster exam required?

DHS Exam Required?

N/A

Address change request through NIPR?

Yes

Continuing Education

Total hours per renewal period

Renewal period

2 years

CE due before license renewal date?

Yes

License renewal date is

Last day of birth month

License renewal year based on...

Year of first license issuance

When is the CE due?

Prior to license expiration.

How long before expiration does state send CE reminder?

60 days prior to expiration date

How long before expiration does state send CE reminder?

60 days prior to expiration date

Exemptions to CE

Licensing periods are between 18 and 29 months – if your second birthday is less than 18 months from your date of first licensing, you'll wait until the third birthday after licensing to renew. Limited lines producers are exempt from standard CE. Waivers are allowed for producers who have a long-term illness or incapacity, are in active duty in the U.S. armed services outside of the Washington Metro area, or have another emergency deemed sufficient by the commissioner.

What if a producer missed the renewal date?

You have 30 days after your missed renewal date to reinstate your license and pay double the licensing fee. Within 366 days of the expiration date, one can resubmit along with doubling the fee and submitting a notarized letter affirming that you didn’t conduct any DC business while your license was lapsed.

CE instructors get credit for teaching courses?

Yes

Ethics requirements

Major lines requirements

More than half of your credit hour requirements must be met through courses sponsored by an insurance company P&C licensees must complete at least 3 hours of flood training

Flood-specific CE requirements

3 hours of flood training course required of all P&C one time

Annuity-specific CE requirements

One-time, 4-hour course approved by the DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking

Adjusters

No, only Producers need CE

Check CE transcripts

https://sbs.naic.org/solar-external-lookup/license-manager

Additional line of business requirements

Resident title producers who are attorneys must have eight hours of CE Resident title producers who aren’t attorneys must have 16 hours of CE Nonresident title producers must have four DC-specific credit hours (in addition to their resident state’s CE)

For more from agentsync

https://agentsync.io/blog/individual-producers/insurance-continuing-education-washington-d-c

Regulatory Updates

District of Columbia License Renewal Cycle Update

Effective March 14, 2025, District of Columbia will be updating the renewal period for all license classes from 60 days before the license expiration date, to 90 days before the license expiration date.

DC Updating Exam Requirements When Moving To DC

District of Columbia 2025 Company Appointment Renewals

Effective March 4, 2025, District of Columbia company appointment renewal invoices will be available for payment from March 4, 2025, through May 31, 2025. The termination deadline is February 24, 2025. The cost is $25 per appointment per company.

District of Columbia to Implement New Transaction Types to Process DRLP Changes and Primary Name Updates

Effective August 9, 2024, District of Columbia will implement new transaction types to process Designated Responsible Licensed Producer (DRLP) and Primary Name Change (Demographics) updates.

District of Columbia Announces Company Appointment Renewal Dates

Effective March 4, 2024, District of Columbia company appointment renewal invoices will be available for payment through May 31, 2024.

District of Columbia Announces Company Appointment Renewals

DC has announced their 2023 company appointment renewal period. The renewal period will be March 3, 2023 – May 31, 2023 Termination Deadline is February 24th, 2023

NASAA Updates IAR CE Member Adoption list on its Website

NASAA provides an updated version of the IAR CE Member Adoption list on its website.

DC 2022 Company Appointment Renewals

District of Columbia has announced that their 2022 company appointment (Producer and title) renewal period starts on March 3, 2022 and ends May 31, 2022. These payments will only be accepted electronically via NIPR.

FAQs

How Do I Get an Insurance License in Washington D.C.?

Depending on what type of insurance agent you want to be or what types of policies you need to sell, you will need to choose what type or types of insurance licenses you need to get. After you’ve determined which licenses you need, it’s time to begin studying for the District of Columbia insurance exams. D.C doesn’t require any pre-licensing education hours, so you can do self-study, or find an exam prep course to help you get ready. You will take one exam for each line of insurance you wish to carry.

After you have completed your exams, they will be graded and you’ll have your “pass/fail” score marked for each exam you take. If you fail an exam, you’ll get information on how you can apply for reexamination. You’ll need to wait at least 24 hours before you can do this. Once you have your passing scores, you can apply for your license. The District of Columbia requires that all insurance license applications provide fingerprints and submit to a background check.

For more information, call the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking at (202) 727-8000 or email the department at disb@dc.gov.
How Do I Get a State Adjuster License in Washington D.C.?

Depending on what type of insurance agent you want to be or what types of policies you need to sell, you will need to choose what type or types of insurance licenses you need to get. After you’ve determined which licenses you need, it’s time to begin studying for the District of Columbia insurance exams. D.C doesn’t require any pre-licensing education hours, so you can do self-study, or find an exam prep course to help you get ready. You will take one exam for each line of insurance you wish to carry.

After you have completed your exams, they will be graded and you’ll have your “pass/fail” score marked for each exam you take. If you fail an exam, you’ll get information on how you can apply for reexamination. You’ll need to wait at least 24 hours before you can do this. Once you have your passing scores, you can apply for your license. The District of Columbia requires that all insurance license applications provide fingerprints and submit to a background check.

For more information, call the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking at (202) 727-8000 or email the department at disb@dc.gov.
How do I renew my insurance license in Washington DC?

In Washington DC, insurance licenses expire every two years. The expiration will be on the last day of your birth month, biennially. This means that if you were licensed in an even-numbered year, your license will expire on the last day of your birth month in the next even-numbered year. Depending on the difference between your birthday and the date you were issued your license, your first licensing period may be between 18 and 29 months.

There is no requirement to take another exam from the state.

AgentSync can also help with the renewal process.
How do I renew my nonresident insurance license in Washington DC?

If Washington DC is where you reside, then renewing your license will also keep any nonresident license you have in good standing. You will still need to pay the license renewal fee for nonresident licenses held in other states.

Washington DC requires that resident individual licensees complete twenty-four (24) credit hours of continuing education every two-year licensing period. If you have a producer license in more than one line of authority (ex. Property & Casualty and Life & Health), you don’t need to complete double the hours.

You can take your continuing education courses either in person or online as a self-paced course. The online courses usually require reading,, then a test at the end.

When you finish the course, the company who you took the course from should send the certificate of completion directly to the state. You should print a copy of this certificate to keep in your records just in case.

After you have completed your continuing education and you are within 60 days of your license expiration, you may renew your Washington DC insurance license online through the National Insurance Producer Registry. AgentSync can also help with the renewal process.

There is a fee of $100 to renew your license.

Once this process is complete, your license will be renewed and your new expiration date will be two years from your previous expiration date.
How Do I renew My Non-Resident Adjuster License in District of Columbia?

In Washington DC (District of Columbia), Non-Resident Adjuster Licenses expire every two years. The expiration will be on the last day of your birth month, biennially. Applicants with Washington DC nonresident adjuster licenses will get an email that is sent to the auto claims adjuster during the renewal cycle. A premium billing cycle exists to ensure that premiums are paid on time.

Washington, D.C. does not license insurance adjusters. For residents of D.C. who want to become a licensed independent adjuster, we recommend obtaining a nononresident designated home state (DHS) license. All CE requirements of the DHS must be completed to be compliant with District of Columbia Non-Resident Adjuster license regulations.

There is a $100 fee to renew your District of Columbia Non-Resident Adjuster license. You can renew your District of Columbia license through NIPR.

For more information, contact the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.
How Do I Renew My Adjuster License In District of Columbia?

Washington, D.C. does not license insurance adjusters. For residents of D.C. who want to become a licensed independent adjuster, we recommend obtaining a nononresident designated home state (DHS) license from Florida.
A DHS license is required by most employers and also enables you to apply for reciprocal licensing privileges.

If youre looking to become an insurance adjuster in a non-licensing territories such as D.C. the Florida 70-20 DHS License is the next best thing for the following reasons:
The state offers the quickest turnaround time after you submit your documents.
The Florida 70-20 license is reciprocal with most states.
A Florida DHS license is good for 4 years.

This is not to say this is the only way to obtain a DHS license, it is simply the easiest. Many of the licensing states offer DHS licenses. So be sure to do additional research to find the best fit.

For more information, contact the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.