Wisconsin Seal

Wisconsin

state commissioner

Nathan Houdek

STATE phone
(608) 266-8699
STATE LICENSE DIVISION ADDRESS

Office of the Commissioner of Insurance

Appointments & Terminations

Required to report appointments?

Yes

Permits Just-in-time (JIT) appointments?

Yes

Initial appointment deadlines

Within 15 days of contract execution or first business submission; Earlier of the two

Initial appointment deadline rule

JIT appointments permitted. Appointment must be submitted within 15 days of the date the agent/agency contract is executed or the first piece of business is submitted to the carrier. The appointment submission deadline is the earlier of the two dates

Can be processed via nipr?

Yes

Fees for appointing a resident agency or individual?

$16

Fees for appointing a nonresident agency or individual?

$30

Appoint agencies?

No

Adjuster appointments via NIPR?

No

Appointment effective date can be specified?

Yes

Appointment effective date rule

Required and is the date supplied on transaction. Must be less than 15 days old.

State requires appointment renewal?

Yes

Appointment renewals via

Via NIPR Portal

When is the state renewal period?

Jan. 5, 2024 until March 15, 2024

Appointment renewal fee

Intermediary (Agent) Individual Resident: $16 Intermediary (Agent) Individual Non-Resident: $30

Terminations processed via NIPR?

Yes

Termination reasons

Voluntary termination; inadequate production; death; company defunct or liquidation; company indebtedness; cancelled; cancelled for cause; company merger; revoked; suspended for compliance

Termination date can be specified by carrier?

Yes

Termination Effective date rule

Effective date is required and must not be in the future and must be less than 30 days old. Date effective is date supplied on transaction

Termination fee

No fee

Licensing

Initial individual new license fee

Resident New License Insurance Producer major lines: $10.00 Resident New License (Variable Life/Variable Annuity, Travel, Crop, Surety, Legal Expense, Attorney Title): $75.00 (per LOA) Resident New License Surplus Lines Broker $100.00 Non Resident New License Insurance Producer $75.00 (per LOA) Non Resident New License Surplus Lines Broker $100.00

License renewal fee

Wisconsin: Intermediary (Producer) Individual Renewal Fee: $35.00 Employee Benefit Plan Administrator Renewal Fee: $100.00 Life Settlement Broker (Viatical Settlement) Renewal Fee: $250.00 Managing General Agent Individual Renewal Fee: $35.00 Reinsurance Intermediary Broker Renewal Fee: $35.00 Reinsurance Intermediary Manager Renewal Fee: $35.00 Surplus Lines Renewal Fee: $100.00 Public Adjuster Renewal Fee: $50.00 Navigator Individual Renewal Fee: $35.00 Nonresident: Intermediary (Producer) Individual Renewal Fee: $70.00 Reinstatement Fee: $140.00 Employee Benefit Plan Administrator Renewal Fee: $100.00 Life Settlement Broker Renewal Fee: $250.00 Managing General Agent Individual Renewal Fee: $70.00 Reinsurance Intermediary Broker Renewal Fee: $70.00 Reinsurance Intermediary Manager Renewal Fee: $70.00 Surplus Lines Renewal Fee: $100.00

When does the resident individual producer license renewal period begin?

60 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

When does the nonresident individual producer license renewal period begin?

60 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

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

No

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

No

What addresses are required for individual license maintenance?

Residence, Business, and Mailing

State individual licenses include

Life Settlement Broker, Life Accident & Health, Property And Casualty, Surplus Lines, Public Adjuster, Reinsurance Intermediary Manager, Reinsurance Intermediary Broker, Temporary Producer, Intermediary (Producer) Individual, Employee Benefit Plan Administrator, Managing General Agent Individual, Navigator Individual, Temporary Insurance Intermediary, Warranty Plan

State broker license rule

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

Requires pre licensing courses?

Yes

Study method requirements

Supervised instruction, monitored self-study, or verifiable self-study

Submission of completion certificate rule

The commissioner will accept an official transcript or grade report as proof of the satisfactory completion of credit courses. Certificate of pre-licensing education must be provided to each student in hard copy or electronically. The commissioner will not accept attendance at a pre-licensing course based on a student audit of the course.

How long is the pre licensing certification valid?

Pre-licensing education certificates of completion are valid for 1 year from the date of issuance.

Exemptions to pre licensing requirements

Pre-license education is not required of an individual who: I. is applying for a limited line insurance license for credit, legal, crop, surety, travel, title or other limited line insurance; II. has completed a 2-year Wisconsin vocational school degree in insurance and has submitted evidence of this with the application; III. has completed a 4-year college degree in business with an emphasis in insurance and has submitted evidence of this with the application; IV. is applying for a reinsurance intermediary or managing general agent limited line license; V. is applying for an original resident license and: (1) held a license in another state within the previous 12 months for each line being applied for; and (2) submits a letter of clearance (no more than 90 days old); VI. is applying for a nonresident license; VII. is applying for a life line and provides evidence of currently holding any of the following professional designations or successor designations: (1) CEBS; (2) ChFC; (3) CIC; (4) CFP; (5) CLU; (6) FLMI; or (7) LUTCF; VIII. is applying for an accident and health line and provides evidence of currently holding any of the following professional designations or successor designations: (1) RHU; (2) CEBS; (3) REBC; or (4) HIA; or IX. is applying for the property, casualty or personal lines P&C lines and provides evidence of currently holding any of the following professional designations or successor designations: (1) AAI; (2) ARM; (3) CIC; or (4) CPCU. The exempt applicant must submit an exemption request with all supporting documentation as prescribed by the Commissioner. An applicant who is exempt from pre-licensing education must submit a Pre-licensing Exemption Form and official documentation supporting the exemption. a. See https://bit.ly/3hHJpNa for the exemption form. b. The exemption form may be: I. faxed to the Agent Licensing Section at (608)267-9451; II. emailed to ociagentlicensing@wisconsin.gov; III. submitted electronically via the OCI website; or IV. mailed to: Agent Licensing Section P.O. Box 7872 Madison, WI 53707-7872

Background Check Required?

Yes – Full criminal history

Fingerprints Required?

Yes, for Resident Licensing

Fingerprint Submission Details

Taken through FieldPrint

Where to apply for resident license?

NIPR Gateway

What Transactions are Retaliatory Fees Applied to?

None

Submit Partial License Renewals through NIPR?

No

Has Personal Lines LOA?

Personal Lines Property & Casualty

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

Each intermediary must notify the Commissioner within 30 days in the Commissioner-prescribed manner of any change in the intermediary's name, residence address, contact email address, business address, or mailing address. Contact Change Request supported via NIPR Gateway.

Agency

Can a sole proprietor be licensed as an entity?

No

DRLP must have active state license

Yes

DRLPs must cumulatively cover all LOAs in application

No

Agency Licensing renewals

60 days prior to expiration date until Feb. 15th of the next even-numbered year.

Agency License required?

No

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

No

Branch office

Main license meets requirements

Adjuster

Requires adjuster license?

Only Public Adjusters

Offers designated home state?

No

DHS exam required?

N/A

Reciprocity states

None

Independent adjuster renewal date

Biennially, on the last day of the month the license was issued.

Continuing Education

Total hours per renewal period

24

Renewal period

2 years

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

Exemptions to CE

What if a producer missed the renewal date?

Licensee has one year to satisfy all CE requirements and pay reinstatement fee.

CE instructors get credit for teaching courses?

Yes

Ethics requirements

3

Flood-specific CE requirements

3 hours of NFIP course

LTC-specific CE requirements

8-hour initial certification including 2 hours specific to Wisconsin Medicaid and LTC, with 4 hours of LTC-specific training every 2 years including 1 hour specific to Wisconsin Medicaid and LTC

Annuity-specific CE requirements

One-time, 4-hour course

Regulatory Updates

Wisconsin Update to Risk Purchasing Group and Rate Service Organization Company Types

Effective April 12, 2024, Wisconsin will make a significant update in the classification of Risk Purchasing Group and Rate Service Organization. These will transition from being recognized as company types to distinct license classes. This change will specifically affect Resident Licensing, Resident Licensing Renewals, Non-Resident Licensing, and Non-Resident Licensing Renewals, and it will be applicable exclusively to business entities.

Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to Make PDB Display Changes by Converting Risk Purchasing Group and Rate Service Organization to Business Entity

Effective February 16, 2024, Wisconsin will be adding new license classes by converting Risk Purchasing Group and Rate Service Organization into Business Entity for PDB Display. Originally, these license classes were distinct but will now be reclassified into Business entities.

The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance Updates Pre-Licensing Exemptions for Individual Resident License Requirements

On January 5, 2024, Wisconsin updated language clarifying exemptions for individual pre-licensing.

Wisconsin Agent Appointment Renewal Invoices for 2023

The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) will process all company appointments electronically through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). The appointment renewal invoice will include all resident / nonresident appointment renewals. The 2023 Wisconsin appointment renewal dates are 1/5/2024 - 3/15/2024. Appointments added after 1/1/2024 will be associated with the 2024 renewal date period. Please see attached for more informaiton.

Wisconsin Sets 2023 Appointment Renewal Dates

The 2023 Wisconsin appointment renewal dates are 1/5/2023 - 3/15/2023. Appointments added after 1/1/2023 will be associated with the 2024 renewal date period

OCI Posts Administrative Actions for June 2022

The OCI holds the responsibility of enforcing insurance laws in Wisconsin. Every month, they publish the administrative actions taken against individuals and companies.

Wisconsin’s Best Interest Law Announcement

On April 15, 2022, Wisconsin released the Best Interest Law (2021 Wis. Act 260). This law revised the annuity suitability standards to better protect consumers of the annuity products. These changes will take effect on Oct 1, 2022.

Wisconsin Shares Changes to their Annuity Training Requirements

Vermont outlines some changes to how one may satisfy annuity continued education requirements in Vermont.

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.

Wisconsin Alerts Insurance Agents to the Dangers of Selling Certain Non-Insurance Investment Products

Licensed insurance agents may be targeted to sell unregistered securities to self directed retirement accounts. In some cases, agents may be told that these non-securities products do not need to be sold through a securities broker or a dealer. The selling of these products violate insurance law and put the license at risk.

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