How to Become
Licensed to Sell
Insurance in Illinois
In order to obtain an insurance license in the state of Illinois you must take a
pre-licensing course and pass a state proctored exam.
The pre-licensing course will successfully prepare you for the information you will encounter on the exam.
Pre-Licensing
In order to sell insurance, you must first obtain a producer license. The four most common lines of insurance are:
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Casualty
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Health & Accident
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Life
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Property
In Illinois each line of insurance requires twenty hours of pre-license education: seven and a half (7.5) in a classroom and 12 and a half (12.5) in self-study. Many Illinois producers are licensed for two or more lines of insurance. The most common combinations are:
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Life/Health & Accident
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Property/Casualty
Each of these combinations will require 40 hours of pre-licensing. It is important to note that many IL producers hold licenses for all four lines.
Illinois requires that seven and one half of those pre-license education hours per line must be in a physical classroom setting. The rest can either be in person, self-study or online. The goal is to prepare you to pass the licensing exam on the first attempt.
You will receive a certificate upon completion of the course. Keep this certificate, as you will need it when taking your exam.
We recommend using Illinois Insurance Pre-Licensing Program. Their seminars are top-notch, designed by industry experts, and focused on helping attendees retain the information, not just memorize it. Click here for details.
Licensing Exam
The next step after completing all of your pre-license coursework is to take the insurance exam. You will take one exam for each line of insurance you wish to carry. Life, Accident & Health, Property & Casualty are a total of four lines.
You must pass your exams within one year of completing your pre-license education course. If you pass one part on an exam, you have ninety days to pass the other part of the exam.
This is a proctored test, which means that you will be in a controlled environment with a person watching you. If you have not taken a test in such an environment before and feel like this could be stressful, you may need work on taming your nerves prior to sitting for the exam.
A reservation is required for the exam.
License Application
Once you have successfully completed your exams, you are now ready to apply for your license. If you have more than one line for which you have passed the licensing exam, be sure to apply for each of those lines. The basic fee for an online application is $180. There is an additional $5 service fee for each line of insurance for which you are applying.
You must wait five days after passing your test to apply for your license.
Fill out your application on the NIPR Illinois website.
Application Review
Once you have submitted your online application and have completed all other requirements, your license application will be reviewed by the state. Your background check from the application will also be reviewed.
If everything is acceptable, you will receive an email confirmation of approval with steps to print a copy of your license and access your education transcript.
If three days pass after submitting your application and you have not received an email, contact the Illinois Insurance License Office at or by phone (217) 782-4515.
Producer Bond
In Illinois, the Department of Insurance requires a bond if the producer does not have a direct contract with the insurer. The Illinois Department of Insurance is the obligee for the bond as provided for in the Illinois Insurance Statutes.
The bond amount, required by statute, is $2,500 or 5% of the premiums brokered in the previous calendar year (whichever is greater) but not to exceed $50,000 total aggregate liability.
The IIA of Illinois offers the required producer bonds which covers both you and your agency at the most affordable cost in Illinois. Click here for details.
Continuing Education
Once you become a licensed producer you will be required to complete 24 hours of Continuing Education (CE) every two years. (Your two year period is based on your birth month and year.) Three of those 24 hours must include an Ethics Seminar. No matter how many lines of insurance you hold, you only need 24 hours every two years.
Upon completion of these courses, the company through which you took the course should file the education hours directly with the Department of Insurance (DOI).
The IIA of Illinois is the number one provider of Insurance Continuing education in Illinois. Visit our Education page to see the wide variety of classes we offer, through in-house programming, in a classroom setting or by webinar.