Getting your Arkansas property and casualty license is the first step toward becoming a P&C insurance agent in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Insurance Department requires you to complete a five-step process to obtain your property & casualty license – from taking the P&C insurance exam to applying for a P&C license.

These steps will take a few weeks to complete so we recommend you bookmark this page so you can use it as a reference throughout the process.

Property and Casualty Insurance License Arkansas

Obtaining your Arkansas P&C license is easy. Just follow these five simple steps to start your journey toward becoming a property and casualty insurance agent. Once you earn this license, check out our guide on how to get your Arkansas life insurance license as well.

Step 1: Complete an Arkansas Pre-License Education Course

Before you take the Arkansas P&C insurance licensing exam, it’s important to make time to acquire the knowledge you’ll need to pass this exam on your first attempt. Completing a pre-license education course will equip you with the necessary information and tools you’ll need to prepare for your exam.

Arkansas requires all applicants for a property or a casualty line of authority to complete a minimum of 20 hours of pre-license education.

For property insurance, you must complete a course of instruction that includes:

• Introduction to Insurance: One hour
• State Insurance Laws and Rules (Classroom Hours Only): Five hours
• Fire and Allied Lines plus Assigned Risk Plans (“ARRUA”) and Arkansas Earthquake Authority (“AEA”): Four hours
• Homeowners Policies and Other Multiple-Line Products: Five hours
• National Flood Insurance – Federal: 30 minutes
• Commercial Property and Commercial Crime Insurance: Three hours
• Crop Insurance – Federal (“FCIC”): 30 minutes
• Ethics (Classroom Hour Only): One hour

For casualty insurance, you must complete a course of instruction that includes:

• Introduction to Insurance: One hour
• State Insurance Laws and Rules (Classroom Hours Only): Five hours
• Ocean (Wet Marine) and Inland Marine Insurance: One hour
• General Liability Insurance: Two hours
• Automobile Insurance and Assigned Risk Plans, Including Personal (“AIPSO”) and Commercial (“CAIP”): Five hours
• Workers’ Compensation and Assigned Risk Plan: Three hours
• Commercial Crime Insurance and Fidelity Bonds: One hour
• Surety Bonds: One hour
• Ethics (Classroom Hour Only): One hour

You must complete your pre-licensing education course no more than two years before taking the licensure exam for course certification to be valid.

A pre-license education course provides very specific industry knowledge that insurance professionals will encounter during the exam. There are very few questions on this test that you can answer with “common sense” information.

You can complete insurance licensing courses on your own schedule and at your own pace when you choose online courses. Taking a pre-license education course will also give you a solid understanding of your duties as a P&C insurance agent.

Step 2: Take the Arkansas Licensing Exam

After you complete a pre-licensing education course and your own independent study, it’s time to take the Arkansas P&C license exam.

Arkansas uses PSI Exams as its official testing service for delivering licensure exams.

The Arkansas P&C insurance exam:

• Includes a combined total of 100 scored questions for property insurance and casualty insurance that cover separate general knowledge sections regarding basic property and casualty insurance product knowledge. Each section gives you 80 minutes to complete the test.
• Includes a multi-line (P&C) state-specific section with 25 scored questions that cover policies, provisions, and contract law specific to Arkansas. You’ll have 50 minutes to complete this part of the exam. The exam is a proctored test, meaning an official proctor will closely monitor you in a controlled environment.
• Costs $50, a fee you must pay at the time of reservation by credit card, debit card, or voucher.

Passing the Arkansas P&C license exam can prove challenging, but taking an exam prep course and following a good study program can help prepare you to pass on your first attempt.

If you happen to fail the Arkansas P&C insurance exam, you must make a new exam reservation. You can retake the exam up to three times within 90 days of your original exam date. If you don’t pass the exam after three attempts, you’ll have to wait four weeks before you can retake the exam again.

Step 3: Get a Fingerprint-Based Background Check

After you take the Arkansas P&C license exam, you must get a fingerprint-based background check from the Arkansas Insurance Department’s Criminal Background Check online portal. You must submit your background check and the associated fee directly to the Arkansas State Police. The fee for the background check is $24.

Once you complete your background check, you’ll receive a receipt. Keep the original receipt for your records and attach a copy to the license application you send to the Arkansas Insurance Department.

Step 4: Complete an Arkansas License Application

Once you pass the P&C insurance exam and submit to a fingerprint-based background check, you can apply for your P&C insurance license.

In Arkansas, you must apply online via the NIPR. The application fee is $15 plus the NIPR’s $5.60 transaction fee.

The Arkansas Insurance Department will issue a P&C insurance license to individuals who are at least 18 years old and have passed the proper licensing exam. You should submit your completed license application within 12 months of passing the exam.

To apply for a P&C insurance license in Arkansas, make sure you comply with the insurance licensing requirements as defined under the Arkansas Industry Regulations.

If you have any questions or need to forward supporting documents related to your license application, send them to insurance.license@arkansas.gov.

Step 5: Watch for Your Application Results

After you complete the previous four steps, the Arkansas Insurance Department will review your application and background check. This process usually takes one or more business days from the date you submit your application.

You can print your license from the NIPR website. There’s no charge to create an account or print a license. You also can manage and search for your license by using the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) State Based Systems (SBS) Arkansas Lookup tool.

Congratulations!

You’re now ready to get started as a P&C insurance agent in Arkansas.

Next Steps After Securing Your Arkansas Property and Casualty Insurance License

Once you complete the above steps and have your Arkansas P&C insurance license, here’s what you should pursue next.

Get a Job in the Insurance Field

Once you hold a P&C license, you can consider several different insurance-related careers. The P&C license gives you authorization within your state to sell P&C insurance policies and related products that’ll provide financial protection to your clients against loss or damage.

You can find P&C insurance job postings on our Insurance Jobs Board.

When applying for an insurance-related job, potential employers will request your license number and National Producer Number (NPN).

Complete Continuing Education and Renew Your License

In Arkansas, you must take 24 hours of continuing education (CE) courses every two years to renew your P&C license. Arkansas CE requirements state that at least three of those hours focus on ethics. If you hold a license for more than one line of insurance (e.g., both property and casualty insurance lines) you don’t need to take double the CE hours. Your total amount of required CE credit hours is still 24.

Your CE hours are due on or before the expiration date of your license. The renewal fee is $70 and the late fee is $140. In addition to the renewal fee, you also must pay a $20 CE filing fee to the Arkansas Insurance Department. The late fees for CE course completion in Arkansas range from $25 (for 0-30 days late) to $150 (for 91-365 days late).

If you’re a non-resident that meets all your home state’s licensing requirements, you don’t need to take CE courses in Arkansas.

For more detailed information, check out how to renew your license with our Arkansas insurance license renewal guide.

Arkansas Department of Insurance Contact Information

Mailing Address:

Arkansas Insurance Department
1 Commerce Way
Little Rock, AR 72202

Phone: (501) 371-2750 

Email: insurance.license@arkansas.gov 

Website: https://www.insurance.arkansas.gov/ 

License Search: Arkansas Insurance License Lookup