Getting your Georgia life insurance license is the first step toward becoming a life insurance agent in the state.

The Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner requires you to complete a six-step process to become a life insurance agent in Georgia — from taking the life insurance exam to applying for a 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.

Life Insurance License Georgia

Obtaining your Georgia life insurance license isn’t difficult. Just follow these six steps to start your journey toward becoming a life insurance agent. Once you earn this license, check out our guide on how to get your Georgia property and casualty (P&C) license as well.

Step 1: Complete a Georgia Insurance Pre-license Course

Before you take the Georgia life 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.

Georgia requires 20 hours of pre-license education for life insurance. A pre-license education course provides very specific industry knowledge that will be tested during the exam. There is very little information on the test that could be considered “common sense.” Pre-license education courses are self-paced and include study materials like practice exams and flashcards.

Beyond helping you effectively prepare for and pass the life insurance licensing exam on your first try, taking a pre-license education course also will give you a solid understanding of your duties as a life insurance agent.

Step 2: Take the Georgia Life Insurance Licensing Exam

After you complete a prep course and your own independent studying, it’s time to take the Georgia life insurance exam.

Georgia uses Pearson VUE as its official testing service for delivering licensure exams.

The Georgia life insurance exam outline contains a total of 80 scored questions that includes five sections: 

1. Types of Policies 
2. Policy Riders, Provisions, Options, and Exclusions
3. Completing the Application, Underwriting, and Delivering the Policy
4. Taxes, Retirement, and Other Insurance Concepts
5. State Laws, Rules, and Regulations

You’ll have 120 minutes to complete the exam. The Georgia life insurance exam fee is $63, which you must pay at the time of reservation by credit card, debit card, or voucher. The exam is a proctored test, meaning an official proctor will closely monitor you in a controlled environment.

If you happen to fail the Georgia life insurance exam, you must wait 24 hours before scheduling a time to retake the test. If you receive a failing score on your second attempt, you must wait two weeks before you can take the exam again.

Step 3: Complete a Citizenship Affidavit

The State of Georgia also requires you to submit a notarized Citizenship Affidavit Form (GID-276-EN) to vouch for your U.S. citizenship. You must include your notarized Citizenship Affidavit Form in your license application. Your application can’t be processed for approval without this form and its attachments.

Step 4: Complete a Georgia Life Insurance License Application

Once you pass the life insurance exam and complete your citizenship affidavit, you can apply for your Georgia life insurance license. The application fee is $100, plus a $20 processing fee. You must apply online via Sircon or the NIPR. Attach your completed citizenship affidavit form and a copy of a valid identification document to your online application via Sircon or the NIPR.

The Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner will issue a life 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 life insurance license in Georgia, make sure you comply with the insurance licensing requirements as defined under the Georgia Insurance Code.

Send any questions or supporting documents to pvgainsurance@pearson.com. 

Note: In Georgia, Pearson VUE is the primary contact for all inquiries about insurance agents and agency licensing as well as continuing education.

Step 5: Get a Fingerprint-Based Background Check

In Georgia, you must apply for an insurance license before registering for and getting a fingerprint-based background check from Fieldprint. The fee for fingerprinting services is $51.50 to cover the cost of comparing your prints against criminal history records. 

After registering at Fieldprint’s website, you’ll receive a registration approval email from the company. You need to take that registration approval message with you to the fingerprinting site for inspection before Fieldprint will take your fingerprints. Fieldprint will electronically scan your fingerprints, which avoids the need for inked fingerprint cards.

Step 6: Watch for Your Application Results

After you complete the previous five steps, the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner will review your application and background check. If there’s an issue with your application, a representative will contact you via email. If your application is approved, you’ll receive your license via email through Sircon’s automated system or you can check NIPR’s “Check Your Application or Transaction Status” tool.

Processing times may vary, but the average turnaround time is 14 business days. You can print your license from either the Sircon or the NIPR website.

Congratulations!

You’re now ready to get started as a life insurance agent in Georgia.

Next Steps After Securing Your Georgia Life Insurance License

Once you complete the above steps and have your Georgia life insurance license, here’s what you should pursue next.

Get Your FINRA Securities Licenses

Overview

Individuals planning to market and sell market-based life insurance products also must obtain the proper securities licenses. As a securities license holder, you can offer securities as part of your services. That’ll make you a credible authority in addressing all of your clients’ financial needs.

SIE Exam

To obtain these licenses, you’ll first need to take and pass the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam. Professionals in the securities industry are required to take the SIE and a series of examinations administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). 

The SIE exam ensures every life insurance professional has a basic understanding of securities. While taking the SIE exam isn’t a requirement for all insurance professionals, those who don’t obtain at least one securities license limit their ability to work with clients. With a securities license, you can give your clients the option to invest in securities-related products as part of their life insurance plans.

Obtaining a license to sell securities also requires sponsorship from a firm, company, or organization regulated by FINRA. The sponsor will pay the testing fees required for your SIE exams and submit your personal information to FINRA’s Central Registration Depository (CRD). The Series 6 and Series 7 licenses require a FINRA exam sponsorship before you can take the exam. The exam for a Series 63 license doesn’t require any sponsoring entity. 

Once you get your securities license(s), FINRA will list you as a “registered representative.” By achieving the securities licensee designation, you’ll become a highly sought-after professional and set yourself up for a successful career in the insurance industry.

Series 6, 7, and 63 Licenses

Some of the most common securities licenses for insurance agents include the Series 6, 7, and 63 licenses because they allow licensees to sell almost every type of individual security.

The Series 6 (Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Representative) Securities License is the primary license sought by insurance sales professionals and financial advisors, allowing them to sell grouped securities related to insurance products. 

Series 6 works together with Series 63 because they are the two partner licenses required to sell insurance policies tied to investments. The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) oversees regulation of the Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent State Law) license.

The Series 7 license allows you to buy and sell securities (e.g., stocks, bonds, and mutual funds) as part of an investment plan for your clients. To get a Series 7 license, you will first need to register as a new candidate with FINRA and pass the Series 7 exam. The Series 7 exam is commonly known as the General Securities Representative Qualification Exam, but is sometimes referred to as the “Series 7 Top-Off Exam.”

Get a Job in the Insurance Field

Once you earn your license, you can start applying for jobs in the insurance field. With a life insurance license, you can provide advice and recommend insurance products to clients, sell life insurance policies that pay a beneficiary upon an insured person’s death, and sell annuities that pay a set income at retirement.

Find life 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).

Fulfill Your Certificate of Authority Requirements

To conduct insurance business in Georgia, you must obtain a Certificate of Authority (CA) Appointment directly with an insurance company. 

The CA Appointment will cover “all classes of insurance held in common by the agent and the insurer.” CA Appointments for new licensees are only valid when a permanent license is issued by the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. 

Insurance companies renew their CA Appointments annually. CA Appointments also can automatically terminate upon the expiration or cancellation of the license as well as at the written request of the insurer or agent.

Complete Continuing Education and Renew Your License

In Georgia, you must take 24 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years to maintain your license in good standing. Three of those 24 hours must focus on ethics. 

If you have a non-resident license with good standing in your home state, you don’t need to take CE courses in Georgia. To find out if you need to take Georgia courses, contact the Pearson VUE CE team:

Agents: ce@pearson.com or 1-888-274-1212

Providers: ce_providers@pearson.com or 1-800-475-8304

In Georgia, you can’t renew your license until you complete your CE hours and pay any outstanding fines. You must also renew and manage your life insurance license every one or two years. To avoid delays in renewing your license, you must complete CE hours at least 90 days before your license expires. The renewal fee is $200 (with variable) for life insurance agents.

Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Contact Information

Mailing/Physical Address

Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
West Tower, Suite 702
Atlanta, GA 30334

Note: In Georgia, Pearson VUE is the primary contact for all inquiries about insurance agents and agency licensing as well as continuing education.

Phone: Pearson VUE Georgia: (800) 274-8969 

Email: pvgainsurance@pearson.com 

Website: https://oci.georgia.gov/ 

License Search: Georgia Insurance License Lookup