If you’re thinking about becoming an insurance agent in Idaho, the first step you’ll need to take in order to kickstart your career is to obtain a Idaho insurance license.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of how to become an insurance agent in Idaho, as well as what to do once you get licensed.

Idaho Insurance License

In order to get your Idaho insurance license, you’ll need to complete the following four steps:

1. Figure Out Which Insurance License You’ll Need
2. Pass the Relevant Idaho Insurance License Exam(s)
3. Complete a Fingerprint and Background Check
4. Submit Your Insurance License Application

Below we have explored each step in more detail.

Step 1: Decide Which Insurance Licenses You Need

The first step will be deciding what type of insurance policies you’ll want to sell — at least at the start of your career.

This is because the type of insurance policies you’re hoping to sell will dictate the type of license you’ll need. For example, you’d need a Property & Casualty (P&C) license to be able to sell auto, home, or business insurance.

Here’s a list of all the different types of insurance agent licenses that are available in the state of Idaho:

• Life
• Accident Health and Sickness
• Property
• Casualty
• Variable
• Personal lines
• Limited Lines

While there are a large number of different licenses to choose from, the vast majority of insurance agents will either obtain a Property and Casualty (P&C) or Life and Health license.

In fact, many agents actually opt to go for both of these licenses as it allows them to offer clients a much wider range of the most common insurance products.

However, if you already know you want to specialize in one particular type of policy, you’ll of course only have to focus on the specific license that’s relevant to this insurance type.

It’s worth noting at this point that if you’re looking to work as an insurance adjuster in Idaho, you’ll need to obtain a separate license, such as an independent adjuster or a public adjuster license. For more information, you can take a look at our Idaho Adjuster License overview.

Step 2: Complete a Idaho Pre-Licensing Education Course

The next step you’ll want to take toward becoming a licensed insurance agent in Idaho is completing a pre-licensing education course.

Even though you are not legally required to complete a course in accordance with section 41-1008(1) of the Idaho Code, doing so is highly recommended.

This is because participating in pre-licensing education is one of the best ways to pass the state licensing exam, which is a prerequisite to becoming a licensed insurance agent in the state.

Having said that, due to the sheer number of pre-licensing education courses available, it’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed when deciding which one is right for you. To avoid this, we typically recommend making a decision based on the following factors:

• The course’s flexibility (e.g., does it allow flexible learning, does it require completing within a short time-window, etc.)
• The course’s price: This one is obvious; our only tip here is to not go too low, as from our experience you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to these
• The course’s reputation: How reliable is each provider? The last thing you want is insufficient and/or incomplete resources before your exam

If you want more information before getting started, you can also have a look at our in-depth overview of the five best pre-license education courses in 2024.

Step 3: Pass the Relevant Idaho Insurance License Exam(s)

After completing your pre-licensing education course, you will need to take (and pass) the relevant Idaho insurance license exam.

We say “relevant” because this will depend on the line you wish to specialize in; for example, if you’re planning to become a Life and Health insurance agent, you will need to pass the Accident & Health or Sickness Producer exam — which consists of 75 scored questions (plus 11 unscored questions).

All insurance agent licensing examinations in Idaho come with a cost of $65 and are administered by Pearson VUE.

It should be noted that when you complete an examination, you will receive a score report marked “pass” or “fail.” If you’ve passed, your report will include additional information on how to apply for the relevant license.

If you’ve failed, you will instead receive a report that includes diagnostic information relating to the examination, as well as details on reexamination procedures.

Note: There is no limit to the number of times candidates may attempt any given exam. Having said that, exam results are only valid for 180 days, after which they are considered invalid.

For more information, you can have a look at our Idaho Insurance License Exam guide.

Step 4: Complete a Fingerprinting And Background Check

Idaho requires all applicants for an insurance agent license to submit their fingerprints and undergo a background check.

This process comes with a non-refundable processing fee of $61.25.

To schedule an appointment, you will have the following two options:

• Electronic Submission: You will need to log in to your Pearson VUE account to schedule an electronic fingerprint submission at an available location
• Hard Card Submission: For hard card fingerprint submission, you will need to download and review the Fingerprint Hard Card Process instructions from Pearson VUE’s Idaho insurance page

Remember to not send fingerprint cards or the required fee directly to the Idaho Department of Insurance, as they will not be accepted.

Note: Any misdemeanors or felonies may affect the outcome of your licensing efforts. If you’re worried about this, you can contact the Idaho Department of Insurance by phone or email for more guidance on this topic.

Step 5: Submit Your Insurance License Application

With your exams and fingerprinting out of the way, you’ll be ready to actually apply for your license.

This can be done by applying online via the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) and paying a non-refundable application fee of $80 (per insurance line).

Keep in mind that you’ll need to submit the following documents alongside your application:

• Copy of Pass Slip(s) from Exam(s): You’ll be required to provide a copy of the pass slip(s) from your exams in order to verify their completion
• A copy of the fingerprint receipt from Pearson VUE: You’ll be required to submit a copy of the fingerprint receipt as proof of your fingerprint submission
• Criminal History Record Release form: You’ll be required to complete the CHRI Request and Release form in order to grant permission to the relevant authorities to access your criminal history records

You can email the required documents to agent@doi.idaho.gov or upload them directly to the NIPR Licensing Center Attachments page.

Step 6: Application Review

And that’s it! After satisfying all the other requirements and submitting a license application to the Idaho Department of Insurance all that’s left to do is wait.

If everything on your application has been filled out correctly, your license should be issued within five to nine business days — which is the amount of time it typically takes for a license application and background check to be reviewed.

It’s important to be aware that the issuance of your insurance license can take a bit longer than this if there are any items from your background check that need to be looked over. However, the state will likely get in touch with you to give some context if they run into any issues.

In any case, the state will send you an email regarding the status of your license once this review has been completed, so keep an eye out for that!

After Getting Your Idaho Insurance License

Upon successful completion of all required exams and approval of your licensing application, you will become a licensed insurance agent in Idaho.

At this point, there are four main steps that we recommend new insurance agents to take:

1. Obtain Any Relevant Securities Licenses: If you’re planning on selling advanced life insurance products, you’ll need to pass the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam and obtain the relevant securities licenses (e.g., Series 6, 7, and 63).
2. Choose a Means of Selling: You’ll have to decide whether you’d prefer working as a captive agent employed by one insurance company, or running your own business as an independent agent.
3. Develop Your Marketing Approach: To succeed as an insurance agent, you’ll need to adopt a marketing approach that’s effective for you. Finding and sticking to a niche, as well organizing all client appointments for the start of your week, are two great ways to do this.
4. Keep Your License Valid:In Idaho, almost all insurance agents are required to complete 24 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years; this must include three hours on ethics courses. 

Keep in mind that certain license types (e.g., surplus lines, etc.) are exempt from having to complete CE. 

Idaho Department of Insurance Contact Information

Mailing Address:
700 West State Street, 3rd Floor
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720-0043

Phone: (208) 334-4250

Fax: (208) 334-4398

Email: agent@doi.idaho.gov

Website: https://doi.idaho.gov/

License Search: Idaho Insurance License Search and Lookup