If you’re getting near your Maine insurance license renewal date, keep your license active by taking your Maine insurance continuing education (CE) courses in advance of your expiration date.
This guide will provide you all the information you need to ensure you fulfill your ME insurance license renewal and insurance CE requirements on time.
Maine Insurance License Renewal and CE Requirements | |
---|---|
Expiration Time | Every 2 years |
Required Continuing Education (CE) | 24 credit hours |
Renewal Cost | CE course cost |
Recommended CE Course | Kaplan Education Company |
Maine Insurance Continuing Education
In order to keep your Maine insurance license in good standing with the state, you will need to renew your license by completing your Maine Insurance CE requirements before your expiration date.
In Maine, insurance licenses are perpetual and automatically renew every two years. Licensees must, however, complete continuing education requirements in order to keep their license current. CE credits must be completed by the end of the birth month in an odd or even-numbered year. If you were born in an even-numbered year, your CE credits are due on the next even-numbered year, and an odd-numbered birth year has your CE credits due the next odd-numbered year.
Maine Insurance Continuing Education Courses
Insurance CE comes in many forms. Most folks nowadays choose to take a self-paced course online, but you can also complete your credit hours by attending an in-person class or even a scheduled online webinar.
Self-paced Course
The most common method of continuing education today. These CE courses allow you to log in to an online platform any time of day to complete your credit hours. Most of these courses are a mixture of video and text combined with a knowledge exam at the end. Some platforms even allow you to take the course from your phone, which could be useful if you’re short on computer time.
In-person Class
This is how continuing education courses all began. Join your fellow insurance license holders for a live class taught by an industry professional. You may be able to find a “school” that provides all of your state’s required credits in a few full-day classes, or you might also take some shorter sessions to fill part of your requirements.
Scheduled Online Webinar
This is essentially the same as an in-person class, except you don’t have to travel away from your home or office. You will be taught by an instructor who will deliver the lesson at a specified time. Many webinars even allow you to interact with the instructor if you have specific questions.
Recommended Course
For Maine insurance CE courses and credits, StateRequirement recommends:
Tip: Most courses certify completion by taking either a knowledge exam at the end or by counting attendance to all of the scheduled classes. If you want to save time, it’s best to go with a self-paced course. If you want no exam, try an in-person class or an online webinar.
Maine Insurance Continuing Education Requirements
The Maine Bureau of Insurance requires that all insurance producers and agents complete their continuing education requirements before their expiration date. In Maine, these requirements include:
- Twenty-four (24) total hours of Maine insurance continuing education every renewal period, which is two (2) years
- Three (3) of those hours must be in the subject of ethics
Note
If you have a producer license in more than one line of authority (ex. Property & Casualty and Life & Health), you do not need to take double hours. Your total amount of CE credit hours due is still twenty-four (24).
Once you completed the insurance CE course, your CE course provider will send a certificate of completion to the Maine Bureau of Insurance. Make sure to keep a printed copy of your certificate for your records.
Tip
It is recommended to complete all continuing education credits 30 days prior to the expiration date of the license. This will give the CE provider time to report the successful completion to the department of insurance. Your CE courses can be taken at any time within your license term.
Maine Insurance License Renewal
After you have completed your continuing education requirements, you may renew your Maine insurance license to keep it active.
Follow the steps below to complete your Maine insurance license renewal requirements ahead of your expiration date.
Step 1: Complete Maine Insurance License Continuing Education
Follow the steps above to complete your required 24 hours of CE.
Step 2: Apply for Maine Insurance License Renewal
The Maine Bureau of Insurance recommends that you sign up and check your due date using the Maine Regulatory Licensing & Permitting online tool.
Step 3: Pay the Maine Insurance License Renewal Fee
According to the Maine Bureau of Insurance, there is no fee to renew your license.
While there is no need to renew a Maine insurance license, you do need to keep your license current by completing your CE credits. It’s required to take courses that are specifically designed for Maine insurance producers.
The education provider will report your fulfillment of courses to the state after completion. To learn more about your CE courses, the Maine Bureau of Insurance recommends using their Regulatory Licensing & Permitting search courses tool.
Congratulations!
You’ve taken the steps you need to take and now your insurance license is good for another two years!
What Happens If My Insurance License Expires In Maine?
In Maine, the Maine Bureau of Insurance requires all insurance producers to complete CE requirements every two years. If you do not comply with the CE requirements, you won’t be able to reinstate, renew or obtain appointments. An appointment is a registration with a state insurance department that you are acting on behalf of an insurer or insurance company.
If you fail to comply with the CE requirements after two years, the state may immediately terminate or deny the renewal of your appointment.
Maine Insurance License Lookup
You can look up the status of your Maine insurance CE credits and Maine insurance license renewal by using these resources:
- View your current accrued CE credits and CE status using the Regulatory Licensing & Permitting tool.
- If you don’t know your insurance license number (National Producer Number or NPN), you can find your name within the Regulatory Licensing & Permitting “Search Individuals” section.
Maine Bureau of Insurance Contact Information
Mailing Address:
Bureau of Insurance
34 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0034
Phone: (207) 624-8475
Fax: (207) 624-8599
Email: Insurance.PFR@maine.gov
Website: https://www.maine.gov/pfr/insurance/home
Maine Insurance License Renewal FAQ
How often do I need to renew my Maine insurance license?
In Maine, the expiration date or renewal date is most often based on the requirement to complete continuing education (CE) hours every two years. You must meet your CE hours to keep your license active and in good standing with the state.
How much does it cost to renew my Maine insurance license?
Maine doesn’t require license renewals. You will only need to pay for the CE provider cost. Check on Maine’s requirements to learn more about the costs you can expect to renew your insurance license.
What are the continuing education requirements for Maine in renewing my insurance license?
You should check with the Maine Bureau of Insurance to determine how many hours you need and if there are restrictions on what kind of CE will be accepted. Continuing education topics include insurance policies, ethics, insurance law, and more. Some topics apply to all insurance agents, such as claims and tax updates. Other classes will be geared toward specific lines, such as property and casualty or life and health. See above to find out more about Maine Insurance CE courses and requirements.
How do I document the completion of my continuing education courses?
Sending in course completion paperwork to the state is typically the responsibility of the course provider. As the individual taking the course, you will not need to send in documentation. If you want to check your continuing education progress and make sure that all completed courses are in your state file, you can use your state’s online system to look up license information, including continuing education completion.
What is NPN for an insurance agent?
You will need your National Producer Number, or NPN, to renew your insurance license. This number is assigned to each individual working in insurance when they are first licensed. If you are unsure of your NPN, you can look it up on the National Insurance Producer Registry using your license number or social security number.