How to Get an Insurance License in Utah

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

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

Utah Insurance License

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

1. Figure Out Which Insurance License You’ll Need
2. Complete a Pre-Licensing Education Course
3. Pass the Relevant Utah Insurance License Exam(s)
4. Request a Fingerprint and Background Check
5. 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 Utah:

• Life
• Accident & Health or Sickness
• Variable Life and Variable Annuity
• Property
• Casualty
• Personal Lines
• Travel
• Title Escrow
• Car Rental (Limited Lines)
• Credit (Limited Lines)
• Travel (Limited Lines)
• Self Service Storage (Limited Lines)
• Portable Electronics (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, you’ll need to obtain a separate license — which you can find more information about in our Utah Adjuster License overview.

Step 2: Complete a Utah Pre-Licensing Education Course

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

Now, it’s important to note that — unlike many other states — the Insurance Department in Utah doesn’t actually require aspiring insurance agents to complete a certain number of pre-licensing education hours in order to sit their insurance licensing exam, meaning that this step is entirely optional.

Having said that, completing a course is highly recommended as it can go a long way in helping you pass on your first attempt — which can save you both time and money in the long run.

This is because many of the features that come with these courses — such as live tutoring, study calendars, and hundreds of practice exams — are designed to enhance your understanding of the material, making you more comfortable and confident on the day of the exam.

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 Utah Insurance License Exam(s)

After completing your pre-licensing education course, you will need to take (and pass) the relevant Utah 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 insurance agent, you will need to pass the Life Insurance exam — which contains 100 questions and lasts two hours.

In Utah, all insurance producer exams are multiple-choice and administered by Prometric, though the testing fee you’ll be required to pay will vary depending on whether you’re taking a single-line exam ($32) or a combined line exam ($44).

The easiest way to schedule your insurance exam is by heading over to Prometric’s Internet Registration Service, where you’ll choose whether you’d prefer to sit it in a test center or with a remote proctor.

On the day of your exam it’s important to try and arrive early as you won’t be allowed to sit the test if you arrived more than 30 minutes later than your scheduled time. In addition to this, you’ll need to bring some form of valid photo ID in order to be allowed to enter the exam hall.

Your results will be shown on screen in a score report at the end of the exam — this will break down your overall performance, percentage score for each of the exam’s sections, and whether you passed or failed.

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

Step 4: Submit Your Insurance License Application

With your exams out of the way, you’ll be ready to actually apply for your license online. In Utah, applications are submitted electronically through Sircon or the National Insurance Producer Registry at the test center kiosk immediately after you’ve finished your exam.

To submit your application you’ll need to pay a $75 resident producer license fee as well as the fee for fingerprinting services (discussed below). Once completed, you’ll need to print out the Sircon or NIPR confirmation page and look after it for the next step — this is your proof that you’ve paid the fingerprinting fees.

Be aware that if you took the insurance exam at home using remote proctoring, you can submit your licensing application online through the websites linked above instead.

Note: To avoid having to retake your insurance licensing exam, you’ll need to submit this fingerprinting fee and license application prior to the expiration of your passing score — which occurs 90 days after passing.

Step 5: Request a Fingerprinting And Background Check

After passing the relevant insurance licensing exam and submitting your application, the final step you’ll be required to take before getting licensed is to send a full set of your fingerprints to the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) and FBI.

This process, which is completed in-person at a Prometric test center using “live scan” technology, costs $28.25 (plus a $6 processing fee) and will initiate a criminal history background check into your past conduct to confirm you meet the state’s insurance agent regulations.

Upon completing the online application, you’ll need to show your passing score report and printed Sircon or NIPR confirmation page in order to have your fingerprints scanned. The results of your background check will then be sent back to the Department, which will re-evaluate them and make a decision on your application.

While the fingerprinting fee will be paid as part of your licensing application submission, you’ll need to pay the $6 processing fee separately — either online at the Prometric website or by calling (888) 226 8740. While you are able to pay this earlier, we recommend waiting until after you’ve passed to do so because this money will be completely lost if you fail the exam.

Note: If you leave the test center after passing your insurance exam but don’t have your prints taken, you’ll need to reschedule this appointment at a later date — which only delays your application.

Step 6: Application Review

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

If everything on your application has been filled out correctly, your license approval should take place within a few weeks — 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!

Note: If you submit your resident insurance license application by paper or through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR), you’ll be required to pay to print it through the Sircon website.

After Getting Your Utah Insurance License

Once you’ve passed all your exams and your licensing application has been approved, you’ll be a qualified insurance agent in Utah.

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 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 Utah, you’ll be required to complete a total of 24 hours of continuing education biennially in order to renew your license. Out of this overall requirement, 12 of these hours must be in a classroom (or equivalent) and three must be in ethics courses.

Utah Insurance Department Contact Information

Mailing Address:
4315 S. 2700 W., Suite 2300
Taylorsville, UT 84129

Phone: (801) 957-9240

Fax: (385) 465-6055 

Email: licensing.uid@utah.gov

Website: https://insurance.utah.gov/licensee/producers

License Search: Utah Insurance License Search and Lookup