How to Get a Life Insurance License in Kansas

Written by: Mary Gerardine

Last updated:

How to Get a Life Insurance License in Kansas

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

The Kansas Insurance Department (KID) requires you to complete a six-step process to become a life insurance agent in Kansas — 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.

How to Get Your Kansas Life Insurance License

  1. Complete a Kansas Life Insurance License Application (National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) – $30 application fee + $5.60 transaction fee)
  2. Get a Fingerprint-Based Background Check (Pearson VUE – $60)
  3. Apply for a Kansas Tax Clearance
  4. Complete a Kansas Insurance Pre-license Course (Kaplan Education Company – $149+)
  5. Take the Kansas Life Insurance Licensing Exam (Pearson VUE – $57)
  6. Watch for Your Application Results

Life Insurance License Kansas

Obtaining your Kansas 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 Kansas property and casualty (P&C) license as well.

Step 1: Complete a Kansas Life Insurance License Application

The first step in getting your life insurance license in Kansas is to submit the application.

The application fee is $30, and the NIPR will charge a $5.60 transaction fee for a total of $35.60. You also must pay $60 for a background check and fingerprinting along with your application fee.

KID will issue a life insurance license to individuals who are at least 18 years old and have passed the proper licensing application requirements and fees. 

To apply for a life insurance license in Kansas, make sure you comply with the insurance licensing requirements as defined under the Kansas Insurance Code

Send any questions to licensing@ksinsurance.org.

Step 2: Get a Fingerprint-Based Background Check

When you apply for a life insurance license in Kansas, you also must get fingerprinted and submit to a criminal history background check from Pearson VUE.

Pearson VUE offers digital fingerprinting to all resident candidates at the following test centers: Overland Park, Topeka, and Wichita. The service, however, is not available at the testing site in Hays. Make a fingerprint reservation at Pearson VUE or call them at (888) 204-6255. 

To begin the process, you must electronically submit a Waiver Agreement and FBI Privacy Act Statement (Fingerprint Waiver Form) via Pearson VUE to the Kansas Insurance Department. Fingerprint Waiver Forms submitted to the Department in paper form are not accepted anymore. The fingerprint-based background check fee is $60, which you should already have paid along with your application fee.

Your fingerprints will then be sent electronically to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI).

Note

The Kansas Insurance Department won’t process your fingerprinting and criminal background check until you submit your license application and pay the fees.

Step 3: Apply for a Kansas Tax Clearance

The Kansas Department of Revenue requires life insurance license applicants to submit a tax clearance to the Kansas Insurance Department when they submit their license application. 

Apply for a certificate of tax clearance by visiting the Kansas Department of Revenue page. Click the tab to “Submit Request,” then fill out the request form.

Once you submit the form, you will receive a confirmation email containing a link that lets you check the status of your tax clearance within 24 hours after submission. 

If tax clearance is approved, download and save a copy of the tax clearance for your records. You must email your certificate of tax clearance to the Kansas Insurance Department at KID.Licensing@ks.gov with “Tax Clearance” in the subject line.

The Kansas Department of Insurance won’t process your license application until it receives your tax clearance. A tax clearance is valid for the period stated on the certificate of clearance you receive.

For additional information on tax clearances, visit the Kansas Department of Revenue’s Tax Clearance Request Information page.

Step 4: Complete a Kansas Insurance Pre-license Course

After you submit your license application and fingerprints, you need to study for your upcoming licensing exam. 

Before you take the Kansas 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.

While Kansas doesn’t have any formal pre-license education requirements, most insurance professionals opt to take a pre-license education course online. Others purchase books or self-study materials to prepare themselves for the exam.

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.

Recommended Course

Over 81% of our readers use Kaplan’s online courses — which come with a 93% pass rate — when preparing for their insurance license exam(s). For comprehensive study packages, StateRequirement recommends:

4.7 out of 5 starsKaplan Education Company

Step 5: Take the Kansas Life Insurance Licensing Exam

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

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

The Kansas life insurance exam outline contains a total of 84 scored questions that cover six 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. Kansas Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Common to Life, Health, Property, and Casualty Insurance
  6. Kansas Statutes, Rules, and Regulations Pertinent to Life Insurance Only

You’ll have 90 minutes to complete the examThe Kansas life insurance exam fee is $57, 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 Kansas life insurance exam, you must wait at least 24 hours before scheduling a time to retake the exam. You also must wait at least seven calendar days between exam attempts, but you may take it as many times as needed.

Tip

Check out our in-depth insurance exam guide for tips to help you pass on the first attempt.

The best way to understand if you are prepared for the test is to take a Life Insurance Practice Exam.

Step 6: Watch for Your Application Results

After you complete the previous five steps, the Kansas Insurance Department’s Producer Licensing Division will review your application and background check. It reviews filings in the order it receives them, and this process usually takes three to five business days from the date you submit your application.

Once your application review is complete, the Kansas Insurance Department will email you with its decision or ask you to provide more information.

You can print your license from the Producer Desktop page before Jan. 1, 2022. After Jan. 1, 2022, you may print your license via the NIPR website. There’s no charge to create an account or print a license. You also can check the status of your license application via Kansas’ Application Status tool. You must comply with all licensing requirements within one year of the date of your application.

Congratulations!

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

Next Steps After Securing Your Kansas Life Insurance License

Once you complete the above steps and have your Kansas 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.

To learn more, check out our Securities Licensing guide.

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.

Tip

To help you start preparing for the SIE exam, check out our full guide on How to Pass the SIE Exam.

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.”

Note

As a life-only producer, it’s likely you’ll also be providing variable contracts. In Kansas, you are required to have proof of your FINRA registration.

Complete Certification Requirements

Kansas requires insurance producers to maintain an accurate record of the insurance companies who have certified them.

Once you receive your insurance producer license, you must advise each company/insurer you want to represent and request for certification. Insurance companies are required to submit an appointment for each producer they certify. An appointment authorizes you to act as an agent on behalf of an insurance company/insurer.

The company will pay the certification and appointment fees. The certification fee is $2. The insurance company will submit individual appointments through NIPR. NIPR will collect the appointment fee and a small processing fee for the State of Kansas at the time the appointment transaction is submitted.

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).

Complete Continuing Education and Renew Your License

You must take 18 hours of continuing education (CE) for a life line of authority (of which three 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 Kansas. You must provide a clearance letter from your former state of residence. A clearance letter is not required if your former state of residence participates in the NAIC’s State-Based Systems Database.

You can’t renew your license until you complete your continuing education hours and pay any outstanding fines.

In Kansas, you also must renew and manage your life insurance license every two years. To avoid delays in renewing your license, you must complete your required CE hours at least 90 days before your license expires. The renewal fee is $90. 

You must report your CE credits and submit your renewal application via the NIPR Renewal website.

Learn how to renew your license with our Kansas Insurance License Renewal guide.

Kansas Insurance Department Contact Information

Mailing Address

Kansas Insurance Department
1300 SW Arrowhead Rd.
Topeka, Kansas 66604

Phone: 785-296-7862

Email: kid.licensing@ks.gov 

Website: https://insurance.kansas.gov/ 

License Search: Kansas Insurance License Lookup

Kansas Life Insurance License FAQ

How much does it cost to get a life insurance license in Kansas?

Obtaining a life insurance license in Kansas requires these fees: 
Application Fee: (National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) – $30 application fee + $5.60 transaction fee)
Fingerprint-Based Background Check Fee: $60 via the Pearson VUE
Insurance Pre-license Education Course Fee: $149+ via Kaplan Education Company
Exam Fee: $57 via Pearson VUE

How long does it take to process a life insurance license application in Kansas?

This process typically takes three to five business days. You’ll receive an email once the Kansas Insurance Department’s Producer Licensing Division reviews your application.

Can I get a temporary life insurance agent license in Kansas?

No. Kansas doesn’t issue a temporary life insurance license at this time.

Can I get an emergency life insurance agent license in Kansas?

No. An emergency license isn’t available for life insurance agents in Kansas.

Do I need to get my securities license on top of a life insurance license in Kansas?

Probably. While you can sell certain basic life insurance products with just a life insurance license, a securities license removes the limits on what you can sell and puts you in a much better career position. As a securities license holder, you can provide your clients with products tied to the securities market as part of their retirement and life insurance plans. But, you’ll need FINRA accreditation to obtain your securities license.

What can I sell with a life insurance license in Kansas?

With a Kansas life insurance license, you can sell life insurance policies that pay a designated beneficiary when the insured person dies. You also can sell annuities that pay a set income at retirement.

How much can you make with a life insurance license in Kansas?

According to ZipRecruiter, life insurance agents earn an average of $79,730 per year.

What are the limitations of a Kansas life insurance license?

Unless you have multiple licenses to sell various types of insurance products (e.g., the combined life and health insurance license), having a Kansas life insurance license only qualifies you to sell life insurance policies as well as retirement plans and annuities. You can’t sell other types of insurance. A securities license on top of your life insurance license removes that limitation and enables you to offer securities, including stocks and bonds.

Can I cancel my life insurance license in Kansas?

Yes. To cancel your license, you must submit a written request with your name and national producer number (NPN) directly to the Kansas Insurance Department.

How hard is it to get a life insurance license in Kansas?

The process is quite simple! Follow the steps above and get started today!

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