Getting your Kentucky insurance license is the first step to becoming an insurance agent in Kentucky. Whether you’re interested in selling property and casualty insurance, life insurance, health insurance, or any combination of those lines of authority, this article has the information you need to get started.

The Kentucky Department of Insurance has a 6-step process on how to become an insurance agent in Kentucky. We’ll walk you through step-by-step; from the license application to insurance test prep, to the Kentucky insurance exam, and beyond.

This guide has everything you need to know to get your KY insurance license quickly and easily.

How to Get Your Kentucky Insurance License

Getting your insurance license in Kentucky is easy! Just follow our step-by-step guide. Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can visit it again throughout this process.

Step 1. Which Insurance Licenses Do You Need?

The first step to getting your insurance license is choosing which licenses you need. The most common licenses new insurance agents get are the property & casualty license (P&C), life and health insurance license (L&H).

The types of insurance products and policies you’ll be selling will determine which licenses you need. Here are some examples of the types of policies you can market with each license:

• Property and Casualty Insurance License – Auto Insurance, Home Insurance, Business Insurance, etc…
• Life and Health Insurance License – Life Insurance, Annuities, Medicare, Health Insurance, etc…

Most insurance agents and producers choose to get both P&C and L&H licenses, but if you plan on specializing in only one category then you don’t need every license.

Insurance adjusters require a separate license. You can find more information on becoming an insurance adjuster here: Kentucky Insurance Adjuster License.

Step 2. Kentucky Insurance Pre-License Education

After you’ve determined which licenses you need, you must now take your Kentucky insurance pre-license education courses.

Most folks choose to take their insurance pre-license course online. These courses are created specifically to give you the skills you need to pass the test. The types of licenses you choose (also known as “lines of authority”) will determine which courses you take.

Each line of authority in Kentucky requires twenty (20) hours of pre-license education. This means that if you wish to get a Property and Casualty license, you must take forty (40) hours of pre-licensing, and for Life, Accident, and Health you must also take forty (40) hours.

You will receive a certificate upon completion of the course. Keep this certificate, as you will need it when taking your exam.

Step 3. Background Check

Kentucky requires that all insurance license applicants initiate a background check prior to licensing. If you have any prior misdemeanors or felonies, this may affect the outcome of your licensing efforts. For more information on this topic, call the Kentucky Department of Insurance at (502) 564-6004 or email the License Department.

The fee for having a background check run online is $25.

To initiate the background check, go to the Kentucky Court of Justice AOCFastCheck system, then follow these steps:

1. Select “Register”
2. Leave the top radio button selected, and fill out the form to register yourself for the system
3. You will receive an email with a verification link — open it and click the link
4. Login to the AOC FastCheck system with the information you just registered
5. Select “Create New Record Request”
6. Category “Licensing” — Group “Dept. of Insurance (DOI)” — Reason “Licensing”
7. Complete form with all of your information, then select “Add To Batch”
8. On the bottom, left of the page, the “Submit Request” button should now be usable — Select “Submit Request”
9. Follow any further instructions

Online requests are processed within two business days of being received and the report is valid for 60 days only. This can be an arduous task, so if you have any questions, please contact the Administrative Office of the Courts Customer Service, Pretrial Services, Records Division at (502) 573-1682 or (800) 928-6381.

Step 4. Kentucky Insurance License Exam

The last step after completing all of your pre-license coursework, and submitting your application and background check, is to take the insurance exam. You will take one exam for each line of insurance you wish to carry.

This is a proctored test, which means that you will be in a controlled environment with a person watching you. For people who haven’t tested in a situation like this should be aware of this fact, and work on taming their nerves prior to sitting for the exam.

The fee for each attempt of the exams is $50.

When you arrive you must have a photo ID and the original pre-license education certificate.

The exams in Kentucky are all 50 questions long and require a minimum of 70% correct answers to pass.

Kentucky and Kaplan Financial provide content outlines for each exam:

• Kentucky Life Insurance Exam Study Outline
• Kentucky Health Insurance Exam Study Outline
• Kentucky Property Insurance Exam Study Outline
• Kentucky Casualty Insurance Exam Study Outline

Check out our Insurance Exam Guide. It’s extremely in-depth, and will hopefully help you pass the first time.

Insurance license tests are intentionally difficult, but not impossible by any means. You should study to the point of comfortability with the information before you attempt the test. Failing the exam isn’t the end of the world, but keep in mind that you will need to pay the fee each time you attempt the test.

You may register to take your exams and find more information on the Kentucky eServices Tool. For more information on the exam providers, check out the Kentucky Department of Insurance’s Exam Schedule and Testing Sites.

Step 5. Kentucky Insurance License Application

Once you have completed your exams and fingerprinting, you are now ready to apply for your license. If you have more than one line of authority that you have passed the exam for, be sure to apply for all of those lines.

The fee for an online application is $40 per line, plus a $5 NIPR fee for a total of $45. You will also pay for your first attempt of each exam you are applying for here.

Fill out your online application on the NIPR Kentucky Insurance page.

Step 6. Application Review

Once you have submitted your application and have filled all the other requirements, your license application will be reviewed by the state. Your background check will also be reviewed.

If everything is to acceptable standards your application should be accepted within a few days.

If there are any items from your background check that need to be reviewed, it may slow down the process of issuance. If this is the case, the state may contact you to provide context to the issues that they have run into.

Congratulations!

You’ve done the work, put in the time and effort, and now hold the key to your own success!  We’re proud of you. Take five (5) minutes and celebrate.

After Getting Your Kentucky Insurance License

Once you’ve passed your exams and completed the licensing application, you are now a licensed insurance agent in Kentucky. A common question we hear is, “I have my insurance license, now what?” Here are a few things you can do or need to know:

• Get a job in the insurance field. Check out StateRequirement’s Insurance Jobs board
• If you’re going to sell advanced life insurance products, you’ll need to have the proper securities licenses. The Series 6, Series 7, and Series 63 are the most common among insurance agents, but you’ll need to begin with the SIE (Securities Industry Essentials) exam. Find out which licenses you need with our Securities Licensing Guide
• Every two years, you’ll need to renew your insurance license. Check out our guides on Kentucky Insurance License Renewal and Kentucky Insurance Continuing Education for more details
• Learn how to market yourself as an insurance agent: Have a look at our Insurance Agent Marketing article
• Interested in learning how successful life insurance agents operate? Check out our How Do Life Insurance Companies Make Money article

Kentucky Department of Insurance Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Kentucky Department of Insurance
P.O. Box 517
Frankfort, Kentucky 40602-0517

Phone: (502) 564-6004

Fax: (502) 654-6030

Email: DOI.AgentLicensingMail@ky.gov

Website: http://insurance.ky.gov

License Search: Kentucky Insurance License Search and Lookup