How To Become An Insurance Agent In New Hampshire

Step 1. Which Types of Insurance Licenses Do You Need?

Depending on what type of insurance agent you want to be or what types of policies you need to sell, you will need to choose what type or types of insurance licenses you need to get.

These are examples of the types of insurance policies you can sell with each type of license:

• Property & Casualty Insurance License – Car Insurance, Home Insurance, Business Insurance, etc…
• Life & Health Insurance License – Life Insurance, Annuities, Health Insurance, etc…

Most insurance agents choose to get both of these licenses, but if you will only sell one type of policy then you just need to choose which license fits your needs.

Step 2. Insurance Pre-Exam Education

After you’ve determined which licenses you need, it’s time to begin studying for the New Hampshire insurance exams.

New Hampshire does not require you to take a certain amount of pre-license credits before testing. This means that studying for your exam is 100% up to you.

Most folks choose to take an insurance pre-license course online. These courses are created specifically to give you the skills you need to pass the test. Others purchase books or other self-study tools to prepare themselves.

It’s wise to take a week or so to dedicate to your study of this exam. If you don’t feel as though you’re a strong test taker, take a little longer, but don’t let it drag out for long. We want you to pass your test the first time you take it, and we know that you can do it.

Step 3. New Hampshire Insurance License Exams

The next step after completing all of your pre-license coursework or self-study is to take the insurance exam. You will take one exam for each combined line of insurance you wish to carry. In New Hampshire, the Property & Casualty lines are combined into one exam. Life, Accident, and Health is a combined exam as well.

This is a proctored test, which means that you will be in a controlled environment with a person watching over 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 as follows:

• Life & Accident and Health: $65
• Property & Casualty: $65
• Life: $50
• Accident and Health: $50
• Property: $50
• Casualty: $50

When you arrive you must have a photo ID any other documents that the testing facility has asked you to bring.

Both the Life, Accident, and Health exam, and the Property and Casualty exam consist of one hundred fifty (150) questions. You have two hours and thirty minutes (2:30) to complete each exam. The minimum score to pass is 70% correct answers.

Be sure to study the Prometric Exam Content Outlines:

New Hampshire Property and Casualty Insurance License Exam Content Outline

New Hampshire Life, Accident, and Health Insurance License Exam Content 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.

Step 4. License Application

Once you have completed your exams, 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 $210, and NIPR will charge a $5 transaction fee for a total of $215.

You must wait 48 hours after passing the exam to fill out the application. This will allow the system to offer you the correct lines of authority to apply for.

If you wish to add a line of authority to your license at a later date, there will be a $50 amendment fee, but you will not need to pay the $210 again.

Fill out and submit your online application on the NIPR New Hampshire website.

Step 5. 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 initiated by the application will also be reviewed.

If everything is to acceptable standards your license should be issued quickly. 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.

Within 24 hours (but up to one week) after submitting your application, you may use the New Hampshire License Look-Up Tool to verify that your license has been issued. You will also use this service to print your license.