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

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

How to Get Your Ohio Insurance License

Getting your insurance license in Ohio 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: Ohio Insurance Adjuster License.

Step 2. Ohio Insurance Pre-License Education

After you’ve determined which licenses you need, you must now take your Ohio 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 Ohio 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. Fingerprinting and Background Check

Ohio requires that all insurance license applicants provide fingerprints prior to licensing. Giving your fingerprints will initiate a background check. 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 Ohio Department of Insurance at 614-644-2665 or email the License Department.

The fee for having fingerprints taken can be up to $72.25, depending on where you have them done.

When scheduling your fingerprinting appointment, be sure to tell them that you are using them to get your Ohio insurance license. This should let them know that they need to send the state and federal results directly to the Ohio Department of Insurance.

Schedule your fingerprinting appointment through any of the vendors listed on the Ohio Attorney General Webcheck page.

Step 4. Ohio Insurance License Exam

The next step after completing all of your pre-license coursework is to take the insurance exam. You will take one exam for each line of insurance you wish to carry. Life & Health (L&H) and Property & Casualty (P&C) lines are combined as one test each, so you wouldn’t take four tests, you would only take two altogether.

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 $42. When you show up you must have a photo ID and the original pre-license education certificate.

The Ohio Life, Accident, and Health test is one hundred fifty (150) questions long, and you have two and a half hours (2:30) to complete it. PSI offers this Ohio Life, Accident, and Health Exam Content Outline.

The Ohio Property and Casualty test is one hundred fifty (150) questions long, and you have two and a half hours (2:30) to complete it. PSI offers this Ohio Property and Casualty Exam Content Outline.

Each exam requires a minimum of 70% correct answers to pass.

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 PSI Ohio Insurance page.

Step 5. Ohio 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 $10 per line, plus a $5 NIPR fee.

Fill out your online application on the NIPR Ohio 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 license should be issued within 7-10 business days. There are cases when the fingerprints returning will hold up the review time. 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.

After your application has been approved, you will receive an email from the Department of Insurance regarding the issuance of your license.

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 Ohio Insurance License

Once you’ve passed your exams and completed the licensing application, you are now a licensed insurance agent in Ohio. 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. 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 Ohio Insurance License Renewal and Ohio 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

Ohio Department of Insurance Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Ohio Department of Insurance
50 West Town Street
Third Floor – Suite 300
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Phone: (614) 644-2665

Fax: (614) 644-3475

Email: licensing@insurance.ohio.gov

Website: https://www.insurance.ohio.gov

License Search: Ohio Insurance License Search and Lookup