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

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

Oklahoma Insurance License

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

1. Figure Out Which Insurance License You’ll Need
2. Complete a Pre-Licensing Education Course
3. Pass the Relevant Oklahoma Insurance License Exam(s)
4. 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 producer lines that are available in the state of Oklahoma:

• Life
• Accident & Health or Sickness
• Variable Life and Variable Annuity
• Property
• Casualty
• Property / Casualty – Personal Lines
• Car Rental
• Limited Lines Producer
• Credit
• Crop
• Travel
• Pre-Paid Legal
• Surety

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 Oklahoma Adjuster License overview.

Step 2: Complete an Oklahoma Pre-Licensing Education Course

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

Now, it’s important to note that — unlike many other states — Oklahoma does not actually require aspiring insurance agents to complete any pre-licensing education in order to be able to sit their state exam, meaning that this step is entirely optional.

The only exception to this is Bail Bondsman, who must complete at least 16 hours of prelicensing education prior to being eligible to take the examination.

With that said, while it’s not necessary for the majority of insurance lines, completing a course is highly recommended as it can go a long way in helping you pass your licensing exam 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 Oklahoma Insurance License Exam(s)

After completing your pre-licensing education course, you will need to take (and pass) the relevant Oklahoma insurance license exam.

We say “relevant” because this will depend on the line you wish to specialize in; for example, if you want to be able to sell Life, Accident, and Health insurance, you’ll need to pass both the Life and Accident & Health or Sickness exams.

In Oklahoma, all insurance exams are multiple-choice, administered by PSI, and cost $38 to apply for (except for the Bail Bondsman exam, which costs $100). You can book your exam online through the PSI Exams website by creating an account, choosing a test center, and selecting a date and time.

If you prefer, you can also book an exam over the phone by calling (833) 333-4754 and speaking with a live registrar — which can be done between 4:30 am and 9:00 pm Monday to Friday, and between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Keep in mind that you can sit for more than one exam at a time (e.g., if you want to apply for both a P&C and a life and health insurance license).

Even so, we recommend avoiding this route; this is because passing your exam is hard enough as is, and there is arguably little to gain and a lot to lose with the added risk of confusing separate line material.

We found that the best approach is to study for one at a time, averaging between two to six weeks of study time per exam — depending on whether you are studying full time or part-time, as well as on how comfortable you are at taking proctored exams.

You’ll need to obtain a minimum score of at least 70% to pass your insurance licensing exam; having said that, you should note that there is no limit on the number of times you’ll be able to sit each exam.

While you will find out whether or not you passed in your score report at the end of the exam, you won’t be able to book a new exam appointment on the same day if you fail. Instead, you’ll need to call the day after you sit the exam, but will still be able to obtain a new exam date as early as the following day.

For more information, you can have a look at our Oklahoma 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. In Oklahoma, applications are submitted online through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) and come with the following processing fees:

• Major Line Producers: $60
• Limited Lines Producers: $40
• Surplus Lines Producers: $100

Be aware that if you’ve passed the licensing exams for multiple lines of authority, you’ll be required to submit an application (and pay a filing fee) for each of these.

After passing your insurance exam, you’ll need to wait three business days before you can submit your license application through the Oklahoma Insurance Department’s website. This is the amount of time it typically takes for NIPR to send your exam results to the state.

Note: If you need any support or assistance with your online application, be sure to get in contact with NIPR over the phone by calling (816) 783-8500.

Step 5: Application Review

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

If everything on your application has been filled out correctly, your license should be issued within five to seven days — 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: Since you won’t be sent a copy of license by mail, you’ll need to print one from the Oklahoma Insurance Department website.

After Getting Your Oklahoma Insurance License

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

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 Oklahoma, you’ll be required to complete 24 hours of continuing education (except for Title Producers, who must complete 16 hours). These 24 hours should consist of three hours of ethics, two hours of legislative updates, and 19 hours of general producer education.

Oklahoma Insurance Department Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Licensing Division
400 NE 50th Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105

Phone: (405) 521-3916

Fax: (405) 522-3642

Email: licensing@oid.ok.gov

Website: https://www.oid.ok.gov/licensing-and-education/

License Search: Oklahoma Insurance License Search and Lookup