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

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

Insurance License Texas

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

1. Figure Out Which Insurance License You’ll Need
2. Complete a Pre-Licensing Education Course
3. Pass the Relevant Texas Insurance License Exam(s)
4. Complete a Fingerprint and Background Check
5. 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 agent licenses that are available in the state of Texas:

• County mutual
• Escrow officer
• Funeral pre-arrangement life
• General lines – life, accident, health and HMO
• General lines – property and casualty
• Life agent
• Life insurance not exceeding $25,000
• Limited lines
• Managing general agent
• Personal lines property and casualty
• Risk manager
• Surplus lines
• Title insurance

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 Health and Life 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 Texas Adjuster License overview.

Step 2: Complete a Texas Pre-Licensing Education Course

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

Now, it’s important to note that — unlike many other states — Texas does not actually require aspiring insurance agents to complete a certain number of pre-licensing education hours in order to sit their insurance licensing exam, meaning that this step is entirely optional.

Having said that, completing a course is highly recommended as it can go a long way in helping you pass 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 Texas Insurance License Exam(s)

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

We say “relevant” because this will depend on the line you wish to specialize in; for example, if you’re planning to become a property and casualty insurance agent, you will need to pass the Property and Casualty exam — which has 130 scored questions.

In Texas, all insurance exams are multiple-choice and administered by either Pearson VUE or the insurance company that you plan to work for.

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 should also note that, even though there is no limit on the number of times you can sit an exam per year in Texas, you will need to apply for your license within 12 months of passing — if you don’t, you’ll need to re-take.

For more information, you can have a look at our Texas Insurance License Exam guide.

Step 4: Complete a Fingerprinting And Background Check

The final step you’ll need to complete before you can submit your insurance agent license application is sending your fingerprints to the DPS and FBI.

This process, which is completed through IdentoGO, costs $41.45 and will initiate a background check into your past conduct to confirm you meet the state’s insurance agent regulations.

To organize a fingerprinting appointment, you’ll need to go to the IdentoGO website or call (888) 467-2080. While booking, be sure to use service code 11G6QF — this is essential as it allows the fingerprinting agency to identify the reason for the background check and follow the relevant requirements. Your check will not be valid without it.

During your fingerprinting appointment you’ll be given a receipt. DO NOT throw this away — you’ll need a copy to attach to your license application for the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) as well as the original receipt for your records.

Note that if you have any misdemeanors or felonies, this may affect the outcome of your licensing efforts. If you’re worried about this, you can contact the Texas Department of Insurance by phone or email for more guidance on this topic.

Step 5: Submit Your Insurance License Application

With your exams and fingerprinting out of the way, you’ll be ready to actually apply for your license. In Texas, applications are submitted online through Sircon or the National Insurance Producer Registry for a fee of $50 (plus a small transaction charge).

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.

On top of this, don’t forget that you’ll need to include the fingerprint receipt given to you by IdentoGo for the Texas Department of Insurance to accept your application(s).

Step 6: Application Review

And that’s it! After satisfying all the other requirements and submitting a license application to the Texas 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 three to five weeks — 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: If you submit your insurance license application by paper or through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR), you’ll be required to pay to print it.

After Getting Your Texas Insurance License

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

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 Texas, you’ll be required to complete either 10 or 24 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years depending on your license type. This will need to include a minimum of three hours on Ethics.

Texas Department of Insurance Contact Information

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 12030
Austin, Texas 78711-2030

Physical Address:
1601 Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701

Phone: (512) 676 – 6500

Email: license@tdi.texas.gov

Website: https://www.tdi.texas.gov/agent/index.html

License Search: Texas Insurance License Search and Lookup