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

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

How to Get Your West Virginia Insurance License

Getting your insurance license in West Virginia 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: West Virginia Insurance Adjuster License.

Step 2. West Virginia Insurance Pre-License Education

After you’ve determined which licenses you need, you must now take your West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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. West Virginia Insurance License Exam

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. Property and Casualty are combined as one exam. The same is true for Life, Accident, and Health.

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 $86. When you show up you must have a photo ID any other documents that the testing facility has asked you to bring.

Each test is split into two sections: General Knowledge and State Specific. Be sure to study the content outlines provided by Pearson VUE:

To explain scoring, we will quote the Pearson VUE West Virginia Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook:

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 Pearson VUE West Virginia Insurance page.

Step 4. Fingerprinting And Background Check

The State of West Virginia requires that all insurance license applications 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 Department of Insurance at (304) 558-0610 or email the licensing department.

Fingerprinting must be completed through IdentoGO.

The fee for fingerprint services is $45.75. Your fingerprints will be submitted automatically to the Insurance Department.

Step 5. West Virginia Insurance License Application

After you have passed your exams and submitted fingerprints, the next step is to apply for your license. If you have more than one line of authority that you tested for, be sure to apply for all of those lines.

The fee for an online application is $50, plus a $5.60 fee from NIPR, for a total of $55.60.

If you wish to add another line of authority at a later date, you will only need to pay the NIPR fee. If it has been longer than thirty (30) days since your original application, you will need to redo your fingerprints.

Apply for your license online with the NIPR West Virginia site.

Step 6. Application Review

Once you have submitted your application and passed your exams, 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 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.

After submitting your application, the review process should take about seven to ten (7-10) business days to complete. After this period, you will receive an email from NIPR regarding the issuance of your license.

You may also check your license status with the State Based Systems West Virginia Licensee Lookup Search tool.

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 West Virginia Insurance License

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

West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Licensing and Education Division
PO Box 50540
Charleston, WV 25305-0540

Physical Address:
Licensing and Education Division
900 Pennsylvania Avenue
Charleston, WV 25302

Phone: (304) 558-0610

Fax: (304) 558-4966

Email: OICAgentLicensing@wv.gov

Website: http://www.wvinsurance.gov/

License Search: West Virginia Insurance License Search and Lookup