Obtaining your Florida life & health insurance agent license is the first step to becoming an insurance agent in Florida. 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 Florida Division of Insurance Agent & Agency Services has a process to getting your insurance license.
| Do I Need To Be Hired or Sponsored By An Insurance Agency To Get My Insurance License?
No, you don’t need to be hired or sponsored by an insurance company or agency to go through the process of obtaining your insurance license. In fact, going through the process of getting and being licensed beforehand actually makes you more marketable for opportunities.
| There are three types of Florida Life and/or Health Insurance licenses:
| Applicants for any of the above licenses must:
| Florida Insurance Pre-License Education Course
You will need to complete a Florida insurance pre-license education course. The Florida Division of Insurance Agent & Agency Services REQUIRES that you take and pass a prelicensing course.
Most people choose to take their insurance pre-licensing course online. These courses are created specifically to give you the skills and knowledge you need to pass the test and satisfies the Florida requirement of taking & passing a life and health pre-licensing course.
A 70% score is required to pass the course final exam. A passing score is valid for one year from the passing date. You will be required to re-take the course and licensing examination if you do not complete the entire licensing process within that timeframe. You are limited to five (5) examination attempts during a one (1) year period.
| Pass the Florida License Exam
We recommend that you take the state exam within 5-7 days once you've completed your course. Scheduling can be completed by calling 1-866-241-5527 or visiting the Pearson Vue website. The state exam fee is $44 for each attempt.
215 Life & Health Examination
Name: FLA Health and Life and Annuity (incl. Var. Contracts) Agent (0215)
Code: InsFL-LHA05
Cost: $44
Number of Questions: 165 (15 pilot questions not scored, 150 are scored - 105 correct to pass)
Time Limit: 2 Hours and 45 Minutes
You're not required to bring a course completion certificate with you to take the exam, however we do offer completion certificates for all of our courses for your convenience.
| Register for Electronic Fingerprinting
Florida requires electronic fingerprints be taken in order to run a criminal background check.
Click here to make a reservation with IdentoGo, or call 844-321-2124. The fee is $5. Insurance license fingerprint records are good for 1 year. The results of your criminal history check will be submitted electronically to the Florida Department of Financial Services.
| Submit Your Application
The application cannot be submitted until your pre-licensing education has been completed and you have passed your license exam.
Submit a license application to the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS). On the application you will share information about yourself and include a $50 fee payable to the DFS. Click the Online Application button to access the MyProfile page managed by the DFS Bureau of Licensing. Either login to an existing account or click on "Create Account." When creating an account for the first time, you will select "Individual" as your account type.
| Print Your License
After all the steps above have been completed, the DFS Bureau of Licensing will send your license approval by email. You can print your license from your MyProfile page.
| What If I Have a Criminal Record?
If interested in a career in insurance, you must undergo a full background check with fingerprinting. This process will reveal any criminal history, and if you have a past that includes crimes that involve dishonesty or a breach of trust from working in the insurance business, you will be denied licensure. Bill Clinton was responsible for this law called the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. However, the law does permit you to become licensed if you can produce a signed 1033 consent waiver from the state where you operated.
Other considerations that will affect your ability to become licensed are the frequency of offenses, sentencing, and completion of rehabilitation. The insurance commissioner is really only concerned with felonies that are related to your ability to perform the functions necessary to work in the insurance industry.
Crimes such as robbery, theft, burglary, dishonesty, fraud, breach of fiduciary trust and any convictions related to work within the insurance industry may prohibit someone from being licensed. Other crimes that would affect licensure are those that threatened public safety and violent or financial crimes.