If you love connecting with others and making a positive impact on their lives, a career as an insurance agent is for you. To start a lasting and rewarding career as an insurance agent in California, you must meet certain requirements. If you love connecting with others and making a positive impact on their lives, a career as an insurance agent is for you. To start a lasting and rewarding career as an insurance agent in California, you must meet certain requirements.

To become an insurance agent in California — or in almost any state in the United States — you must first obtain a license to practice as an insurance agent. Obtaining an insurance agent license is only a small part of being a successful insurance agent.

In this article, Insurance business This book provides insight into how to become an insurance agent in California. We will provide answers to pressing questions such as requirements, what you need to do to get licensed, and more.

Understanding the Role of an Insurance Agent

The primary role of an insurance agent is to act as an intermediary between potential insurance clients and insurance providers. An insurance agent may represent one or more insurance companies.

It is also the job of an insurance agent to provide customers with all the relevant information about insurance providers and their insurance products. Given the vast amount of information, regulations and laws related to insurance, this is not something that ordinary individuals or companies can do on their own. This is where an insurance agent can help.

If you are looking for a role model in the insurance sector, take a look at the list of the top 100 people for 2024.

Basic Requirements to Become an Insurance Agent in California

The basic requirement to become an insurance agent in California is to obtain a license. To do this, you must first be eligible to apply for the license.

Fortunately, the initial eligibility requirements for a California insurance agent license are not complicated:

• At least 18 years old
• Registered as an individual or business entity
• You do not need to be a California resident to apply for a license.
• There are no formal educational requirements.
• Ideally, there is no record of any misdemeanors or violations.

If you are eligible to apply, you will then need to pass the necessary courses and tests before being licensed.

Here are the steps to apply for an insurance agent license in California:

Step 1. Select the type of insurance license you want to obtain.

In the early stages of your career as an insurance professional, you must choose what type of insurance policies you want to offer – and this choice determines what type of license you will need.

For example, if you want to sell auto, home, or business insurance, you’ll need a property and casualty insurance or property and casualty insurance license. Or if you want to become a life insurance agent, you’ll need a life, accident, and health insurance license.

Here are the different types of insurance licenses you can obtain in California:

• Funeral insurance
• Life, Accident and Health Insurance
• Limited lines
• Personal Lines – Property & Casualty
• Property and Casualty
• Surplus lines

Although there is a wide variety of insurance licenses and specialties to choose from in California, most aspiring insurance agents are usually forced to choose between P&C or Health & Life licenses.

It is common for most insurance agents in California to have both licenses. Choosing to have both licenses gives them access to a larger share of the business, since these are the two types of insurance that clients are most likely to seek.

If you have already decided to specialize in a particular type of insurance, you do not need to go the route of property and casualty and/or health and life insurance. All you need to do is focus on the specific license that is relevant to the type of insurance you want to provide.

Step 2. Take a California Pre-Licensing Course

Once you have decided what type of insurance you want to offer, take the appropriate pre-licensing course. This means you will need to complete 32 hours of pre-licensing education. These 32 hours consist of:

• 20 hours of general insurance education required
• 12 hours of ethics training and instruction on California insurance law required.

It is an understatement to say that there are a large number of courses available before obtaining a license, and it is very easy to become overwhelmed and confused by the number of options. These courses are available as online courses or in face-to-face classes.

To help you choose the right California pre-licensing course, here’s what you should consider:

• Is the course flexible to meet your needs? Check whether the pre-licensing course allows for flexible learning, and whether it has a long or short time frame to complete.
• Is the price of the course reasonable? The only advice you should consider is not to choose a pre-licensing course that is too low in price, as you will definitely get what you pay for.
• What is the reputation of the course provider? Check reviews of course providers before signing up; the last thing you need is poor or incomplete resources to study for your exam.

Step 3. Pass the California Licensing Exam

After completing the pre-licensing course, you can apply to take the required exam. The required exam is the exam associated with the pre-licensing course. For example, if you choose to take the pre-licensing course to become a P&C insurance agent, you will need to pass the 150-question P&C exam.

All California insurance licensing exams are administered by PSI. Test takers are typically given 3 hours and 25 minutes to complete the tests.

California requires a score of 60% to pass these licensing exams, although the Claims Adjuster and Bail exams require a score of 70% to pass. Those who wish to pursue more than one insurance specialty may take more than one exam; however, this is not recommended as you risk not having enough time to complete either exam.

Step 4. Complete fingerprint and background checks

Those who want to become insurance agents in California and most other states must also undergo a background check and identity verification process. This is to ensure that licensed insurance agents do not have criminal records or previous crimes.

Aside from a clean record, it may also be helpful to have a college degree (this is not required). Generally speaking, these are common requirements to become an insurance agent in many states, not just California.

If you have committed any violations or crimes in the past, it may affect the outcome of your license application. If you anticipate any problems of this type, contact the California Department of Insurance (CDI) by phone or email and ask for further instructions and details.

Insurance agent applicants can complete the process at the CDI Los Angeles testing site or at any of the 20 PSI testing centers throughout California.

Step 5. Submit your application

After passing the tests and completing the fingerprints and background check, you are ready to apply for your license.

You will need to visit the Sircon website to officially begin this process and submit your application online. If additional documents are required, you can attach them directly to this electronic application.

You can also submit these documents to the National Insurance Producers Register’s attachment repository. Finally, you can also send your application by post and send it directly to the CDI, although this is not recommended due to possible processing delays.

Step 6. Wait for your application to be reviewed and approved.

The only thing left now is to wait.

If your paperwork is in order and nothing appears on the background check, it should take an average of 3 to 5 weeks for your application to be processed and reviewed. If anything appears on your background, the review process will take longer. If any background issues arise, state officials will contact you.

Typically, the State of California will send you an email to let you know the status of your application, whether you have been denied or accepted as an insurance agent.

What to Do After Getting Your California Insurance License

If your application is approved, you will be granted an insurance agent license to practice in California. This is just the beginning. Here are some initial steps you are advised to take once you become a qualified insurance agent in this state:

1. Obtaining additional securities licenses.

If you offer advanced life insurance products, you must pass the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exams and obtain the appropriate securities licenses. These may include Series 6, 7, and 63 licenses.

2. Decide how you will work.

Should you work as a captive agent who works for one insurance company, or as an independent agent who can work for many different insurance companies? Consider several factors when choosing between the two methods. For example, how much time do you have or intend to devote to working as an agent and how much money do you want to make?

If you want to work for a well-established insurance company, choose from among the best insurance companies in the United States.

3. Develop your own marketing strategy.

Whether you are a life insurance agent or a property and casualty insurance agent, you will need an effective marketing approach. Finding an insurance specialty that you are good at and sticking to it, and scheduling and organizing all of your meetings with clients are good ways to start closing insurance sales.

Working as an insurance agent these days has its perks – especially since you can use social media to market your insurance.

4. Make sure your license is still valid.

To continue working as an insurance agent, you must meet continuing education requirements. This is done every two years to keep your insurance license active. If you’re looking for the best continuing education providers, here are our top 10 picks to choose from.

The hours required vary by license type but can range from 20 to 24 hours. To ensure your safety, complete continuing education requirements at least 60 days before your license expires. This can ensure timely processing.

Here is a short video explaining how to renew your license and keep it active in more detail:

Now that you know how to become an insurance agent in California, it’s clear that it’s not easy. Those who overcome this hurdle can look forward to a challenging but rewarding career.

As with any profession, the job of an insurance agent comes with its own caveats. But with hard work, optimism, and maybe a little luck, you could find yourself among the top performers in the insurance industry.

Are you thinking of becoming an insurance agent in sunny California? Let us know in the comments!