Exam factTime to get licensed
As ofOctober 8, 2026
How long does it take to get a P&C license?
There is no fixed timeline. The longest step is pre-licensing education, from none in Texas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania to 200 hours in Florida; after you pass the exam and apply, states typically take 7 to 10 days to review the application, according to NIPR (checked October 8, 2026).
NIPR, which handles online producer license applications, says states typically take 7 to 10 days to review an application. Everything before that runs on your schedule: pre-licensing where required, the exam, fingerprints.
Source: NIPR, apply for a license · checked October 8, 2026
From first step to license
- Start
Check your state's rules
Minimum age (18 in Texas, California and North Carolina), pre-licensing, fingerprints. Each state's insurance department sets them.
- Weeks to months
Pre-licensing, if required
Anywhere from none to 200 hours; the table below has each state, and the P&C pre-licensing course page covers course formats.
- Your booking
The exam
Book with your state's vendor. Florida reverses the order: you apply to the Department of Financial Services first and wait for exam authorization.
- After you pass
Fingerprints and the application
Fingerprints where required, then the application through NIPR or the state system (Sircon in Texas, Georgia and Pennsylvania).
- About 7–10 days
State review
The typical review window NIPR describes.
- Before the first sale
Appointment
An insurer appoints you before you sell its policies. How to get a P&C license walks through every step in order.
Pre-licensing and how long a pass keeps
| State | Pre-licensing | Exam result valid | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | None | 12 months | Texas Department of Insurance, general lines P&C application checked October 8, 2026 |
| North Carolina | None since October 1, 2025 | — | NCDOI pre-licensing education packet (October 2025) checked October 8, 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | None listed | 1 year | PSI Pennsylvania insurance candidate information booklet checked October 8, 2026 |
| California | 12 h ethics and CA Insurance Code only (20-h course repealed January 1, 2026) | — | California Department of Insurance notice on AB 943 (November 10, 2025) checked October 8, 2026 |
| Georgia | Course within the last 12 months | — | Pearson VUE Georgia insurance candidate handbook checked October 8, 2026 |
| Illinois | 20 h per line; certificate used within 12 months | — | Illinois Department of Insurance, becoming a resident producer checked October 8, 2026 |
| Ohio | 20 h Property + 20 h Casualty; certificate valid 180 days | — | PSI Ohio insurance candidate information bulletin checked October 8, 2026 |
| New Jersey | 20 h Property + 20 h Casualty | 1 year (score report) | PSI New Jersey insurance producer bulletin checked October 8, 2026 |
| Michigan | Required; certificate valid 12 months | — | PSI Michigan insurance candidate information bulletin checked October 8, 2026 |
| New York | 90 h | 2 years | PSI New York insurance candidate bulletin (updated April 28, 2023) checked October 8, 2026 |
| Florida | 200 h within 4 years, or an experience route | 1 year | Florida DFS, resident general lines (2-20) requirements checked October 8, 2026 |
Course hours, turned into weeks
WorksheetWorked example
Florida's 200-hour course at three study paces
- Requirement
- 200 h (Florida 2-20)
- Checked
- October 8, 2026, Florida DFS
- 10 hours a week200 ÷ 1020 weeks
- 15 hours a week200 ÷ 15about 13 weeks
- 20 hours a week200 ÷ 2010 weeks
Then addexam, fingerprints, ~7–10 days of review
The paces are illustrations. A 40-hour requirement (Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey) at 10 hours a week is 4 weeks.
Timing questions
How close to the exam should I finish the course?
Close enough that the certificate is still valid: Ohio's lasts 180 days, and Illinois and Michigan expect it used within 12 months (vendor bulletins and IDOI, checked October 8, 2026).
What if I pass but wait to apply?
The result expires. Texas gives you 12 months, Florida and Pennsylvania 1 year, New York 2 years (state pages and vendor bulletins, checked October 8, 2026).
Can I sell as soon as the license arrives?
Only for an insurer that has appointed you. The appointment is a separate filing; California lists a $32 fee for an Action Notice of Appointment (CDI fee page, checked October 8, 2026).
When does the review clock start?
When the state has your application. In Texas the order is exam, then fingerprints, then the application (TDI, checked October 8, 2026). NIPR's typical 7 to 10 days run from there. What each step costs is on the P&C license cost page.
Sources
- NIPR, apply for a license · checked October 8, 2026
- Texas Department of Insurance, general lines P&C application · checked October 8, 2026
- NCDOI pre-licensing education packet (October 2025) · checked October 8, 2026
- PSI Pennsylvania insurance candidate information booklet · checked October 8, 2026
- California Department of Insurance notice on AB 943 (November 10, 2025) · checked October 8, 2026
- Pearson VUE Georgia insurance candidate handbook · checked October 8, 2026
- Illinois Department of Insurance, becoming a resident producer · checked October 8, 2026
- PSI Ohio insurance candidate information bulletin · checked October 8, 2026
- PSI New Jersey insurance producer bulletin · checked October 8, 2026
- PSI Michigan insurance candidate information bulletin · checked October 8, 2026
- PSI New York insurance candidate bulletin (updated April 28, 2023) · checked October 8, 2026
- Florida DFS, resident general lines (2-20) requirements · checked October 8, 2026
- California Department of Insurance, licensing fees · checked October 8, 2026