Getting licensed in Texas

Three steps, no pre-licensing course, and the one exemption that exists.

How to get a Texas life and health insurance licenseBook the exam and a fingerprint appointment, pass InsTX-LAH05, get fingerprinted, then apply through Sircon. That is USD 49 to Pearson VUE and USD 50 …
Texas requires no pre-licensing course, and TDI's own page says soNo pre-licensing education is required. TDI's own licensing page lists three steps for this license: take the examination, get fingerprinted, apply. A…
The CLU exemption, and why almost nobody uses itA Chartered Life Underwriter is exempt from the Texas General Lines life, accident and health examination under chapter 4002 of the Insurance Code. It…
Fingerprinting for a Texas insurance licenseEvery Texas resident applicant must submit fingerprints unless TDI already holds a set from a previous license. They go electronically to the Departme…
Applying through Sircon after you passApply electronically at Sircon after you pass, never before. The fee is USD 50, non-refundable and non-transferable, and each license type needs its o…
The Texas license application fee, and the fees around itUSD 50 to TDI for the license application, filed through Sircon after you pass, non-refundable and non-transferable. The examination is a separate USD…
What a General Lines life, accident and health license lets you sellLife, accident and health insurance, HMO coverage, and fixed and variable annuity contracts. Chapter 4054 of the Insurance Code also lets a holder wri…
General Lines against Life Agent: which Texas license to sitGeneral Lines covers life, accident, health and HMO coverage. Life Agent covers life, annuities, accidental death and disability income, but not healt…
Personal lines and limited lines licenses, and where they fitPersonal lines covers personal property and casualty rather than life and health, and limited lines covers narrow product-specific authority. Both are…
Becoming an appointed agent: the mechanicsThe insurer files it, not you. Each company must file a notice of appointment with TDI the day you begin representing it, submitted through NIPR or Si…
What appointment means, and why a license alone sells nothingAn appointment is an insurer's authorization for you to act as its agent, filed with TDI by the insurer. Section 4001.201 says a licensee may not enga…
Texas continuing education in practice: 24 hours, three of them ethicsA general life, accident and health license needs 24 hours of continuing education during the license period under TIC 4004.053, and three of those ho…
Renewing a Texas insurance licenseAn individual license expires on your birthday every second year, in even years if it was issued or renewed in an even year and odd years if odd. TDI …
What happens if your Texas license lapsesNinety days or less, you renew and pay half the renewal fee again. Between 90 days and a year, you cannot renew but can get a new license without reex…
License denial, suspension and revocation in TexasSection 4005.101 of the Insurance Code lists eleven grounds on which TDI may deny an application or discipline a license holder, from wilful violation…
Nonresident agent licensing in TexasChapter 4056 governs it. If you hold a license in good standing in a home state that licenses Texas residents reciprocally, TDI can issue a nonresiden…
Moving your license to another stateYour Texas license does not become another state's license. You apply there as a nonresident on your Texas license. Texas requires you to file with TD…
The Texas adjuster license is a different thingAn adjuster investigates and settles claims for an insurer. A General Lines life, accident and health agent solicits and negotiates coverage. Differen…
Why adjusters can skip their exam and you cannotBecause the two exemptions are not the same size. An adjuster is exempt by completing a 40-hour TDI-approved course sold for USD 150 to USD 400. A Gen…
Selling variable products needs a securities license tooThe insurance license alone is not enough. Variable life and variable annuities are securities as well as insurance contracts, and the Texas Insurance…
There is no single rule: how Texas insurance law is organizedThere is no single numbered rule. Texas splits it: the Insurance Code carries agent licensing in chapters 4001 to 4005 and product law elsewhere, whil…
What TDI actually regulates, and what it does notTDI licenses agents, sets the passing score, certifies continuing education programs and disciplines licensees. Pearson VUE administers the examinatio…