Property & Casualty Agent and Broker Licensing - Individual/TBA
A property casualty agent or broker is licensed to sell, solicit or negotiate property and casualty insurance.
- Property insurance provides protection against property losses to a business, home or car and/or against legal liability to the insured resulting from injury or damage to the property of others.
- Casualty insurance provides protection against liability as a result of bodily injury, property damage or other covered peril.
An individual can also be licensed as a personal lines agent who is authorized to sell, solicit or negotiate non-commercial insurance to individuals and families, rather than businesses and organizations.
For those intending to issue Insurance Identification Cards, please visit Insurance Information and Enforcement System (IIES).
Agent vs. Broker
A property casualty agent or personal lines agent represents New York authorized companies for which he/she has been appointed. A company appointment is not required to obtain an agent license, however, a notice of appointment must be submitted to the Department within fifteen (15) days from the date the agency contract is executed, or the first insurance application is submitted.
A property casualty broker represents that insured and can place business with any New York authorized company that will accept it. Some companies will only accept business from appointed agents.
Pre-licensing Requirements
To qualify for a license, a candidate must meet the following prelicensing requirements:
- complete a Department approved pre-licensing education course totaling not less than 90 hours of instruction for the property casualty line of authority or not less than 40 hours for the personal lines authority. Visit the Prelicensing Provider/Course List on the portal for provider contact information.
- pass, within 2 years of applying for the license, the licensing exam administered by PSI Services. PSI Services provides all examination services to candidates seeking to obtain an insurance license in New York. For more information, or to register for an exam, visit PSI Exams Online.
Exceptions from Prelicensing Requirements
- A candidate for the either the agent or broker license who holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation may waive the education requirement and may take the Property Casualty Laws and Regulations exam.
- A candidate for the broker license may wave the education requirement if he/she were regularly employed by an insurance company, broker or agent for a period of not less than one year during the last three years in responsible insurance duties relating to the underwriting or adjusting of losses in any one or more of the following branches of insurance: fire, marine, liability and workers' compensation, fidelity and surety, property and casualty. A person serving with the Armed Forces may also qualify on the basis of such experience if the one-year period of employment was during the three years next preceding his/her entry into the Armed Forces, and he/she applies within one year after discharge. The candidate must submit a signed and completed Statement of Employer with the license application.
Application Requirements
Match the submission code numbers listed under the Resident or Non-Resident columns with the corresponding numbers on the Submission Requirements Chart to determine what must be submitted with the license application.
Any required documentation must be uploaded on the license application.
Fees and Renewal Period
Licenses are issued for up to 2 years. Individual/TBA licenses will be issued with an expiration date determined by the applicant’s date of birth:
- If born in an even numbered year, the license will expire on the birthday in an even numbered year.
- If born in an odd numbered year, the license will expire on the birthday in an odd numbered year.
All licensing fees are non-refundable. A full fee is charged when a license is issued for a licensing period of more than one yea and a half fee is charged when a license is issued for a period of one year or less.
For New York residents the full fee is $80, half fee is $40.
- Refer to the Department's Application Fee Schedule to determine the fee for an application being filed with the Department.
Payment Options
Licensing fees can be paid by credit card, electronic funds transfer (e-check), or paper check. If paying by paper check, the application will remain pending until the Department receives and processes the check. Checks can be mailed to The Department of Financial Services, Attn: Licensing Bureau, One Commerce Plaza, Floor 20, Albany NY 12257.
There is a $20 fee for any e-check or paper check returned by the bank for insufficient funds.
Apply Online
To get started, visit NY LINX:
Browsers and Blockers:
- Use a supported browser: The latest version plus one previous of Edge, FF, Chrome and Safari, are supported.
- Disable “Pop-up Blockers” in your browser before using this application.
- Application may be unavailable from 7:30am to 7:45am daily for scheduled maintenance.
- Applications may not be compatible with cell phones, tablets or other mobile devices.
Check Status/Print License
The Department does not mail paper licenses. Use the Producer/Licensee Search application to determine if a license has been issued and to view the license number. Print the license as soon as it is issued.