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Entity License Application – Original
An entity license is issued to corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and limited partnerships who wish to operate as insurance agents, brokers, consultants, independent adjusters, public adjusters, and others as defined in New York Insurance Laws.
An entity must have at least one sublicensee who is an officer, director, partner, member or manager and who meets all qualifications required for the license for which it is applying.
All entities applying for an insurance license must apply online via the Department’s NY LINX application.
Entity Name Prior Approval
To avoid the use of duplicate or misleading names, an entity must obtain Department approval to use the business name prior to submitting the license application. Requests for name approval may be submitted to the Department of Financial Services by email to [email protected]. In the request, include the applicant’s name, the entity name, a mailing address and the type of license for which you are applying. Approval or disapproval will be forwarded by return email.
Non-residents must be currently licensed in the corporate name and be in compliance in the declared home state. NOTE: The license information for your entity and for each of the individuals named as sublicensees on the licensing application MUST be included in the National Producer Database. If not, a currently dated Certification must be submitted from the declared home state where your principle place of business is located.
Every applicant must register with the New York State Department of State or the County Clerk’s office of the county where the business address is located.
- Resident and Non-resident corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and an entity seeking to use a trade name must file with the Department of State. A filing receipt from the Department of State must be submitted with the license application. Information on filing with the Department of State can be found on their website or by calling (518) 473-2492.
- Resident partnerships must file with the County Clerk’s Office in the county in which your business address is located. A copy of the Business Certificate from the County Clerk’s must be submitted with your license application.
Minimum License Requirements
To apply for a license, all sublicensees of the entity must:
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Complete any pre-licensing education requirements or hold a current license with the same lines of authority.
- Pass the applicable New York State examination within 2 years of applying for the license. Allow 1 to 3 business days after passing the exam before applying for the license.
Required Documents
An entity applicant must upload the following documents on the original license application:
- Department Name Approval letter
- Department of State filing receipt
- Business organization documents:
- Applying as a corporation – submit a copy of the Charter or Certificate of Incorporation
- Applying as a limited liability company – submit a copy of the Articles of Organization
- Applying as a partnership – submit a copy of the Business Certificate from the County Clerk’s office where the business address is located
- Letter of Certification from the declared home state of the nonresident applicant
- Documentation of qualifications of all sublicensees
Fees
- Refer to the Department's Application Fee Schedule to determine the specific fee for any application being filed with the Department.
Licensing fees can be paid by credit card, electronic funds transfer, 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 check returned by the bank for insufficient funds.
Apply Online
To access the original entity application and pay the licensing fee, sign in to 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 portal applications.
- 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.
The Department will review the application, verify that there is nothing in the applicant’s background that should prevent the license from being issued, and then issue the appropriate license.
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. Log into NY LINX and Print the license as soon as it is issued.