Ohio Insurance License Laws

The laws for getting your insurance license in Ohio are specifically outlined and governed by the Ohio Department of Insurance. Educational requirements before sitting for the licensing exam must be completed through an approved pre-license provider. If you already have a college degree in Insurance, you may receive a waiver for the pre-license classes and go straight to the exam. You may earn your pre-licensing certificate through self-study from an approved provider, allowing you to take classes online and at your own pace.

Types

Becoming an insurance agent in Ohio breaks down into several different lines of authority. The current categories are life, accident and health, variable products, property, casualty, personal and surety bail bond. Some of the state exams may be combined, such as life/accident and health/variable products or property and casualty.

Certificates

In order to take the Ohio state exam for your insurance license, you must first have a Course Completion Certificate for each line of authority completed. Certificates may only be earned through a pre approved course provider. You can find a list of pre-approved providers for accelerated courses and for self study at the Ohio Department of Insurance website. The only exceptions to this law are the title insurance and the public insurance adjuster exams which do not require a certificate.

Time Frame

Once the student has completed a course in the line of authority they are interested in and received a Course Completion Certificate, they have 180 calendar days to successfully complete the Ohio state insurance exam. If the student chooses to take a combined exam, such as Property and Casualty, they must present two unaltered course certificates, one for each line of authority.

Considerations

Applicants for the state insurance exam who have a bachelor's or associate's degree with a major in insurance may request a Pre-License Education Waiver for all of the lines of authority, prior to registering for the state exam. The pre-license waivers are available for the life and accident and health lines of authority for persons who have already earned a CLU designation in Ohio. If an applicant already has a CPCU designation, they may apply for a property, casualty, and personal line of authority waiver.

Benefits

Salaries for insurance agents in Ohio start at around $20,000 and go in excess of $100,000. Licensed insurance agents may work for large corporations or independently, based on the lines of authority in which they specialize. Training and licensing is organized and approved by the state of Ohio, so the standards for agents are both uniform and regulated.

Resources

• Ohio Insurance License Training