How to get an Insurance Producer license in Minnesota

Minnesota licenses insurance agents statewide through the Minnesota Department of Commerce.¹ For the Insurance Producer (resident individual; major lines Life, Accident and Health or Sickness, Property, Casualty, Variable Life and Variable Annuity, Personal Lines; limited lines Credit, Farm Property and Liability, Title, Travel, Bail Bonds) license you need at least 20 clock hours¹ of education, a passing score on the Minnesota insurance producer licensing examination for each line of authority (covers the line, producer duties and Minnesota insurance law)¹ and a criminal background check¹. The board lists $50 for the initial license¹. You renew every 24 months¹ and complete at least 24 hours of continuing education¹.

Last checked November 8, 2026 · 4 official sources

Who issues it

Minnesota Department of Commerce

Training and experience

Training: at least 20 clock hours¹

Exam

Minnesota insurance producer licensing examination for each line of authority (covers the line, producer duties and Minnesota insurance law)¹

Fees the board lists

Initial license fee: $50¹
Fingerprint and state background check: $35²

Renewal

Every 24 months¹, at least 24 hours of continuing education¹

From another state

Reciprocity agreements and Exam waiver¹² Details

On this page

Who needs an Insurance Producer license
Requirements for an Insurance Producer license
How much an Insurance Producer license costs
How to apply
Renewal and continuing education
Moving to Minnesota with a license from another state
Check a license or report a problem
Laws and rules
Common questions
Insurance agent licenses in other states

Who needs an Insurance Producer license

License to sell, solicit or negotiate insurance for the lines held; an appointment by an insurer is needed before transacting business.²

Work that does not need this license:

Farm Property & Liability and Variable Life & Variable Annuity need no prelicensing course; Variable Life/Annuity also needs an active Minnesota Life license and no Commerce exam step is listed for it.²
Self-storage operators selling storage insurance under 60K.60 are exempt from producer licensing for that insurance.¹

Other rules on who may do this work:

No written exam for limited lines credit, title, travel or bail bonds licenses (application only).¹
Long-term care sales need an 8-hour initial course and 4 hours every 24 months; NFIP flood sales need FEMA training.¹

Requirements for an Insurance Producer license

Minimum age: 18 years old¹
Education or training: At least 20 clock hours¹
Commerce-approved prelicensing course of 20 hours for each line of authority (Life, Accident/Health, Property, Casualty, Personal Lines), completed BEFORE the exam; classroom or verifiable self-study; not sponsored by an insurer. Taking the exam first forfeits the exam fee and the result.¹
Who may teach it: Course must be approved by the commissioner; the provider submits electronic completion certification. Providers are listed on Sircon.¹
Alternative: Prelicensing waived for: 2-year Minnesota vocational degree in insurance; 4-year business degree with insurance emphasis; Life designations CEBS, ChFC, CIC, CFP, CLU, FLMI, LUTCF; Health designations RHU, CEBS, REBC, HIA; P&C designations AAI, ARM, CIC, CPCU; and prior Minnesota licensure in the same line. Original documentation is shown at the exam center and then emailed to Commerce.¹
Exam: Minnesota insurance producer licensing examination for each line of authority (covers the line, producer duties and Minnesota insurance law)¹
Given by: PSI Services³
When you can take it: Only after the prelicensing course is complete (or a waiver applies).¹
Retakes: After a failure or no-show, reapply for the exam and pay all fees again before rescheduling.¹
Time limit: Exam results are valid for three years.¹
Exam waived: No exam for limited lines credit, title, travel, bail bonds; no prelicensing or exam for producers licensed in another state for the same lines who apply while still licensed or within 90 days of cancellation, or within 90 days of moving to Minnesota.¹
Background check: Background check required¹
Fingerprints required²
Commerce runs Minnesota BCA and FBI checks; it may issue the license before results arrive and revoke it if the results show the applicant did not qualify. The background consent expires one year after signing.²
Residency or citizenship: Resident license: live in Minnesota or keep the principal place of business there; the license is void if the holder obtains a resident license elsewhere.¹
Also required: Insurer appointment required to transact business; appointments are filed electronically by the insurer.²
Also required: Report name or address changes within ten days.¹
Also required: Report administrative actions in other jurisdictions within 30 days of final disposition; report a criminal prosecution within 30 days of the date it begins; report any felony or gross misdemeanor conviction or plea within ten days.¹

How much an Insurance Producer license costs

You pay the Minnesota Department of Commerce (2 fees) and PSI Services (FBI background check).

Fee	Amount	Paid to	Notes
Initial license fee	$50¹	Minnesota Department of Commerce	Initial license fee per line of authority (life, accident and health, property, casualty; also personal lines, variable life/variable annuity, limited lines). Each line of authority. Not refundable
FBI background check	$66.75²	PSI Services	Applicants fingerprinted electronically at a PSI center
Fingerprint and state background check	$35²	Minnesota Department of Commerce	Alternative to electronic printing; the police station or facility also charges its own processing fee (amount not stated)

Some lines are combined figures, or parts of one; do not add the lines up.

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee; check it with the exam provider, PSI Services³, when you schedule.

How to apply

Complete the Commerce-approved 20-hour prelicensing course for each line (unless exempt); the provider reports completion electronically.²
Schedule and pass the PSI exam for each line.² test-takers.psiexams.com²
Submit fingerprints for the criminal history check (electronically at PSI after passing, or a manual card with the $35 check).²
Apply online on Sircon and pay $50 per line plus the technology surcharge.² sircon.com²
Get appointed by an insurer before transacting business.²

Apply online: sircon.com²
Temporary or provisional license: Commissioner may issue a temporary producer license for up to 180 days without exam (death/disability of a producer, armed-forces service of a producer, or public interest); a sponsoring licensed producer or insurer may be required. Agency-sponsored temporary applicants upload a Certification of Compliance Form on Sircon.²

Renewal and continuing education

How often: Every 24 months¹
When it expires: Expires on the last day of the birth month; first term 12-24 months, then biennially. Renew on Sircon no more than 90 days before expiry; CE must be complete on or before the expiration date.¹
Renewal fee: $50⁴ (Each line of authority)
Continuing education: At least 24 hours each renewal period¹
Required topics: At least 3 of the 24 hours in ethics; no more than half from insurer-sponsored courses; no credit for repeating a course in the same period; maximum 8 CE hours per day.¹
Long-term care producers: 4 hours of LTC training every 24 months (may count as CE).¹
Approved courses: Courses must be accredited by the commissioner; providers upload completions to the Sircon CE transcript (Commerce cannot fix missing courses).⁴
Exemptions: CE applies only to lines that require an exam; producers selling solely for chapter 67A township mutuals are exempt; nonresidents meeting reciprocal home-state CE are deemed compliant; 90-day extension or waiver for good cause.¹
If it expires: A lapsed license may be reinstated within 12 months of the renewal due date without re-examination, paying the penalty of twice the unpaid renewal fee (no new fingerprints). After that deadline, reactivation requires new fingerprints.¹
Renew online: sircon.com²

Renewal planner

Enter the expiration date printed on your Minnesota Insurance Producer (resident individual; major lines Life, Accident and Health or Sickness, Property, Casualty, Variable Life and Variable Annuity, Personal Lines; limited lines Credit, Farm Property and Liability, Title, Travel, Bail Bonds) license. The count is worked out on your device from today's date; nothing is sent anywhere.

Expiration date

Moving to Minnesota with a license from another state

These are the routes the Minnesota Department of Commerce publishes for the Insurance Producer license.

Route: Reciprocity agreements
What the board says: Nonresident producer license for people licensed and in good standing as residents of a home state that licenses Minnesota residents on the same basis: apply on Sircon (or with the home-state application / Uniform Application) and pay the 60K.55 fees; no Minnesota exam, prelicensing or fingerprints listed.¹
States on Minnesota's list: The pages cited here give no list of partner states for this route; the board's words above say who qualifies. Ask the board which states it has agreements with.
Conditions: Home-state CE satisfies Minnesota CE on a reciprocal basis; the nonresident license ends when the resident license ends; report a move of home state within ten days.¹
Fee: $50¹
Form: sircon.com²

Route: Exam waiver
What the board says: Producers moving to Minnesota: surrender the old resident license and apply within 90 days (of the license going inactive / of establishing residence) for no Minnesota prelicensing or exam for lines already held; fingerprints are still required.²
Conditions: Minnesota no longer issues letters of clearance; status is reported to the NAIC PDB.²

Military service members, veterans and spouses: A producer unable to renew because of military service (or other extenuating circumstances such as long-term disability) may request a waiver of renewal procedures, exams, fines or sanctions; designees of producers entering active service can get a temporary license.¹

Check a license or report a problem

Before you hire an insurance agent in Minnesota, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Minnesota is on the Minnesota license lookup page.

Look up a license: mn.gov²

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

Common questions

How long does it take to get an Insurance Producer license in Minnesota?

The rules set at least 20 clock hours¹ before you can be licensed. The board does not publish how long it takes to process an application.

Can I transfer my insurance agent license to Minnesota?

The Minnesota Department of Commerce publishes these routes for the Insurance Producer license: reciprocity agreements¹ and exam waiver². Conditions and forms.

How often do you renew an Insurance Producer license in Minnesota?

Every 24 months¹. Continuing education: at least 24 hours¹. The renewal fee is $50⁴.

Insurance agent licenses in other states

Sources

Every number and rule above links to one of these official pages. Select a footnote number to read the board's own words.

Minnesota Statutes chapter 60K, Insurance Producers (full chapter)Minnesota Office of the Revisor of StatutesChecked November 8, 2026
Resident ProducersMinnesota Department of CommerceChecked November 7, 2026
Scheduling appraiser, insurance, or real estate prelicense examinationsMinnesota Department of CommerceChecked November 7, 2026
Insurance license renewalMinnesota Department of CommerceChecked November 7, 2026