Washington PreLicensing Requirements

Individual Resident Producer Requirements

To qualify for a resident Washington state insurance producer license, the applicant must satisfy the following requirements:

PreLicense Education Requirements (PLE)

Applicants must complete 20-hours of prelicense education (PLE) for each major line of authority (LOA). An applicant who wishes to obtain a Life and Disability license must complete 40 hours of PLE, and will receive a separate certificate of completion for each LOA.

State Candidate Handbook

Before making an exam reservation Candidates should thoroughly review the Washington Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook, which contains important information regarding eligibility and the examination and licensing application process.

Course Delivery

Exam Requirements

Certificate of Completion

PreLicense.com provides online, printable certificates of completion in Washington. An applicant must meet the course delivery requirements before a certificate of completion is issued. Once the PLE certificate has been issued by PreLicense.com, the student can register for the corresponding state licensing exam.  Certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of completion.

State Reporting Requirements

PreLicense.com reports PLE course completions to the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner monthly. It is not required for hours to be processed by the state for a student to register for the state exam.

State Licensing Exam

New – As of 7/1/15, Washington Insurance exams will be transitioning to a new test vendor, PSI Exams.

Methods of Registration

Important:  Washington requires applicants to complete their PLE education requirements prior to making an exam reservation.  When making a reservation, applicants will be required to provide their provider school code number and instructor number. Both of these numbers will be listed on the certificate of completion that issued upon course completion.

Materials Needed to Present on Exam Day 

Schedules & Fees

Exam fees and a list of testing centers can be found in the Washington Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook

State Exam Passing Score

Candidates must pass the state licensing exam with a 70% or higher to file a license application.

Exam Retakes

New  - Effective 7/1/15, the entire examination is required to be passed in one sitting.  Candidates testing prior to 7/1/15 and who passed one part will need to retake the entire examination again.  There is no limit to the number of times an candidate may retake an examination if necessary to pass.  However, the PLE certificate of completion must still be valid.

License Application Process

Important:  Exam score cards are valid for 180 days.  Candidates have 180 days to apply for their insurance license.  After that, the score card is no longer valid and they have to retake the exam.

Ways to Apply

Materials Needed to Apply

Candidates who receive a passing score on the state exam will need to forward the materials listed below to the Washington Office of Insurance Commissioner.

Fingerprinting Process

Candidates should make a reservation with MorphoTrust USA 866-761-8069 if they wish to have their fingerprints taken at the test center.  A fee of $54.75 must be paid by credit/debit card or electronic check at the time of the fingerprint reservation.

New Resident Producer Requirements

New residents who still hold an active license in their previous home state will not be required to complete prelicense education or take the license examination as long as the WA insurance license application is received within 90 days of your former home state license being cancelled and the WA license being applied for is the same line of authority as in the previous state. The new resident is also required to apply for a resident producer's license within 90 days of establishing residency in Washington. The license candidates must obtain a Letter of Clearance from their former home state and submit it along with all required application materials.

Application Process

Ways to Apply

Materials Needed to Apply

New resident applicants will need to forward the materials listed below to the Washington Office of Insurance Commissioner.

Fingerprinting Process

Candidates should make a reservation with MorphoTrust USA 866-761-8069 if they wish to have their fingerprints taken at the test center.  A fee of $54.75 must be paid by credit/debit card or electronic check at the time of the fingerprint reservation.

Nonresident Producer Requirements

Nonresident license candidates may obtain a Washington producer license, without having to complete the prelicense education requirement or take a license examination, as long as they are currently licensed as a resident and in good standing in their home state.

Application Process

Ways to Apply

Additional Washington Disclosures

The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner requires that candidates are informed about the following information: Washington Disclosures.

State-Required Product Training

Your state has special training requirements in order for licensed agents to sell the following products:

Long-Term Care: Before selling, soliciting, or negotiating LTC insurance products, producers must complete an initial 8-hour, state-approved LTC training course.

Purchasing state-required Product Training with your exam prep course from the PreLicense.com catalog will allow you to take one of the special training requirement courses from WebCE. Additional fees for state filing, books or shipping may apply at the time you register to begin taking the product training course.

Click here for more information regarding state-specific product training.

Contact Information

Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner 
Phone: 360-725-7144
Email: 
Licinfo@oic.wa.gov
Web Site: 
www.insurance.wa.gov.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 40257
Olympia, WA 98504-0257

PSI Exams
Phone: 800-733-9267
Web Site: 
www.psiexams.com