Ohio PreLicensing Requirements 

Individual Resident Producer Requirements

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

• Be a resident of Ohio
• Be 18 years of age or older
• Complete an approved prelicensing course of study (see prelicense requirements below)
• Pass a written examination and file a license application
• Complete and pass a criminal background check

PreLicense Education Requirements (PLE)

Applicants must complete prelicense education (PLE) for each major line of authority (LOA), as follows:

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

• 20 hours Ohio Life Insurance
• 20 hours Ohio Accident & Health Insurance
• 20 hours Ohio Property Insurance
• 20 hours Ohio Casualty Insurance

State Candidate Handbook

Before Applicants may start the Prelicense.com course or make an exam reservation, Applicants should thoroughly review the Ohio Department of Insurance Licensing Information Bulletin, which contains the exam content outlines and important information regarding eligibility and the examination and licensing application process.

PLE Course Delivery

Per Ohio PLE requirements, applicants are required to complete all of the lessons in the prelicense education course sequentially before they can be issued a certificate of completion.

PLE Course Exam

• Passing Score:  Applicants must pass the PLE final exam with a 70% or higher to receive a certificate of completion.
• Exam Proctor Requirements:  PreLicense.com final exams must be monitored by a disinterested third party. Proctors must not serve for examinations of family members, relatives, or dependents; employers or supervisors; employees or subordinates; partners, joint ventures, co-owners, or business associates; or for anyone in whom the proctor or instructor has an economic or other interest in assuring the successful outcome of the examination.

Certificate of Completion

Upon completing the PreLicense.com course, a certificate of completion will be mailed to the applicant’s address on file via UPS Next Day Air Saver, within 1 business day of completion.

Important:  The course price includes 1 certificate shipment via UPS Next Day Air Saver (next business day delivery).  If you have ordered a Life & Health Course Package, Prelicense.com will wait to send both course certificates together.  If you wish to receive your certificates separately Prelicense.com charges an additional $25 for shipping the second certificate.

Per Ohio rules, certificates of completion must contain original signatures in order to be considered valid. The testing center will not accept copies of certificates. Certificates of completion are valid for 180 days from the date of course completion.

IMPORTANT:  You must bring your certificate of completion with you when you arrive at the test center to take the exam.

State Reporting Requirements

Prelicense.com reports PLE course completions to the Ohio Department of Insurance weekly.

State Licensing Exam

Methods of Registration

• Register online:   Click here to register for the state licensing exam online.  Important!  You must create an account first with Prometric before scheduling your exam.
• Register by phone:  877-346-4014
• Register by fax:  Fax exam registration form to 877-341-9469
• On-site registration is not allowed

Important:  Applicants may need to provide the prelicensing provider school code at the time of making their licensing exam reservation.   The school code for Prelicense.com, a service of WebCE is 1736. 

The Eligibility ID number is the candidate's Social Security number.

Materials Needed to Present at Exam Site

• Candidates must present a valid form of identification. The primary identification must be government-issued or state-issued and contain both a current photo and signature.  The name of the identification must match the name used to register for the exam.
• Original PLE certificate of completion
• Failing score report (if retaking the examination)

Testing Sites, Fees, and Schedules

• Testing Sites:  Click here to view a list of testing centers in Ohio
• Exams and fees:  A list of insurance license exams and fees can be found in the State of Ohio Licensing Information Bulletin.  Currently, the exam fee is $49.50.

State Exam Passing Score

Applicants must pass the state licensing exam with a 70% or higher to file a license application.  Applicants who fail to pass the exam within 180 days of course completion will be required to take pre-licensing education again.

License Application Process

Ways to Apply

• Apply online:  Click here to apply online.
• Apply by paper:  Click here to download or fill out the Uniform Application for Individual Producer License.
• Click here for a current fee schedule.

Materials Needed to Apply

If you answered “yes” to any of the screening questions on the online license application, you may be required to send in additional documentation to the Ohio Department of Insurance at:

50 W. Town Street, Third Floor, Suite 300
Columbus, Ohio   43215

Fingerprinting Process

Ohio requires a criminal background check for resident licensees.  All applicants must submit fingerprints through National WebCheck.  The cost includes a $22.00 BCI fee, a $24.00 FBI fee and WebCheck vendor transaction fee.  Please click here for additional information and for a list of vendors.  Be sure to request that your results be sent directly to the Ohio Department of Insurance by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCI).

All Prometric test centers are WebCheck providers.  If you choose to have your fingerprints taken at the Prometric test center, you will be required to pay Prometric’s fingerprint fee of $71.00 when you register for your exam.

New Resident Producer Requirements

New residents will not be required to complete prelicense education or take the insurance license examination as long as:

• Application for licensure occurs within 90 days of establishing principal place of residence or business in Ohio
• The license being applied for is the same line of authority as in the previous state and license is good standing; or
• The license application is received within 90 days after cancellation of previous home state license, and at time of cancellation, individual was in good standing

License Application Process

Ways to Apply

• Apply online:  Click here to apply online.
• Apply by paper:  Click here to download or fill out the Uniform Application for Individual Producer License.
• Click here for a current fee schedule.

Materials Needed to Apply

If you answered “yes” to any of the screening questions on the online license application, you may be required to send in additional documentation to the Ohio Department of Insurance at:

50 W. Town Street, Third Floor, Suite 300
Columbus, Ohio   43215

Fingerprinting Process

Ohio requires a criminal background check for resident licensees.  All applicants must submit fingerprints through National WebCheck.  The cost includes a $22.00 BCI fee, a $24.00 FBI fee and WebCheck vendor transaction fee.  Please click here for additional information and for a list of vendors.  Be sure to request that your results be sent directly to the Ohio Department of Insurance by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCI).

Nonresident Producer Requirements

In most cases, nonresident license candidates may obtain a Ohio agent 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.

License Application Process

Ways to Apply

• Apply online:  Click here to apply online.
• Apply by paper:  Click here to download or fill out the Uniform Application for Individual Producer License.
• Click here for a current fee schedule.

Materials Needed to Apply

If you answered “yes” to any of the screening questions on the online license application, you may be required to send in additional documentation to the Ohio Department of Insurance at:

50 W. Town Street, Third Floor, Suite 300
Columbus, Ohio   43215

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 in Ohio, producers must complete an initial 8-hour, state-approved LTC training course.

Annuity Training: All producers currently licensed to sell, solicit, and negotiate annuity products must complete a one-time annuity training course approved for at least 4 hours prior to selling, soliciting, or negotiating such products.

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

Ohio Department of Insurance
50 W. Town Street, Third Floor - Suite 300
Columbus, Ohio   43215
Phone: 614-644-2665
Fax: 614-644-3475
Email:  licensing@insurance.ohio.gov
Website:   http://www.insurance.ohio.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Prometric
Phone:  877-346-4014
Web Site: https://www.prometric.com/en-us/clients/insurance/Pages/ohio.aspx