Michigan
Michigan insurance licensing: requirements, renewal, and agency rules
Michigan licenses producers through the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), with applications filed entirely through NIPR's Electronic Resident Licensing (ERL) system rather than a separate state portal.
- CE hours
- 24 hours (3 ethics)
- Application fee
- $10
- DOI phone
- 877-999-6442
Overview
Michigan licenses producers through the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), with applications filed entirely through NIPR's Electronic Resident Licensing (ERL) system rather than a separate state portal. Resident individual producer licenses are perpetual once issued — there's no fixed expiration date to track, only ongoing continuing education compliance tied to your birth month. Michigan is also unusual in not requiring fingerprinting for producer applicants; the background check runs on the application's disclosure questions instead.
How to get licensed
Complete prelicensing education
Michigan requires 20 hours of approved prelicensing education per line of authority (14 hours of subject content plus 6 hours of ethics and Michigan insurance law), so a combined Life and Accident & Health license needs 40 hours total. Your course completion certificate is valid for 12 months, and you must sit for the matching exam within that window.
Pass the Michigan licensing exam
DIFS contracts with PSI to administer the exam. Michigan discontinued remote proctored testing in June 2025, so you'll test in person at a PSI center; review the Candidate Information Bulletin on PSI's site before scheduling.
Apply for your license
The fastest path is to apply through InsureTrek — we file your Michigan application for the state's fee, pulled from NIPR at the moment of application. You must pass your exam within 180 days of the application entering NIPR's system or you'll need to reapply.
Answer the background questions carefully
DIFS reviews criminal conviction and administrative action disclosures against MCL 500.1239; a felony conviction within the prior 10 years, or one involving violence, fraud, or breach of fiduciary duty, triggers mandatory denial. Michigan does not require fingerprinting for producer applicants — review DIFS's background-questions guidance before you apply so you don't misstate a disclosure.
Receive your license
Once DIFS approves your application, your license is issued and mailed to the address on file; there's no separate print-your-own step. You can confirm status anytime with the DIFS Locator tool.
Prelicensing education
Life: 20 hours — 14 hours of life content plus 6 hours of ethics and Michigan law. Accident and Health: 20 hours — 14 hours of accident & health content plus 6 hours of ethics and Michigan law. Property: 20 hours Casualty: 20 hours Each additional line of authority requires its own 20-hour course and certificate; a Life and Accident & Health combination requires 40 hours total.
Exam
Vendor: PSI.
Fingerprinting
Not required. Michigan does not require fingerprinting for producer applicants; the background check is based on the disclosure questions in your NIPR application.
Fees
| Fee | Initial | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Resident producer license Producer licenses are perpetual, so there's no renewal fee — only ongoing CE compliance. Amendment and reinstatement are also $10. | $10 | — |
| Business entity (agency) license Also perpetual, no renewal fee. | $10 | — |
| Surplus lines producer license Unlike other Michigan producer licenses, surplus lines requires annual renewal; NIPR's fee page doesn't state the renewal amount. | $110 | — |
Fees as of 2026-08-21. Fees change without much notice. When you apply through InsureTrek, we always use the current fee at the moment of application. Sources: NIPR – Michigan resident licensing, individual, NIPR – Michigan resident business licensing
Renewal & CE
Renewal window — Resident individual producer licenses are perpetual and do not expire, as long as continuing education is completed on time; CE review periods run in two-year terms tied to the licensee's birth month.
Grace period: Not published by DIFS for CE lapses; contact DIFS directly if you miss your CE deadline.
DIFS recommends finishing all CE at least 45 days before your review period ends to allow time for course reporting.
24 total CE hours per renewal term, including 3 ethics hours.
Up to 12 unused CE hours can carry over into the next two-year term once the 24-hour (including 3 ethics) minimum is met. A course can't be repeated for credit within the same two-year term.
For agencies and non-residents
Agencies, appointments & DRLP
Any business entity that sells, solicits, negotiates, advertises, or collects commission on insurance in Michigan must hold a business entity (agency) license, open to corporations, LLCs, LLPs, and partnerships. Every agency must name at least one Designated Responsible Licensed Producer under MCL 500.1205(2)(b), who is licensed for the agency's lines of authority and answerable for its regulatory compliance; an agency can name more than one DRLP. DIFS runs the same background check on the DRLP and on every owner, partner, officer, and director. Like individual licenses, resident agency licenses don't require periodic renewal as long as they stay active and in good standing. The application fee is $10, the same as an individual resident producer license.
Insurers file producer and agency appointments electronically through an Authorized Business Partner or NIPR.com. An agency can't be appointed until an affiliated individual producer holds the identical qualification, and the insurer must already be authorized to write that line of coverage in Michigan.
Appointments — Just-in-time appointments: Appointments must be filed within 15 days of the date the first application is submitted or an agency contract is executed; the effective date can't fall more than 15 days before or after that submission date. Deadlines: Cancellations are filed the same way, with an effective date no more than 30 days before or after submission; cancellation for cause requires a written explanation. Cancelling an appointment doesn't affect the underlying license.
Managing DRLPs across states? See how InsureTrek handles it →
Non-residents
Michigan accepts your resident state's license as verified through the NAIC's State Producer Licensing Database, waiving the need for an original Letter of Certification. Non-residents apply the same way residents do — through InsureTrek — and the application stays valid for 180 days from database entry. If you move to a new home state, update your record through InsureTrek within 30 days to keep your Michigan license in good standing.
Apply for a non-resident Michigan license through InsureTrek, plus the state fee.
Official resources
- Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services — licensing
- DOI phone: 877-999-6442
Terms used on this page
Sources & disclaimer
This guide is informational and summarizes publicly available state and NIPR licensing rules as of 2026-08-21. Requirements change — verify current rules with the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services or NIPR before you rely on anything here.
Official NIPR reseller · Applications filed through InsureTrek are submitted via NIPR.
- DIFS – Appointments/Cancellations — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – Department homepage — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – Examination Information — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – How to become licensed as a Non-Resident Producer — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – How to become licensed as a Resident Producer — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – Insurance Licensee Continuing Education FAQ — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – Insurance Producer Application Background Questions — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – Issuance of License — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – Licensing, Insurance — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – Producer/Agency Insurance licensing — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – Remote Examination Discontinuance — accessed 2026-08-19
- DIFS – Renewal (Producer/Individual) — accessed 2026-08-19
- MCL 500.1204 — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR – Michigan non-resident licensing, individual — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR – Michigan resident business licensing — accessed 2026-08-21
- NIPR – Michigan resident licensing, individual — accessed 2026-08-19
FAQs
How much does it cost to get an insurance license in Michigan?
DIFS's resident license fee is $10, plus a roughly $5 NIPR transaction fee charged when you submit your Electronic Resident Licensing application. On top of that you'll pay PSI's exam fee, which DIFS doesn't publish itself, so confirm the current amount when you schedule.
Do I need prelicensing education before I can sit for the Michigan exam?
Yes. Each line of authority needs 20 hours of approved prelicensing education — 14 hours of subject content and 6 hours of ethics and Michigan insurance law. A combined Life and Accident & Health license takes 40 hours, and your completion certificate is only good for 12 months.
Where do I take the Michigan insurance licensing exam?
DIFS contracts with PSI to run the exam. Michigan stopped offering remote proctored testing in June 2025, so you'll need to test in person at a PSI center; schedule at test-takers.psiexams.com/midifs.
Does Michigan require fingerprinting for an insurance license?
No. Michigan is one of the few states that doesn't fingerprint producer applicants — DIFS runs your background check off the disclosure questions in your NIPR application instead.
How do I look up or verify a Michigan insurance license?
Use the DIFS Locator at difs.state.mi.us/locators, select the Insurance tab and a license type such as Resident Producer, and search by name or National Producer Number. You can also call DIFS at 877-999-6442 to verify a license by phone.
How often do I have to renew my Michigan insurance license?
You don't renew on a fixed schedule the way most states require. A resident individual producer license is perpetual as long as you complete continuing education on time; DIFS runs your CE review on a two-year cycle tied to your birth month.
How much continuing education do I need in Michigan?
24 credit hours every two years, including at least 3 ethics hours. You can carry over up to 12 unused hours into your next term once you've met the minimum, but you can't repeat the same course for credit within one two-year term.
Can I get a Michigan non-resident license without retaking the exam?
Yes. Michigan verifies your resident license through the NAIC's producer database and waives a separate certification letter. You apply the same way residents do, through InsureTrek, and the application is valid for 180 days after it's entered.
See how InsureTrek handles Michigan licensing at scale.
Renewals, CE, and appointments tracked across every state your producers write in.