Minnesota
Minnesota insurance licensing: requirements, renewal, and agency rules
Minnesota licenses insurance producers through the Department of Commerce, with applications and renewals processed through an outside vendor rather than a state-run portal.
- CE hours
- 24 hours (3 ethics)
- Application fee
- $50
- DOI phone
- 651-539-1599
Overview
Minnesota licenses insurance producers through the Department of Commerce, with applications and renewals processed through an outside vendor rather than a state-run portal. Producers can submit their license application before passing the exam, but Commerce won't approve the license until the exam is passed. Fingerprinting is required for every applicant, either electronically at a PSI test center or manually through a local police station. Minnesota Statutes chapter 60K governs individual producers; chapter 72B covers adjusters, a separate license the state issues to residents and non-residents alike.
How to get licensed
Complete 20 hours of prelicensing education per line
Minnesota requires 20 hours of Commerce-approved prelicensing education for each line of authority before you sit for the exam. Confirm your course provider is active and approved with Commerce before you enroll.
Register for and pass your exam with PSI
Minnesota uses PSI as its exam vendor, with test centers in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Mankato, Rochester, and several other cities. Call PSI at (866) 395-1006 for scheduling help.
Get fingerprinted
If you test at a Minnesota PSI center, your fingerprints are taken electronically right after you pass, along with a background check consent form. If you're exempt from the exam, you can still get fingerprinted electronically during PSI's walk-in hours, or go to a local police station for manual fingerprinting and mail the card with a $32 check to the Department of Commerce.
Apply for your license
The fastest path is to apply through InsureTrek — we file your Minnesota application for the state's $50 per-line fee, pulled from NIPR at the moment of application. You can submit before passing your exam, but Commerce won't approve the license until it's on file that you passed.
Get appointed to transact business
A license alone doesn't let you sell — an insurer must appoint you before you transact business, per Minn. Stat. § 60K.49. You can start selling once the insurer grants permission, as long as the appointment itself is filed within 15 days of your first application.
Prelicensing education
Life: 20 hours Accident and Health: 20 hours Property: 20 hours Casualty: 20 hours Personal Lines: 20 hours 20 hours are required per line of authority; Commerce's education page does not list a designation-based (CLU, CPCU, etc.) waiver, so check with your prelicensing provider if you hold one.
Exam
Vendor: PSI.
Fingerprinting
Required. Vendor: PSI (electronic) or local law enforcement (manual). Manual fingerprinting by mail costs a $32 check payable to the Department of Commerce; PSI's electronic fee at the test center isn't published by the Department.
Fees
| Fee | Initial | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Resident producer license (per line of authority) Plus a technology surcharge of up to $10, both at initial application and renewal. | $50 | $50 |
| Non-resident producer license (per line of authority) Same $50-per-line fee and technology surcharge as residents. | $50 | $50 |
| Resident agency (business entity) license | $200 | $200 |
| Resident individual proprietor agency | $0 | $0 |
| Resident crop hail, independent, or public adjuster agency | $50 | $50 |
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 – Minnesota resident individual licensing, NIPR – Minnesota non-resident individual licensing, NIPR – Minnesota resident business licensing, Commerce Dept. – License Renewal
Renewal & CE
Renewal window — You may renew up to 90 days before your license's expiration date; renewing earlier returns an NPDB error saying no license is due for renewal yet.
Grace period: 12 months from the renewal due date to reinstate without retaking the exam, with a penalty of twice the unpaid renewal fee. Miss that window and you must reapply from scratch, including retesting and refingerprinting if required.
The renewal fee matches the initial fee: $50 per line of authority plus the current technology surcharge. Check your CE transcript before renewing — Commerce won't approve a renewal until the transcript shows you were compliant as of your expiration date, and course providers (not Commerce) are responsible for uploading completed courses.
24 total CE hours per renewal term, including 3 ethics hours.
At least 12 of the 24 hours must come from courses not sponsored by, offered by, or affiliated with an insurance company or its agents. No credit for repeating the same course in the same licensing period, and no more than 8 CE hours count in a single day.
For agencies and non-residents
Agencies, appointments & DRLP
Minnesota licenses agencies as a separate business entity, filed through InsureTrek for a $200 fee. Corporate/partnership agencies and individual proprietorship agencies are the two main structures Commerce lists. At least one owner, partner, officer, or director must be an individual, and the entity must designate a licensed producer responsible for the agency's compliance with Minnesota law.
An insurer must appoint a producer before that producer can transact business in Minnesota, though the producer can hold a license first. Under Minn. Stat. § 60K.49, the insurer has 15 days from the first application (or the date the agency contract is signed) to file the appointment, and the commissioner then has 30 days to verify eligibility.
Appointments — Just-in-time appointments: A producer may start transacting business with an insurer's permission as soon as the insurer commits to appoint them, provided the appointment itself is filed within 15 days of the first application — Minnesota's just-in-time window. Deadlines: Terminations, for cause or not, must be reported to the commissioner within 30 days of the effective date (Minn. Stat. § 60K.51). The insurer then has 15 more days to mail the producer a copy, and the producer gets 30 days after receiving it to file written comments that become part of their file.
Managing DRLPs across states? See how InsureTrek handles it →
Non-residents
Minnesota's reciprocity is conditional: it waives its own prelicensing, exam, and CE requirements for a non-resident only if that person's home state extends the same courtesy to Minnesota residents, per Minn. Stat. § 60K.39 and § 60K.53. Non-residents apply the same way as residents, through InsureTrek, for the same $50-per-line fee plus technology surcharge.
Apply for a non-resident Minnesota license through InsureTrek, plus the state fee.
Official resources
- Minnesota Department of Commerce — licensing
- DOI phone: 651-539-1599
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 Minnesota Department of Commerce or NIPR before you rely on anything here.
Official NIPR reseller · Applications filed through InsureTrek are submitted via NIPR.
- Commerce Dept. – Business Entities — accessed 2026-08-19
- Commerce Dept. – Education for Licensees (prelicensing/CE) — accessed 2026-08-19
- Commerce Dept. – Insurance licensing — accessed 2026-08-19
- Commerce Dept. – License Renewal — accessed 2026-08-21
- Commerce Dept. – Resident Producers — accessed 2026-08-19
- Commerce Dept. – Scheduling exams — accessed 2026-08-19
- Minn. Stat. § 60K.38 (renewal and reinstatement) — accessed 2026-08-19
- Minn. Stat. § 60K.49 (appointments) — accessed 2026-08-19
- Minn. Stat. § 60K.51 (termination notice) — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR – Minnesota non-resident individual licensing — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR – Minnesota resident business licensing — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR – Minnesota resident individual licensing — accessed 2026-08-19
FAQs
How much does it cost to get an insurance license in Minnesota?
The Department of Commerce charges $50 per line of authority, plus a technology surcharge that's currently up to $10. On top of that you'll pay PSI's exam fee and, if you fingerprint manually, a $32 mail-in fee — Commerce doesn't publish PSI's own pricing, so confirm it when you register.
Do I need prelicensing education before the Minnesota exam?
Yes. Commerce requires 20 hours of approved prelicensing education for each line of authority you're applying for, completed before you sit for the exam.
Where do I take the Minnesota insurance licensing exam?
Minnesota uses PSI as its exam vendor, with test centers in the Twin Cities metro, Duluth, Mankato, Rochester, Brainerd, and Willmar. Schedule through PSI or call (866) 395-1006.
Do I have to get fingerprinted to get licensed in Minnesota?
Yes, every applicant needs a background check. If you test at a Minnesota PSI center, fingerprinting happens electronically right after you pass. If you're exempt from the exam, you can use PSI's walk-in hours or fingerprint manually at a local police station and mail the card with a $32 check to Commerce.
How do I look up or verify a Minnesota insurance license?
Use the Department of Commerce's license lookup tool at mn.gov/commerce/licensing/license-lookup to verify an individual producer, adjuster, or agency license.
Can I apply before I pass my exam?
You can submit your Minnesota license application before sitting for the exam, but Commerce won't approve it until your passing score is on file. Most producers still test first to avoid a stalled application.
How much continuing education do I need in Minnesota, and when do I renew?
Producers need 24 CE hours per licensing period, including 3 ethics hours, with at least 12 hours from courses unaffiliated with an insurance company. You can renew up to 90 days before your license's expiration date; Commerce checks your CE transcript before approving the renewal.
What happens if I miss my Minnesota renewal deadline?
You have 12 months from the renewal due date to reinstate without retesting, but you'll pay a penalty of twice the unpaid renewal fee and still need to be CE compliant. After 12 months, you have to reapply from scratch — retesting and refingerprinting if the license type requires it.
Does Minnesota grant reciprocity to non-resident applicants?
Only conditionally. Minnesota waives its own prelicensing, exam, and CE requirements for a non-resident applicant if — and only if — that person's home state extends the same treatment to Minnesota residents. Otherwise you apply under Minnesota's standard requirements.
See how InsureTrek handles Minnesota licensing at scale.
Renewals, CE, and appointments tracked across every state your producers write in.