New Jersey
New Jersey insurance licensing: requirements, renewal, and agency rules
New Jersey licenses producers through the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI), but DOBI runs no state licensing portal of its own — resident and non-resident applications, renewals, and appointment filings all go through NIPR, with a paper option filed directly with the Department.
- Renewal cycle
- Every 2 years
- CE hours
- 24 hours (3 ethics)
- Application fee
- $170
- DOI phone
- 609-292-7272
Overview
New Jersey licenses producers through the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI), but DOBI runs no state licensing portal of its own — resident and non-resident applications, renewals, and appointment filings all go through NIPR, with a paper option filed directly with the Department. PSI Services is the exam vendor rather than Pearson VUE. Resident applicants (and any officer, director, or 10%+ owner of a resident business entity) must be fingerprinted through the state's Live Scan service; non-residents are exempt. Licenses run on a two-year cycle tied to the licensee's birth month.
How to get licensed
Complete prelicensing education
New Jersey requires 20 hours of state-approved prelicensing education for each line of authority you're applying for (life, accident and health, property, casualty, and personal lines). Use one of DOBI's approved education providers.
Register for and pass the licensing exam
New Jersey uses PSI Services as its exam vendor, not Pearson VUE. You need a 70% score to pass, and your result stays valid for 12 months, after which you'd need to retest before applying.
Complete fingerprinting (residents only)
New Jersey residents must be fingerprinted through the state's Live Scan electronic fingerprinting service, coordinated through IdentoGO. Non-resident applicants are exempt.
Apply for your license
The fastest path is to apply through InsureTrek — we file your New Jersey application for the state's fee, pulled from NIPR at the moment of application.
Check your license status
Once approved, verify or print proof of your license through the NJDOBI Licensee Search or NIPR's Producer Database.
Prelicensing education
Life: 20 hours Accident and Health: 20 hours Property: 20 hours Casualty: 20 hours Personal Lines: 20 hours Applicants holding certain approved professional designations, or non-residents licensed in good standing in a reciprocal home state, may qualify for a waiver — file DOBI's prelicensing education waiver application before you register for the exam.
Exam
Vendor: PSI. Exam fee: $47.
Fingerprinting
Required. Vendor: IdentoGO (Live Scan). Required for residents only, along with any officer, director, or 10%+ owner of a resident business entity applying for licensure. Non-residents are exempt.
Fees
| Fee | Initial | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Resident producer license — major lines Covers Life, Accident & Health, Property, Casualty, Personal Lines, Variable Life/Variable Annuity, Surplus Lines, and Title. This is the state fee for filing through NIPR; DOBI's own paper-filing schedule adds a separate processing charge on top. | $170 | $170 |
| Resident producer license — limited lines | $95 | $95 |
| Business entity (agency) license — major lines DOBI's paper fee schedule: a $150 license fee plus $40 processing to apply, $150 plus $20 processing to renew. | $190 | $170 |
| Public adjuster license | $70 | $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 – New Jersey Resident Licensing (Individual), NJDOBI – Insurance license fee schedule
Renewal & CE
Renewal window — License expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month, every two years.
Grace period: Late renewal is allowed within one year of expiration if you've completed your CE, for an additional $100 fee on major lines or $50 on limited lines. Miss that window and you'll need to apply as a new licensee, including retaking the exam.
At least 12 of the 24 hours must be classroom or classroom-equivalent (interactive, remote-video format counts). One ethics hour can be swapped for an insurance fraud course. You can't repeat the same course for credit within a compliance cycle, and all CE has to be completed before you submit your renewal.
24 total CE hours per renewal term, including 3 ethics hours.
Limited lines producers are exempt from CE. Non-resident producers in good standing in their home state, or who've met the NAIC's non-resident CE exemption, don't owe New Jersey CE either.
| Line | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Long-Term Care (initial) | 8 | — |
| Long-Term Care (ongoing) | 4 | — |
| Flood | 3 | — |
| Annuity Best Interest (new licensees) | 4 | — |
For agencies and non-residents
Agencies, appointments & DRLP
Agency licenses are filed the same way as individual licenses, for the same $150 license fee plus processing. Every agency needs at least one Designated Responsible Licensed Producer (DRLP) holding an active New Jersey resident or non-resident license covering all the lines the agency writes; a resident entity's officers, partners, and any owner of 10% or more must also be fingerprinted.
Insurers must file a notice of appointment naming the producer and any limits on their authority before the producer transacts business on the company's behalf, under N.J.S.A. 17:22A-42. Appointments and terminations are filed through NIPR's appointment system or on a DOBI paper form, for a $35 fee per company per transaction.
Appointments — Deadlines: Termination notices are due within 15 days of the agency contract's cancellation. The appointment doesn't legally end until DOBI receives that notice, so a producer can remain appointed on paper after the working relationship ends if the carrier is late filing.
Managing DRLPs across states? See how InsureTrek handles it →
Non-residents
New Jersey exempts non-resident applicants from its prelicensing education, exam, and fingerprinting requirements under Gramm-Leach-Bliley reciprocity, as long as you hold an active license in good standing in your home state for the same lines. Apply through InsureTrek. Non-resident producers who've met their home state's CE (or the NAIC's non-resident CE exemption) don't owe New Jersey CE on top of it.
Apply for a non-resident New Jersey license through InsureTrek, plus the state fee.
Official resources
- New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance — licensing
- DOI phone: 609-292-7272
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 New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance or NIPR before you rely on anything here.
Official NIPR reseller · Applications filed through InsureTrek are submitted via NIPR.
- ExamFX – New Jersey prelicensing requirements — accessed 2026-08-19
- Kaplan Financial Education – New Jersey CE requirements — accessed 2026-08-19
- N.J.S.A. 17:22A-42 – Appointment of agents — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR – New Jersey Resident Licensing (Business) — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR – New Jersey Resident Licensing (Individual) — accessed 2026-08-19
- NJDOBI – Insurance license fee schedule — accessed 2026-08-19
- NJDOBI – Insurance Licensing and Education — accessed 2026-08-19
- NJDOBI – Insurance Producer Licensing FAQ — accessed 2026-08-19
FAQs
How much does it cost to get an insurance license in New Jersey?
DOBI's initial major-lines license runs $190 total — a $150 license fee plus $40 processing (paper filings; online through NIPR can run slightly less). Limited lines only totals $115. On top of that, PSI charges $47 per exam attempt, and Live Scan fingerprinting has its own fee that DOBI doesn't publish.
Do I need a prelicensing course before I can sit for the New Jersey exam?
Yes. New Jersey requires 20 hours of state-approved prelicensing education for each line of authority you're applying for — life, accident and health, property, casualty, or personal lines.
Where do I take the New Jersey insurance licensing exam?
New Jersey uses PSI Services, not Pearson VUE. Register and find test center or online-proctoring options at psiexams.com/test-takers/new-jersey-insurance.
Does New Jersey have its own online licensing portal?
No. DOBI doesn't run a separate state portal — resident and non-resident applications, renewals, and appointment filings all route through NIPR.
How do I look up or verify a New Jersey insurance license?
Use the NJDOBI Licensee Search at state.nj.us/dobi/DOBI_LicSearch, or check NIPR's Producer Database.
Can I get a New Jersey non-resident license without retaking the exam?
Yes. If you hold an active license in good standing in your home state for the same lines, New Jersey waives its prelicensing education, exam, and fingerprinting requirements under Gramm-Leach-Bliley reciprocity. You still apply and pay the standard state fee through InsureTrek.
How much continuing education do I need, and how often do I renew?
New Jersey licenses run on a 2-year cycle expiring on the last day of your birth month. Most producers need 24 CE hours per cycle, including 3 ethics hours, with at least 12 hours in classroom or classroom-equivalent format. Limited lines producers are exempt from CE entirely.
What happens if I miss my New Jersey renewal deadline?
You get up to a year past expiration to renew late, as long as you've completed your CE, for an added $100 fee on major lines or $50 on limited lines. After that window closes, you'd have to apply as a new licensee and retake the exam.
See how InsureTrek handles New Jersey licensing at scale.
Renewals, CE, and appointments tracked across every state your producers write in.