New Mexico
New Mexico insurance licensing: requirements, renewal, and agency rules
New Mexico licenses producers, adjusters, and business entities through the Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI), whose Producer Licensing Bureau routes nearly everything through NIPR for applications and PSI for exams.
- Renewal cycle
- Every 2 years
- CE hours
- 24 hours (3 ethics)
- Application fee
- $30
- DOI phone
- 855-427-5674
Overview
New Mexico licenses producers, adjusters, and business entities through the Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI), whose Producer Licensing Bureau routes nearly everything through NIPR for applications and PSI for exams. OSI uses PSI as its exam vendor rather than Pearson VUE, and requires resident applicants to clear a state and FBI fingerprint background check before any license is issued. Individual producer licenses run on a 2-year cycle; business-entity licenses renew annually every December through February, a different rhythm most agencies don't expect. Personal Lines and Property & Casualty lines of authority can't be held at the same time.
How to get licensed
Check whether you need pre-licensing training
OSI's producer licensing page lists exam, fingerprinting, and application as the steps for most lines — no pre-licensing hours are called out for standard producer or adjuster lines. The exception is bail bonds, which requires 10 hours of pre-licensing training and 30 hours working under a sponsor before you can apply.
Register for and pass your exam with PSI
New Mexico uses PSI as its exam vendor, not Pearson VUE. Review the Candidate Bulletin before scheduling, either online or by calling 855-560-3714. After you pass, allow at least 48 hours for PSI to report your results to NIPR before you try to submit your application.
Complete your fingerprint background check
Resident applicants must be fingerprinted electronically through IdentoGO, run by the NM Department of Public Safety in partnership with IDEMIA. Register before your appointment. OSI won't issue a license until the state and FBI background check results come back, per NMSA § 59A-11-2(E). Non-residents don't need to be fingerprinted unless they name New Mexico their Designated Home State.
Apply for your license
The fastest path is to apply through InsureTrek — we file your New Mexico application for the state's $30 fee, pulled from NIPR at the moment of application.
Print your license once approved
New Mexico doesn't mail paper licenses. Once your application clears, print it yourself from OSI's licensing portal (linked from the Individuals and Agencies page).
Prelicensing education
Not required. OSI's licensing page doesn't list a pre-licensing hour requirement for standard producer or adjuster lines — go straight to the exam. Bail bonds is the exception.
Exam
Vendor: PSI. Passing score is 70%. After four failed attempts you must wait 6 months before retesting. Veterans may qualify for exam-cost reimbursement through the VA (Form 22-0803).
Fingerprinting
Required. Vendor: IdentoGO (IDEMIA), via NM Dept. of Public Safety. Required for resident applicants; non-residents are exempt unless they designate New Mexico as their home state. No license issues until background check results are received.
Fees
| Fee | Initial | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Resident insurance producer/adjuster license Renewing 1 to 30 days after expiration costs $150. Renewing 31 to 365 days after expiration costs $120. | $30 | $60 |
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 Mexico Resident Licensing (Individual), OSI – License Fees 2026
Renewal & CE
Renewal window — Renewal applications may be submitted up to 90 days before the license expiration date; the next continuing-education period runs from the day after one expiration date until the next.
Grace period: Renewing before expiration costs $60. Renewing 1–30 days after expiration costs $150; renewing between 31 and 365 days after expiration costs $120 — both also require a new background check and any applicable late fees.
Specialized topics carry their own hour minimums within the 24-hour total: flood (3 hours), long-term care (8 hours initially, then 4 hours each cycle), stop-loss (8 hours), and annuity suitability (4 hours, required before you can transact annuity business). Missing your CE deadline adds a $50 penalty on top of a new background check and any late-renewal fee.
24 total CE hours per renewal term, including 3 ethics hours.
Limited-license holders, licensees continuously licensed 25+ years without a lapse over 90 days, licensees who keep a license only to receive renewal-fee residuals, fraternal benefit society agents, and non-residents already meeting a CE requirement in their home state. Email agents.licensing@osi.nm.gov to request an exemption.
| Line | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title and Escrow | 10 | Must include 3 hours on escrow-fund handling. |
| Bail Bonds | 14 | — |
For agencies and non-residents
Agencies, appointments & DRLP
Business-entity licenses renew annually rather than every two years — the renewal window runs December 1 through February 28 (February 29 in leap years), a rhythm distinct from individual producer licenses. New Mexico requires a Designated Responsible Licensed Producer (DRLP) on file, and most business license types carry a $20 fee per affiliated individual on top of the base license fee.
New Mexico defines an appointment as the insurer's authorization for a licensed producer to transact business on its behalf, filed with and paid for by the insurer (NMAC 13.4.2.7.B).
Managing DRLPs across states? See how InsureTrek handles it →
Steps outside NIPR
New Mexico takes the business entity affiliation form on paper only, so allow for mail time on top of the state's processing.
- Mail the business entity affiliation form. Complete the form in full and mail it to the Producer Licensing Bureau, PO Box 1689, Santa Fe, NM 87504. There is no online option.
- Include payment. Send a check or money order payable to the State of New Mexico with the form.
| Business entity affiliation form | $20 |
|---|
Non-residents
Non-residents apply through InsureTrek the same way residents do, for the same $30 Insurance Producer state fee. Fingerprinting isn't required unless you name New Mexico your Designated Home State. Adjusters licensed before July 1, 2017 (without a lapse), and anyone holding an equivalent license from a reciprocal state, are exempt from New Mexico's adjuster exam. Adjusters moving to New Mexico within the last 90 days can also skip the exam for the type of adjuster license they already held. A lapsed license can be reinstated within 1 year of expiration; after a year, it's a full new application.
Apply for a non-resident New Mexico license through InsureTrek, plus the state fee.
Official resources
- New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance — licensing
- DOI phone: 855-427-5674
Terms used on this page
Sources & disclaimer
This guide is informational and summarizes publicly available state and NIPR licensing rules as of 2026-08-22. Requirements change — verify current rules with the New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance or NIPR before you rely on anything here.
Official NIPR reseller · Applications filed through InsureTrek are submitted via NIPR.
- InsureTrek licensing team — New-Mexico agency filing steps — accessed 2026-08-22
- NIPR – New Mexico non-resident licensing (individual) — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR – New Mexico resident licensing (individual) — accessed 2026-08-19
- OSI – Continuing Education (CE) — accessed 2026-08-19
- OSI – Individuals and Agencies — accessed 2026-08-19
- OSI – License Fees 2026 — accessed 2026-08-19
FAQs
How much does it cost to get an insurance license in New Mexico?
OSI's application fee is $30 for a first-time Insurance Producer or Adjuster license. On top of that you'll pay a PSI exam fee and an IdentoGO fingerprinting fee, neither of which OSI publishes directly, plus NIPR's own transaction fee when you submit your application.
Do I need a pre-licensing course before I can sit for the New Mexico exam?
For standard producer and adjuster lines, no — OSI's licensing page moves straight from exam registration to fingerprinting to application, with no pre-licensing hours listed. Bail bond licenses are the exception, requiring 10 hours of pre-licensing training plus 30 hours on the job.
Where do I take the New Mexico insurance licensing exam?
New Mexico contracts with PSI, not Pearson VUE, to run its exam program. Schedule online at psiexams.com or by calling 855-560-3714, and review the Candidate Bulletin first.
How do I look up or verify a New Mexico insurance license?
Use the License Status Verification tool linked from OSI's Individuals and Agencies page at osi.state.nm.us/en/insurance-professionals/individuals-and-agencies.
How long does it take to get licensed in New Mexico?
OSI doesn't publish a fixed processing timeline. Budget at least 48 hours after passing your PSI exam for results to post to NIPR, plus however long your IdentoGO fingerprint background check takes to clear — OSI won't issue a license until that comes back.
Can I get a New Mexico non-resident license without retaking the exam?
It depends on your license type and history. Adjusters licensed before July 1, 2017 without a lapse, and anyone holding an equivalent license from a reciprocal state, skip the New Mexico adjuster exam. Adjusters who've moved to New Mexico within the last 90 days can also carry over their prior exam credit for the same license type.
How much continuing education do I need, and how often do I renew?
Most New Mexico producer and adjuster licenses run on a 2-year cycle and require 24 CE hours per cycle, including 3 ethics hours. Title and escrow producers need 10 hours (3 of them on escrow-fund handling); bail bondsmen need 14. Specialized topics like flood, long-term care, and annuity suitability carry their own hour minimums within that 24-hour total.
What happens if I miss my New Mexico CE deadline?
OSI charges a $50 penalty before it will process your renewal, and you'll also need to complete a new background check. Renewing 1–30 days after your license expires costs $150; renewing between 31 and 365 days after expiration costs $120 — after 365 days, you're back to a new application.
See how InsureTrek handles New Mexico licensing at scale.
Renewals, CE, and appointments tracked across every state your producers write in.