South Carolina Overview
To get a South Carolina insurance license, pass the state exam, apply, then get fingerprinted. Licenses renew every two years, and non-residents skip the exam. South Carolina doesn't require a prelicensing course. A Life and Health license costs $84 before fingerprinting: one $59 combination exam and the $25 license fee. SCDOI emails fingerprinting instructions the next business day after you apply, and the background check is a separate cost.
S.C. Code § 38-43-100 sets three requirements: be 18 or older, pass the exam for each line you want, and clear a SLED and FBI background check. Once SCDOI has all your documents, it usually processes the application in 48 to 72 hours. The $25 fee covers every line you apply for together. The license renews by the end of your birth month, for another $25 and 24 hours of CE. Non-residents pay the same $25 and aren't fingerprinted.
How to get a South Carolina insurance license
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Pick your lines and the exam that covers them
South Carolina doesn't require a prelicensing course. Under S.C. Code § 38-43-100, you qualify for each line by passing its exam. Pearson VUE gives a separate exam for each major line. Two combination exams also qualify you for two lines in one test: Life, Accident and Health, and Property, Casualty, Surety and Marine. A combination exam is scored as one test, and you must pass all of it to get either line. Personal Lines, Crop, Surety and Title have their own exams.
A few lines work differently. Variable Life and Variable Annuity has no state exam. You need the Life line plus a FINRA Series 6 or 7, and you give your CRD number on the application. Pre-Need applicants take the Life exam and send a copy of their South Carolina funeral director's license and a letter of employment from a South Carolina funeral home. Title applicants also file a Financial Interest Disclosure Form under § 38-75-960(B).
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Schedule and pass the Pearson VUE exam
Schedule at Pearson VUE, at a test center or online through OnVUE. Each exam costs $59, paid when you book. You can book up to one calendar day before you test, subject to availability. You need a score of 70 to pass. If you fail, you can retake after 24 hours, up to six times in a year. Passing results are valid for one year.
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Apply for your license
Wait two days after you pass so your result reaches the state. Then apply through InsureTrek for the state's $25 license fee, which covers every line on the application. You must be at least 18, and SCDOI reviews any criminal history you disclose under § 38-43-100(F).
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Get fingerprinted when SCDOI emails you
SCDOI receives your application the next business day and emails you instructions for scheduling fingerprints with IdentoGO. Don't get fingerprinted before you apply. The prints run a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) check and an FBI check, and you pay their cost. You're fingerprinted once, and renewals don't need new prints while the license stays active. See SCDOI's fingerprinting page for the forms to read first.
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Wait for approval, then get appointed
SCDOI reviews the application once all your documents are in, and it doesn't tell you when your fingerprint results arrive. You can't sell for an insurer until it appoints you, and it can only do that once your license is active. The insurer files the appointment within 15 days of signing your contract or submitting your first application (§ 38-43-50(C)).
Prelicensing education
Not required. You qualify for each line by passing its state exam.
Exam
Vendor: Pearson VUE. Exam fee: $59. The two combination exams cost the same $59. Passing results are valid for one year.
Fingerprinting
Required. Vendor: IdentoGO. New resident producer applicants only, scheduled after you apply from SCDOI's emailed instructions. Non-residents aren't fingerprinted.
South Carolina insurance license fees
| Fee | Initial | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing exam (Pearson VUE), per exam Paid when you book. The Life, Accident and Health and the Property, Casualty, Surety and Marine combination exams are $59 each. | $59 | — |
| Resident producer license One fee covers every line on the application. Adding a line later is a $25 amendment. Renews every two years. | $25 | $25 |
| Fingerprinting (SLED and FBI check) Required once for a new resident license. You pay the cost when you're fingerprinted. | — | — |
| Typical resident total: Life and Accident & Health One $59 combination exam plus the $25 license fee, before fingerprinting. | $84 | $25 |
| Late renewal, 1 to 30 days late The $25 renewal fee plus a $50 penalty. It's $125 at 31 to 60 days late and $275 at 61 to 180 days. | — | $75 |
| Late CE compliance fee Due with your CE hours within six months of the deadline to reinstate. | — | $50 |
| Non-resident producer license No exam or fingerprinting. Renews every two years. | $25 | $25 |
| Surplus lines broker license | $200 | $200 |
| Agency (business entity) license Renews in January of even-numbered years. | $40 | $40 |
| Carrier appointment, local Paid by the insurer. General appointments are $100 and travel accident and baggage $20. Renews in September of even-numbered years. | $40 | $40 |
Fees as of 2026-10-26. Fees change without much notice. When you apply through InsureTrek, we always use the current fee at the moment of application. Sources: Pearson VUE / SCDOI – South Carolina Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (May 2023) , NIPR – South Carolina Resident Licensing, Individual , NIPR – South Carolina Non-Resident Licensing, Individual , NIPR – South Carolina Resident Renewal, Individual , NIPR – South Carolina Non-Resident Renewal, Individual , NIPR – South Carolina Resident Licensing, Business , SCDOI – Producer , SCDOI – Requirements in the event of an expired status , SCDOI – Consequences of Failure to Comply , SCDOI – Appointments , SCDOI – Agency
South Carolina insurance license renewal
Renewal window — South Carolina licenses renew every two years by the last day of your birth month: in even-numbered years if you were born in an even year, odd-numbered years if you were born in an odd year. Renewal opens 90 days before expiration. Residents must finish all 24 CE hours before the renewal can go through, and SCDOI suggests finishing at least a week before the deadline. There are no extensions.
Grace period: Up to 180 days, with penalties. A license that isn't renewed expires, and you can't sell until it's reinstated. Late renewal adds a penalty to the $25 fee: $50 within 30 days, $100 at 31 to 60 days and $250 at 61 to 180 days. Missing CE adds a $50 late compliance fee, and you have six months to finish the hours. After that, the license and every appointment cancel, and you start over with the exam, fingerprints and a new application.
Renewal costs $25 every two years for residents and non-residents. Up to 18 hours above the 24 required carry over to the next cycle (§ 38-43-106(A)(2)). Holders of CLU, ChFC, CFP, LUTCF, RHU, REBC or FLMI (Life/Health) or CPCU or CIC (Property/Casualty) can count the hours they earn to keep the designation.
24 total CE hours per renewal term , including 3 ethics hours .
Producers 65 or older with 25 years of licensure can apply to SCDOI for a CE exemption, and the years don't have to be continuous (Bulletin 2022-04). CE applies to Life, Accident & Health, Variable Life and Variable Annuity, Property, Casualty and Personal Lines; limited lines such as Credit and Travel are exempt (§ 38-43-106(E)). Non-residents meet South Carolina's CE by meeting their home state's.
| Line | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Life/Health and Property/Casualty, if you hold both | 8 | At least 8 hours in each (S.C. Code § 38-43-106(A)(2)). The rest is 3 hours of ethics and 5 in any line. |
| Long-term care training, to sell LTC | 8 | One-time course before you sell LTC, then 4 hours every two years (S.C. Code § 38-72-69). Approved courses can count toward CE. |
| Annuity best-interest training, to sell annuities | 4 | One-time course under S.C. Regulation 69-29, taken before you sell annuities. |
Non-resident insurance license in South Carolina
A South Carolina non-resident insurance license costs $25, the same as a resident license, and renews every two years by the end of your birth month for $25. South Carolina doesn't require its exam or fingerprints from non-residents.
To qualify, hold an active resident license in good standing in your home state. SCDOI issues the same lines you hold at home, as long as your home state licenses South Carolina residents on the same basis (S.C. Code § 38-43-70). Your license number and addresses must match your home-state record in the national Producer Database. Pre-Need applicants need Pre-Need in their home state, a South Carolina funeral director's license and a letter of employment from a South Carolina funeral home.
Meeting your home state's CE requirement satisfies South Carolina's (§ 38-43-106(D)). If you move to South Carolina, apply for a resident license within 90 days of cancelling your old home-state license and SCDOI waives the exam for lines you already held (§ 38-43-101). You'll still be fingerprinted.
Apply for a non-resident South Carolina license through InsureTrek , plus the state fee.
For the steps and fees in every state, see the non-resident insurance license guide .
For agencies
Agencies, appointments & DRLP
South Carolina requires an agency license for any business entity acting as an insurance producer. The fee is $40, and the license renews in January of even-numbered years for $40. The agency needs at least one licensed and appointed South Carolina producer, and it must name a producer or other person responsible for compliance (S.C. Code § 38-43-100(I)). An agency owned by and run under one licensed producer's own name, with no one else holding an interest, is a sole proprietorship and doesn't need an agency license. Foreign corporations, limited partnerships and other entities also register with the South Carolina Secretary of State. Agencies report an address change within 30 days (§ 38-43-107).
Insurers appoint producers electronically, and only once your South Carolina license is active. Under S.C. Code § 38-43-50(C), the insurer files the appointment within 15 days of signing your agency contract or submitting your first application. The insurer pays the non-refundable fee: $40 for a local appointment, $100 for a general appointment and $20 for travel accident and baggage.
Appointments — Deadlines: Appointments renew in September of even-numbered years at the same fee. An unpaid renewal cancels after September 30 and can be reactivated by December 1 with a $250 penalty (§ 38-43-80(B)). Insurers report any termination to SCDOI within 30 days (§ 38-43-55).
Managing DRLPs across states? See how InsureTrek handles it →
Official resources
- South Carolina Department of Insurance — licensing
- DOI phone: 803-737-6095
Terms used on this page
Sources & disclaimer
This guide is informational and summarizes publicly available state and NIPR licensing rules as of 2026-10-26. Requirements change — verify current rules with the South Carolina Department of Insurance or NIPR before you rely on anything here.
Official NIPR reseller · Applications filed through InsureTrek are submitted via NIPR.
- NIPR – South Carolina Non-Resident Licensing, Individual — accessed 2026-10-26
- NIPR – South Carolina Non-Resident Renewal, Individual — accessed 2026-10-26
- NIPR – South Carolina Resident Licensing, Business — accessed 2026-10-26
- NIPR – South Carolina Resident Licensing, Individual — accessed 2026-10-26
- NIPR – South Carolina Resident Renewal, Individual — accessed 2026-10-26
- Pearson VUE – South Carolina Insurance — accessed 2026-10-26
- Pearson VUE / SCDOI – South Carolina Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (May 2023) — accessed 2026-10-26
- S.C. Code Title 38, Chapter 43 (§§ 38-43-50, -55, -70, -80, -100, -101, -106, -107) — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Agency — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Appointments — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Bulletin 2022-04, CE exemption for producers 65 and older — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Consequences of Failure to Comply — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Continuing Education — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Division Contacts — accessed 2026-08-19
- SCDOI – FAQ on amended Regulation 69-29 annuity training (June 2022) — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Fingerprinting — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Individual licensing FAQs — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – License Renewal — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Producer — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – Requirements in the event of an expired status — accessed 2026-10-26
- SCDOI – S.C. Code § 38-72-69, long-term care training — accessed 2026-10-26