TennesseeOverview
Tennessee licenses roughly 300,000 producers through the Department of Commerce and Insurance's (TDCI) Agent Licensing Section, alongside title agencies, surplus lines agents, auto club agents, and public adjusters. Applications, renewals, and appointments all route through NIPR's LicenseHub rather than a standalone state portal. Licenses run on a two-year cycle, and Tennessee gives late renewers an unusually long runway — up to a year past expiration — before the license lapses for good, though the renewal fee doubles once you're late.
How to get licensed
Check whether you need prelicensing education
TDCI publishes a specific prelicensing requirement only for title insurance agents — a 30-hour approved course. Most other producer lines (life, accident and health, property, casualty, personal lines) go straight to the exam; confirm your line's current requirement on TDCI's licensing packets page before scheduling.
Register for and pass your licensing exam
Tennessee uses Pearson VUE as its exam vendor. You must wait 48 hours after passing before you can submit your application.
Complete fingerprinting
Schedule your background check through IdentoGO, and complete it at least 2 business days before you submit your application.
Apply for your license
The fastest path is to apply through InsureTrek — we file your Tennessee application for the state's $50 fee, pulled from NIPR at the moment of application.
Wait for approval
Paper applications are processed within 15 days of receipt, per TDCI. Electronic applications filed through NIPR typically move faster, though TDCI doesn't publish a firm turnaround for them — check your NIPR account status if you don't hear back quickly.
Prelicensing education
Not required. TDCI publishes a prelicensing hour requirement only for title insurance agents. Confirm current requirements for your specific line on TDCI's licensing packets page before scheduling your exam.
Exam
Vendor: Pearson VUE.
Fingerprinting
Required. Vendor: IdentoGO.
Fees
| Fee | Initial | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Resident producer license (individual) Neither the state nor NIPR publishes a separate renewal fee schedule; check the renewal amount when you file. | $50 | — |
| Non-resident producer license (individual) | $50 | — |
| Business entity (agency) license | $50 | — |
| Public adjuster license | $100 | — |
| Surplus lines agent license | $120 | — |
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 – Tennessee resident licensing, individual, NIPR – Tennessee resident licensing, business
Renewing an insurance license in Tennessee
Renewal window — Tennessee licenses renew every two years; the renewal window opens 90 days before your license's expiration date and closes on the expiration date.
Grace period: Late renewal is allowed for up to one year after expiration, but the renewal fee doubles — for example, a $60 fee becomes $120. After a year, the license lapses and you'll need to reapply from scratch.
A course you've already taken for credit can't be retaken for credit within 2 years.
24 total CE hours per renewal term, including 3 ethics hours.
Producers continuously licensed since January 1, 1994 are exempt from the general 24-hour CE requirement, though long-term care producers in that group still owe the ongoing 4-hour LTC requirement.
| Line | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Long-Term Care/Partnership | 8 | One-time 8 hours, then 4 hours every 24 months going forward. |
| Flood (Property/Casualty) | 3 | One-time 3-hour course; counts toward your 24-hour general requirement for that biennium. |
| Annuity Suitability (Life) | 4 | One-time 4-hour course, required before selling annuities; existing licensees had 6 months from the January 1, 2024 rule change to complete it. |
Non-resident insurance license in Tennessee
Tennessee processes non-resident applications through InsureTrek for $50, the same fee residents pay, and follows the NAIC reciprocity model through NIPR's LicenseHub: producers in good standing in their home state can generally license in Tennessee for the same lines without retaking the exam. Producers who move their residency to Tennessee should submit their resident application within 90 days of their prior state's license being canceled to avoid retesting. Military servicemembers and their spouses may also qualify for expedited reciprocity under Tennessee's Military Families Licensing Recognition Act.
Apply for a non-resident Tennessee license through InsureTrek, plus the state fee.
For the rules shared across states, see how non-resident insurance licenses work.
For agencies
Agencies, appointments & DRLP
Tennessee requires a separate business entity license to operate as an agency, filed through InsureTrek alongside the individual application process. Every licensed entity must name a designated responsible licensed producer who holds the relevant Tennessee license and is accountable for the entity's compliance. Entity licenses expire biennially.
Insurers appoint producers by filing with TDCI within 15 days of contract execution or the date the first insurance application is received, whichever comes first, effectively requiring appointment at or near the point of first sale.
Appointments — Deadlines: Only the insurer can file a termination, and it must notify TDCI within 30 days of the termination's effective date under T.C.A. § 56-6-117. Terminations are filed through NIPR for a $15 fee.
Managing DRLPs across states? See how InsureTrek handles it →
Official resources
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance — licensing
- DOI phone: 615-741-2693
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 Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance or NIPR before you rely on anything here.
Official NIPR reseller · Applications filed through InsureTrek are submitted via NIPR.
- NIPR – Tennessee non-resident licensing (individual) — accessed 2026-08-19
- NIPR – Tennessee resident licensing (individual) — accessed 2026-08-19
- Pearson VUE – Tennessee insurance exams — accessed 2026-08-19
- TDCI – Agent and Producer Resources — accessed 2026-08-19
- TDCI – Continuing Education Requirements — accessed 2026-08-19
- TDCI – Licensing Packets, Instructions & Forms — accessed 2026-08-19