How to Get Your Georgia Life & Health Insurance License: Step-by-Step

Getting your Georgia life and health insurance license opens the door to one of the most rewarding career paths in the Southeast. Georgia's Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (OCI) has a clear licensing process — but you need to follow the steps in the right order to avoid delays and wasted time.

Here's exactly how to get your Georgia life and health insurance license.

Step 1: Confirm You Meet the Basic Requirements

Before you start, confirm you meet Georgia's baseline requirements:

• You must be at least 18 years old

• You must be a resident of Georgia (or have a qualifying business reason to hold a Georgia license as a non-resident)

• You must be able to pass a criminal background check

• You must truthfully complete the license application and disclose any relevant history

There's no degree requirement. No prior insurance experience is required. But you need to complete the prelicense education and pass the state exam.

Step 2: Complete Your Prelicense Education

Georgia requires all resident applicants for a life and health insurance license to complete 16 hours of approved prelicense education — typically split as 8 hours of life insurance content and 8 hours of accident and sickness (health) content (16 hours combined for the dual-line license, per Georgia's June 24, 2025 PLE reduction).

You can complete prelicense education:

• Online at your own pace through an OCI-approved provider

• In a classroom setting where available

Most candidates complete prelicense education online for flexibility. You'll receive a certificate of completion when you finish — this is required before you can sit for the state exam.

The content covers everything on the state exam: insurance concepts, life insurance products and provisions, health insurance products and provisions, annuities, Medicare, and Georgia-specific law.

Step 3: Get Fingerprinted

Georgia requires fingerprinting as part of its background check for insurance license applicants. Fingerprints are processed electronically through IdentoGO or other OCI-approved providers.

To complete fingerprinting:

• Schedule an appointment with an approved provider

• Bring valid government-issued ID

• Pay the fingerprinting fee (typically $50–$75)

• Results are submitted electronically to OCI within days

You can complete fingerprinting before or after your exam, but it must be done before your license will be issued.

Step 4: Schedule and Pass the State Exam

Georgia insurance exams are administered by Prometric. Once your prelicense education is complete:

• Register at prometric.com

• Schedule your exam at a Georgia testing center

• Pay the exam fee (typically around $63)

• Bring two forms of ID to your appointment — one must be government-issued with photo

The Georgia Life, Accident, and Sickness exam has:

• 150 scored questions (plus a small number of unscored pilot questions)

• 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete

• 70% passing score required

You'll receive your pass/fail result immediately after finishing. Failed candidates receive a breakdown of their performance by topic area.

Step 5: Submit Your License Application

After passing your exam and completing fingerprinting, submit your license application through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) at nipr.com or through Sircon.

Your application will include:

• Confirmation of exam completion

• Background check clearance

• Disclosure of any criminal history, regulatory actions, or bankruptcies

• License application fee (approximately $100)

Step 6: Wait for License Approval

Once OCI has your application, exam results, fingerprint clearance, and payment, they review everything together. Processing times vary:

• Clean applications: typically 1–3 weeks

• Applications requiring additional review: 3–8 weeks

Complex background issues can add time. Submitting complete, accurate information up front is the fastest way through.

Step 7: Get Appointed by a Carrier

Your license alone doesn't authorize you to sell insurance. You must be appointed by at least one insurance company before you can write business. Most carriers handle the appointment process once you've contracted with them.

Total Timeline

From starting your prelicense course to holding your license, most Georgia candidates finish in 4 to 10 weeks. Moving through each step promptly — booking your exam early, scheduling fingerprinting during your study period — keeps you on the faster end.

5 Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need separate licenses for life and health in Georgia? No. Georgia issues a combined Life, Accident, and Sickness license for those completing the full prelicense course and exam. You can also get life-only or health-only, but most candidates pursue the combined license.

2. Can I take the prelicense course online? Yes. Georgia allows fully online prelicense education through OCI-approved providers.

3. What happens if I fail the state exam? You can retake it. Georgia allows multiple attempts, though each retake requires a new Prometric registration and fee. There's typically a short waiting period between attempts.

4. How long is a Georgia insurance license valid? Georgia insurance licenses are issued as ongoing licenses with biennial renewal. You must complete CE and renewal requirements every 2 years.

5. Does Georgia reciprocate with other states? Yes. Georgia participates in standard reciprocity, meaning once licensed in Georgia you can obtain non-resident licenses in most other states without retaking the exam.

Start Your Georgia Insurance Career the Right Way

Georgia's licensing process rewards candidates who take each step seriously. At JustInsurance, our Georgia prelicense course is built for the OCI exam — covering life, accident, and sickness material in the depth the exam actually tests.

Enroll today and take your first step toward a Georgia insurance license.