Oregon Insurance Licensing Information

The Oregon Insurance Division requires that prospective insurance agents obtain educational hours through the Division, and Department of Education, approved schools.

Depending on the students area of interest, the different classifications of insurance licenses are Life, Health, Property & Casualty, and Personal Lines. Most students will enroll in a combination of either Life and Health, or Property and Casualty courses.

Courses are completed under monitored conditions. The three forms of approved study are Resident Student (Study Room), Live Instruction, and Online. The more popular form of Insurance instruction is the live classroom setting, which allows the student to fulfill his Division required hours in just a few days.

Classes Required

The Oregon Department of Consumer & Business Services Insurance Division requires that Pre-licensing education training be completed before taking the required exams. Resident producer license candidates must obtain training specific to the class for which they wish to be licensed. The different classifications each require a minimum of 20 hours of Insurance Division approved study in either Life, Health, Property, Casualty, and/or Personal Lines.

Once you have completed a pre-licensing course, the course provider will issue you a Certificate of Completion which is valid for one year. You must bring the original certificate with you to the test center on exam day.

Waivers and exemptions.

Pre-licensing education is not required for:

1. Adjusters and consultants.
2. Life, Health, or Life and Health Producer license applicants holding the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation. Verification of designation must be submitted to the Division with your license application.
3. Property and Casualty Producer license applicants holding the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. Verification of designation must be submitted to the Division with your license application.

If you were previously licensed in another state, you need not complete any education or examination requirements if you are applying for the same lines authority and your application is received no more than 90 days after the cancellation of your license in the other state and the establishment of your Oregon residency.

Generally, to qualify to receive an Oregon resident producer license, you must:

1. Be at least 18 years old.
2. Be a resident of, or maintain a place of business in, Oregon.
3. Complete any necessary pre-licensing education requirements.
4. Pass the appropriate license exam(s), if required.

Surplus lines producers must also be licensed for property and casualty and take a surplus lines exam.

In addition to holding a current license in the correct line of insurance, producers who wish to sell insurance must also be employed with or under contract to an authorized insurer or licensed business entity. Producers who are not employed with or under contract to an insurer or business entity retain their licenses but may not transact insurance.

Adjuster License Applicants Must:

1. Be a resident of, or maintain a place of business in, Oregon.
2. Pass the appropriate license exam as required by statute.

After you receive your license, you may begin to adjust insurance claims. If you are employed by or contracted with a licensed adjusting firm or corporation, it must file a Notice of Affiliation (Form 440-2139) with the Division within 30 days.

Consultant License

Generally, to qualify for an Oregon resident consultant license, you must:

1. Be a resident of, or maintain a place of business in, Oregon.
2. Pass the appropriate license exam(s), if required.
3. Pass the consultant’s examination required for the particular class of insurance. The examination is waived for Oregon Resident Agents in that class of insurance.
4. Have five years of experience in the insurance business or equivalent educational qualifications.
5. Submit a current certification of errors and omissions coverage, with limits of at least $500,000.

• After you receive your license, you may begin working as a consultant. If you are employed by or contracted with any licensed consulting firm or corporation that employs that firm, a Notice of Affiliation (Form 440-2139) must be filed with the Division within 30 days.

A Variable Life Insurance License is required before an agent may sell, solicit or negotiate a variable contract. To earn this license, you must pass either exam Series 6 or 7 given by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). In addition, you must be registered with an Oregon securities dealer.

Nonresidents can be licensed to transact insurance in Oregon as producers, adjusters and consultants. If you are already a licensed agent or broker in your home state, you are exempt from the pre-licensing education and examination requirements. You may only conduct your insurance business as an appointed representative of an insurer in Oregon even though licensed as a broker in your home state. Brokering is not permitted in Oregon. Producers should submit either the NAIC Business Entity Application or the Oregon Individual Insurance License Application (Form 440-3000).

Before you can test, you are responsible for completing any required pre-licensing courses and scheduling the time and place to take your exam with PSI. After passing the exam you will be fingerprinted at PSI and then you need to send in your application to the state.

The exam contents were developed in cooperation with the Division and an Examination Review Workshop (ERW) consisting of individuals from the Oregon insurance industry. The purpose was to identify and classify the level of knowledge that insurance licensees need to properly serve their clients.

You will take your exam using a computer at a PSI testing center. You can locate testing centers in other states at http://candidate.psiexams.com. You do not need any computer experience or typing skill to take your exam. Before you start the exam, a testing center employee will provide you a personalized introduction to the testing system. You can also take an introductory lesson on the computer.

You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled exam appointment. This allows time for you to sign in and for the staff to verify your identification.

You are required to bring your original Certificate of Completion to the testing center or the original waiver letter (if your pre-licensing education was waived by the Division). If you do not bring the original document, you will not be allowed to test and will have to pay a new exam fee before choosing another appointment.

You must present two valid pieces of identification before you may test and one piece must:

1. Be government-issued (e.g., driver’s license, state-issued identification card, passport or military identification card);
2. Contain both a current photo and your signature; and
3. Have a name that exactly matches the name used to register for the exam (including designations such as “Jr.” and “III”).

• No reference materials, papers or study materials are allowed at the test center. If you are found with these or any other aids, you will not be allowed to continue the exam and your answers will not be scored.
• You will be provided a calculator at the testing center, and you may only use that calculator when completing your exam.

Although you may use a testing center locker, it is recommended you not bring personal items into the testing center. Note the following:

1. Electronic items —cell phones, PDAs, pagers, cameras, tape recorders, etc.—are not permitted in the testing room and must be powered off while stored in a locker.
2. Pocket items—keys, wallet, etc.—must remain in your pocket or be stored in a locker during testing.
3. Other personal items—digital watches, outerwear that are not being worn while you are testing (sweater, jacket, etc.), briefcases, purses, etc.—are not permitted in the testing room.

• If you leave the testing room while an exam is in progress, you must sign out/in on the roster and you will lose exam time.

You may not use any electronic devices or phones during breaks.

The questions in your insurance licensing examinations are multiple choice. For each question, you must select your answer from four options.

Question formats. Three different multiple-choice formats are used. Each format is shown in the following examples. An asterisk (*) indicates the correct answer in each sample question.

Up to a specified limit, which of the following losses are covered under Section I of a Homeowners (’91) Policy?

1. Animals, birds or fish.
2. Structures used for business.
3. Accessories for motor vehicles.
4. *Money, bank notes and bullion.

A guaranteed renewable Disability Income Insurance Policy:

1. *Is renewable at the insured’s option to a specified age
2. Cannot be canceled by the insured before a specified age
3. Is guaranteed to have level premiums for the life of the policy
4. Is renewable at the insurer’s option without restrictions or conditions

A life insurance policy may include provisions that do all of the following EXCEPT:

1. Restrict coverage if death is caused by suicide
2. Require evidence of insurability to reinstate coverage
3. *Extend the contestable period beyond two years
4. Adjust proceeds if the insured’s age is misstated on the application

At the end of your exam, your score will be shown on the screen and you will receive a printed score report. The report indicates your overall score and grade, including the numerical percentage of questions answered correctly and whether you passed or failed. A total score of 70 percent is required to pass the exam.

The report also displays your percentage correct in each major section of the exam, as defined by the exam content outline. These section scores are shown to guide you about areas requiring additional preparation for retesting if you do not pass the exam.

The section percentages will not average out to your total percentage score. That is because individual exam outline sections are allocated different numbers of questions on the exam. Your total percentage score is computed by dividing the number of questions you answered correctly by the total number of questions in the exam. The total score is not computed by adding the section percentages and dividing by the total number of sections.

If you pass your exam, the Division will issue your license within 15 days. The Division no longer issues printed initial, renewal or replacement licenses. To view your license status or print a copy of your license, visit the Division’s Web site at www.cbs.state.or.us/external/ins/

Additional information can be obtained at the Division’s or PSI's Web sites.