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US Insurance license verification

How to verify an insurance license.

Insurance licenses are issued by states, so the most direct check is the licensing state's own lookup. NIPR and the NAIC's Producer Database tie the states together. This page sticks to what the NIPR help pages and the Illinois, South Carolina and Virginia regulator pages say; we could not confirm an official Tennessee lookup, so Tennessee is not covered.

Back to the insurance license exam guide Back to exam overview
State firstlicenses are issued by each stateper the NAIC and each regulator's pages
NPNNational Producer Numbera unique NAIC identifier for individuals and entities
1 freeNIPR Producer Report per individual producer per yearother users need a permissible purpose

Start with the state

Use the regulator that issued the license.

The NAIC describes producer licensing as a state function. Three regulators we checked each publish a public search or point to one: the Virginia Bureau of Insurance has an insurance license search where you pick Agent, Agency, Company or Navigator; the South Carolina Department of Insurance links a database search, a print-your-license tool and a CE transcript view; and the Illinois Department of Insurance links a Licensee Look-up run on State-Based Systems (SBS).

NAIC — Producer Licensing Virginia SCC Bureau of Insurance — Insurance license search South Carolina Department of Insurance — Licensing & CE Illinois Department of Insurance — Licenses, certifications and FAQs

NPN

A National Producer Number identifies the producer across states.

NIPR describes an NPN as a unique NAIC identifier assigned during the licensing application process to individuals and business entities in the Producer Database. If you have a producer's NPN, you can look up the same person's records across state systems and avoid mixing up people with similar names.

NIPR — Look up a National Producer Number

NIPR Producer Database

PDB reports cover every state, but not everyone can run them.

The Producer Database holds licensing data from all 50 states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus regulatory data from RIRS. NIPR says access requires a permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, that reports are identified by NPN, license number with state, SSN or FEIN along with a date of birth, and that individual producers get one free Producer Report per year to verify their own data in any state.

NIPR — Verify existing insurance licenses NIPR — Run a Producer Database (PDB) report

Licensed versus appointed

A license is not the same as an appointment with a company.

Virginia's licensing bulletin says an agent must be appointed at the time of sale for an insurer to pay a commission, and that you cannot sell, solicit or negotiate insurance until the Bureau issues your license. Check both the license and the line of authority (for example Life and Annuities versus Health) for what is being sold.

Virginia Bureau of Insurance — Licensing Information Bulletin (effective Dec. 13, 2024; published by Prometric) Virginia SCC Bureau of Insurance — Lines of Authority & Application Fees

If you are the applicant

Passing the exam is not the license; each state sets its own wait.

  • South Carolina: wait two days after passing before applying through NIPR; passing does not guarantee a license.
  • Illinois: wait five days after passing, then apply through NIPR.
  • Virginia: apply through Sircon or NIPR; the Bureau says to allow 15 business days, and to use License Search to track the application.
  • Virginia's bulletin also says passing an exam does not guarantee a license, because issuance depends on review of all application material.
Pearson VUE — South Carolina Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (05.2023, rev. 07/22/24) Illinois Department of Insurance — Become a resident producer Virginia SCC Bureau of Insurance — Apply for an Individual Virginia Insurance License Virginia Bureau of Insurance — Licensing Information Bulletin (effective Dec. 13, 2024; published by Prometric)

FAQ

Quick answers

Where can I check whether an insurance agent is licensed?

Use the licensing state's lookup. Virginia has an insurance license search for agents, agencies, companies and navigators; South Carolina links a database search; Illinois links a Licensee Look-up on State-Based Systems.

What is a National Producer Number (NPN)?

A unique NAIC identifier assigned during the licensing application process to individuals and business entities in the Producer Database, according to NIPR.

Can anyone run a NIPR Producer Database report?

NIPR says access requires a permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Individual producers get one free Producer Report per year to verify their own license data in any state.

Does passing the exam mean I am licensed?

No. South Carolina and Virginia both say a license depends on review of the application materials, and Illinois and South Carolina require a wait before you can apply through NIPR.