Alabama Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Alabama-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Alabama exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Alabama exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Alabama insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Alabama-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 126 facts from the TESTivity Alabama regulations curriculum, organized the way we teach them. Open a branch, explore, and let the structure do some of the remembering for you.
Every fact below carries its source citation and the date we last verified it (most recently August 2026) — and is re-checked on a schedule. Facts marked tested are ones you should expect to see on the exam.
Life 14 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period testedTwo years from date of issue, during the insured's lifetime — except for nonpayment of premium
- Grace period for individual life tested30 days (or, at the insurer's option, one month of not less than 30 days)
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy tested3 years from the date of premium default
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedInterest on overdue premiums and indebtedness may not exceed the POLICY LOAN RATE specified in the policy
- Suicide exclusion period testedTwo years from date of issue — and the statute says 'while sane or insane'
- Free look for annuities tested**A CONDITIONAL 15-day free look only** — triggered solely where the Buyer's Guide and disclosure document were NOT provided at or before the time of application. There is no unconditional annuity free look in Alabama. It runs concurrently with any other free look.
- Free look when a policy is being replaced tested30 days, with an unconditional full refund of all premiums paid, including any policy fees or charges
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days — and the refund must be made within 30 days of the return
- Required nonforfeiture options testedA paid-up nonforfeiture benefit (requestable within 60 days of the defaulted premium) and a cash surrender value (after 3 full years' premiums for ordinary, 5 for industrial). A specified benefit becomes automatic if no election is made within 60 days.
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedThe Life line of authority PLUS the securities exams and registration
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? tested**NO — Alabama has no viatical or life settlement act.** Title 27 contains no viatical/life settlement chapter.
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — Alabama adopted the NAIC best interest standard effective January 1, 2022. Four obligations: Care, Disclosure, Conflict of Interest, Documentation. Producers must complete a one-time 4-credit annuity training course.
- General free look for ordinary individual life tested⚠️ **NONE.** Ala. Code Title 27 Chapter 15 Article 1 enumerates the provisions a life policy must contain — grace, incontestability, entire contract, misstatement of age, dividends, loans, nonforfeiture, reinstatement, settlement — and contains **no right-to-examine / free-look section.** The national 10-day baseline is not Alabama law. Alabama's only rights to return are the conditional 15-day annuity look, the 30-day replacement look, and the 30-day LTC and Medicare supplement looks.
- Producer duties in a replacement transaction testedThe producer must **present and READ** the replacement notice to the applicant **not later than at the time of taking the application**, signed by **both** applicant and producer. The replacing insurer notifies the existing insurer **within 5 business days** and keeps records **5 years**. The owner then has the **30-day unconditional right to return** with a full refund of all premiums including fees or charges.
Health 12 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedNO — Alabama has not expanded Medicaid under the ACA and remains a non-expansion state
- Agency administering Medicaid testedAlabama Medicaid Agency
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedFederal marketplace (healthcare.gov) — Alabama is not a state-based exchange
- Name of the state CHIP program testedALL Kids — administered by the Alabama Department of Public Health
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested30 calendar days
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested45 calendar days
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedYES — Alabama splits electronic (30 days) and paper (45 days), the same structure as Texas
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment testedInterest at 1.5% per month, prorated daily. Administrative fines up to $1,000 per violation or per day, not exceeding $100,000 per violation.
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? tested**Alabama has NO state external review process.** It defers to the FEDERAL HHS-administered external review process. The IRO's decision IS binding on the plan — but by force of FEDERAL rule (45 C.F.R. § 147.136), not Alabama law.
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies tested20 or more employees
- Deadline to act after requested information arrives tested**21 calendar days** to pay, deny or adjudicate once the insurer receives information it requested. This is the third clock in § 27-1-17 and the one candidates most often drop, holding only the 30/45-day clean-claim split.
- Does the state have a mini-COBRA for small employers? tested**No.** Federal COBRA at 20 or more employees is the whole of it — Alabama adds no state continuation right for employers below the federal threshold.
Auto 11 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedFault-based (tort)
- Minimum bodily injury liability per person tested$25,000
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$50,000
- Minimum property damage liability tested$25,000
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested25/50/25
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMust be OFFERED — every auto policy includes UM coverage unless the insured REJECTS IT IN WRITING
- Underinsured motorist status testedMust be offered; rejectable in writing
- Personal injury protection status testedNot required — Alabama is not a no-fault state
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedCONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE — any fault at all, even 1%, bars ALL recovery
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative testedAny fault bars recovery entirely — there is no proportional recovery
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto tested**The Alabama Automobile Insurance Plan (ALAIP)** — the assigned-risk plan, in effect since May 17, 1948, administered through AIPSO. Risks are assigned among all insurers writing auto in Alabama.
CE & Renewal 10 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedTwo years (biennial)
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedBirth month AND odd/even birth year — born in an odd-numbered year, renew at the end of your birth month in odd years; born in an even year, renew in even years. The renewal window opens 90 days before the end of your birth month.
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 hours per biennial reporting period
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) testedStill 24 — the requirement does NOT increase with the number of lines you hold
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours
- Carryover, repeat courses and what counts as a credit hour tested**No carryover — excess hours are lost.** Since 1 January 2013, *"excess credit hours earned in the previous biennial renewal period cannot be carried over to the next reporting period. Any excess is lost."* **No course may be counted twice** in one reporting period (482-1-110-.05(3)). A credit hour is **at least 50 minutes** of participation (-.05(6)). The Commissioner will not approve courses that prepare candidates for initial licensure (-.06(3)).
- Initial long-term care training requirement testedA one-time 8-hour LTC training course, PLUS ongoing 4 hours every 24 months. You must also hold the Life or Accident & Health line.
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedThere is **no separate CE fine**. CE is a renewal qualification: the license will not renew until the hours show in the transcript, and Rule 482-1-110-.07(2) provides for **suspension of all licenses** issued for any kind of insurance with no further license issued until you comply. A **false statement** about CE brings suspension or revocation (-.07(6)). Posting takes **at least 3-5 business days**, and **since 1 January 2019 no CE extensions are granted.**
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers tested**30-day grace period** after the end of your birth month: renew for the **$70 fee plus a $50 late fee**, retroactive to the expiration date. After the grace period the license is **expired**, and **reinstatement** runs from 30 days after expiration out to **12 months** from the last day of your birth month. The renewal fee is set by **Ala. Code § 27-8A-9(a)(1)** — NOT § 27-4-2, which itemizes only the $30 + $50 initial fees.
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedExempt from CE (Rule 482-1-110-.03(3) and the ALDOI CE FAQ): **newly licensed** producers within 12 months of the renewal date; **nonresidents** meeting home-state CE; ⭐ producers licensed in Alabama **15 years and aged 60 or over prior to 1 January 2013** (a closed cohort); ⭐ holders of **CPCU, CIC, CLU, ChFC, CFP, RHU, REBC, CHC or ARM**; **limited-line** licensees; **officers of insurers** not engaged in active sales; and **active members of the Alabama Legislature**. ⚠️ These designations waive **CE only** — no designation waives the licensing exam.
Property 8 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) tested⭐ **A SPLIT SYSTEM — Alabama is not simply 'file-and-use'.** **Personal lines property and casualty = PRIOR APPROVAL.** **Commercial lines = FILE AND USE.** Workers' compensation runs under its own regime. Read the question for whose rate is changing before answering.
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? tested**Permitted, but tightly restricted** by Ala. Admin. Code ch. 482-1-127. The insurance scoring model must be FILED with the Commissioner before use.
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedYes — the Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association (AIUA), Alabama's coastal 'beach pool'
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedAlabama Insurance Underwriting Association (AIUA)
- Coastal windstorm pool, if any (e.g. TWIA) testedAIUA — the market of last resort for property owners in BALDWIN and MOBILE counties (Alabama's two coastal counties) who cannot obtain coverage in the private market. Rates are filed with and APPROVED BY ALDOI before use. AIUA offers significant premium discounts for FORTIFIED construction and wind-mitigation features.
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedGulf hurricane and storm surge along the Baldwin/Mobile coast; tornado and severe storm inland (Alabama sits in Dixie Alley)
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedA resident PROPERTY AND CASUALTY producer license — plus a high school diploma, 3 years of recent full-time P&C experience, and a $50,000 bond
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedAlabama Life and Disability Insurance Guaranty Association (ALDIGA)
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000
- Annuity benefit limit tested$250,000 in present value of annuity benefits
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for basic hospital, medical-surgical, or major medical; $300,000 for disability income; $300,000 for long-term care; $100,000 for other health coverages
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 per life — except $500,000 where basic hospital/medical-surgical or major medical is involved. A single owner of multiple non-group life policies is capped at $5,000,000.
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedBroadly, yes — but with Alabama's own tiered health limits
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedAlabama Insurance Guaranty Association (AIGA)
- Per-claim cap tested**$300,000 per claim, OR the policy limits, whichever is LESS** — a policy with a $200,000 limit yields $200,000, not $300,000. **Workers' compensation claims are paid IN FULL with no cap.**
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? tested**No express prohibition found.** Neither Ala. Code ch. 42 (P&C) nor ch. 44 (Life & Disability) contains an advertising or sales-inducement prohibition, and neither does Reg 482-1-132 (Advertisements of Life Insurance and Annuities). Alabama appears to be an outlier — most states expressly ban it.
Workers Comp 7 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — for employers with FIVE or more employees
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedFive or more employees (full-time or part-time, including corporate officers and LLC members) — contractors excluded
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedAlabama Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Division
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested**66⅔%** of average weekly earnings at the time of injury, subject to the statutory maximum and minimum in Ala. Code § 25-5-68
- Deadline to file a claim tested**2 years** from the accident (or, for cumulative physical stress, 2 years from the date of injury). In death cases, 2 years from death. Where compensation payments have been made, the limitation period does not begin to run until the LAST payment.
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedPurchase coverage from a licensed insurer, qualify as an individual self-insurer, or join a group self-insurance fund
- Maximum and minimum weekly compensation tested**Maximum = 100% of the state average weekly wage; minimum = 27½% of the state average weekly wage.** The Secretary of Labor sets the state AWW **by 1 June annually, effective 1 July** for twelve months, and changes it only if the movement is at least $2. Because the bounds reset every July, **no fixed dollar figure should be published** — learn the formula.
Regulator 9 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe Alabama Department of Insurance (ALDOI)
- Title of the person who heads it testedCommissioner of Insurance
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body tested⭐ **Appointed by the Governor**, serving a term concurrent with the Governor's — **NOT elected**. Alabama is a conventional executive-branch department and is not in the elected-commissioner group with California, Georgia, North Carolina and Washington. This is a common error in secondary material and a reliable exam distractor.
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedTitle 27 of the Code of Alabama (the Alabama Insurance Code), with regulations at Chapter 482 of the Alabama Administrative Code
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedNo — a conventional executive-branch department
- How often the Commissioner must examine licensed insurers tested**At least once every five years** — *"shall, at a minimum, conduct an examination of every insurer licensed in this state not less frequently than once every five years."*
- Who is the agent for service of process on an insurer tested⭐ **A two-officer trap.** For an **authorized** insurer, every applicant for a certificate of authority appoints the **Commissioner** as its agent, and the appointment is **IRREVOCABLE**, binding successors, and remains in effect *"as long as there is outstanding in this state any obligation or liability of the insurer."* But for an **UNAUTHORIZED** insurer the agent is the **Secretary of State**.
- Domestic Abuse Insurance Protection Act tested**Title 27, Chapter 55 — named explicitly in ALDOI's Part IV exam outline.** Insurers may not deny, refuse to issue/renew/reissue, cancel, terminate, restrict or exclude coverage, deny a claim, or **add a premium differential** based on an insured's **abuse status** or on assisting abuse victims. Under § 27-55-3(c) an insurer cannot *"require an applicant to disclose information relating to acts of abuse or an applicant's abuse status"* in initial health underwriting.
- Alabama's unfair trade practice sections testedAla. Code ch. 27-12. **Twisting (§ 27-12-6)** is defined to include *"misleading incomplete comparisons"* made to induce a policyholder to *"lapse, forfeit, surrender, **retain**, exchange, or convert"* a policy — note Alabama expressly includes **retain**, broader than the national baseline. Companions: rebating § 27-12-12 (exceptions § 27-12-13), P&C inducements § 27-12-14, defamation § 27-12-9, boycott/coercion/intimidation § 27-12-8, false application statements § 27-12-23, refusal to pay or settle § 27-12-24, tie-in sales § 27-12-15.
Cancellation 9 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely tested**AUTO: 60 days.** The statutory list of permitted cancellation reasons does not apply to an auto liability policy in force less than 60 days (unless it is a renewal) — so within that window the insurer may cancel for any reason. **HOMEOWNERS: there is no initial window, because Alabama has NO residential property cancellation statute at all.**
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window tested20 days' notice before the effective date of cancellation
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested10 days' notice, and the notice MUST be accompanied by the reason
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes tested20 days' notice
- Notice days required for nonrenewal tested**HOMEOWNERS: no general individual nonrenewal statute.** The only binding rule is regulatory and applies to BLOCK / catastrophe-driven nonrenewals imposed on a 'category or group' of insureds: **120 days' written notice to the named insured**, and **150 days' written notice to the Commissioner**. **AUTO: NO statutory nonrenewal notice at all** — Ala. Code § 27-23-28 says in terms: *'Nothing in this article shall apply to nonrenewal.'*
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedOn request. If the reason is not included in the cancellation notice, the notice must state that the insurer will supply the reason if the insured asks IN WRITING at least 15 days before the effective date of cancellation. Separately, the Alabama Homeowners Policyholder Bill of Rights (Act 2012-510) gives homeowners the right to receive the reason for cancellation in writing.
- Restrictions on nonrenewing because of claims (e.g. weather claims excluded) testedALDOI has acted against disaster-driven cancellations through **Bulletin No. 2025-08** (dated 4 February 2026), *'Unlawful trade practices – property and automobile insurance – prohibition against certain cancellations, non-renewals, or premium increases.'* Reporting indicates it bars property insurers from canceling or non-renewing because of a natural disaster, or because of losses outside the line of business, and bars related premium increases or surcharges.
- How an insured obtains the reason for cancellation tested**On request, not automatically.** Outside nonpayment (where the reason must accompany the notice), if the cancellation notice does not state the reason it **must tell the insured the insurer will supply it on written request** — and the insured may ask in writing **not less than 15 days** before the effective date.
- Notice required for a BLOCK nonrenewal or coverage restriction tested**150 days' notice to the Commissioner and 120 days' notice to affected policyholders**, where an insurer restricts coverage at renewal or nonrenews **"a category or group of existing insureds."** This is the only binding Alabama nonrenewal rule — it does **not** reach an individual policyholder nonrenewed alone.
Licensing 36 facts
How you get and keep the license — exams, fees, applications, background checks.
- Is there a standalone life license/exam? testedYes — Life (125 questions, 150 minutes)
- Is there a standalone health license/exam? testedYes — Health (100 questions, 120 minutes)
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedYes — combined Life & Health (150 questions, 180 minutes)
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — Personal Lines (100 questions, 120 minutes)
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? tested**BOTH.** Alabama offers a combined **Property & Casualty** exam (150 questions, 3 hr, $75) and separate **Property** (100 questions, 2 hr, $50) and **Casualty** (125 questions, 2 hr 30 min, $50) exams. In practice the combination dominates: ALDOI's 2025 report records **1,800** combined P&C exams against **10** Property and **9** Casualty.
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — annuities are sold under the Life line of authority
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedNo — Personal Lines is a separate, narrower line of authority
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedLife · Accident and Health or Sickness (Disability) · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines · Variable Life and Variable Annuity · Credit · Bail Bond · Rental Vehicle · Crop · Portable Electronics · Travel
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) tested**The University of Alabama, College of Continuing Studies** — not Prometric, Pearson VUE or PSI. ALDOI's examinations page says so in terms: *"registration begins by clicking on the city to be directed to the University of Alabama web page (our exam vendor)."* Statutory authority to contract out: Ala. Code § 27-7-4.3. Exams run as **fixed-day, fixed-start-time sittings in college classrooms** in five cities, plus **online testing proctored by ProctorU**.
- Exam fee tested**$50** for a single-line exam (Life, Health, Property, Casualty, Personal Lines); **$75** for a combined Life & Health or Property & Casualty exam. The same fee applies whether you test in a classroom or online through ProctorU. Statutory cap: Ala. Code § 27-4-2 allows the commissioner to set an exam fee **not to exceed $100**. ProctorU sells optional expedited scheduling — "Take It Soon" +$8, "Take It Now" +$12.
- License application fee tested**$80 total** — a **$30 application fee plus a $50 license fee** under Ala. Code § 27-4-2 — plus a **$5 NIPR transaction fee** per ALDOI's published fee schedule. Business entities pay $30 + $100. The $80 covers **any number of lines selected on the same application**, but ALDOI warns that adding a line later means a fresh NIPR application with additional fees.
- Fee per insurer appointment tested$40 to file the initial notice of appointment; $25 annual continuation
- Passing score tested**A raw 70% — not a scaled score.** Rule 482-1-147-.06(4)(b): *"the sum of the values totaling 70 or more shall constitute a passing grade,"* and the outlines express the threshold as a raw count of correct answers — **105 of 150, 87 of 125, 70 of 100**. Note the rounding on the 125-question papers: 87 correct is **69.6%**, so ALDOI rounds down in the candidate's favour.
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — Alabama abolished the pre-licensing certificate requirement effective January 1, 2024
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone. (One vestige: Reg 482-1-147-.08(1)(b) still requires an applicant for a TEMPORARY producer license to be actively engaged in a prelicensing course — do not confuse the two.)
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedFingerprints — submitted to ALEA (Alabama Law Enforcement Agency) and the FBI
- Who takes the prints / issues the report tested**Fieldprint, and only Fieldprint** — *"the Department can only utilize fingerprints processed through Fieldprint."* Prints taken elsewhere, or through Fieldprint for a different purpose, are rejected. Applicants go straight to **fieldprintalabama.com**; **no state-issued service code, ORI or reason code exists** and none is published. **Fee: $49.20**, paid by the applicant directly to the vendor — ALDOI publishes no figure, so this one is vendor-set and can move without a rule change. Alabama uses **Livescan** (electronic capture), not mailed ink cards; **an appointment is required and walk-ins are not accepted**; and the programme is open only to individuals *"asked by one of the participating Alabama agencies to be fingerprinted."*
- How long the background report stays valid tested⭐ **Fingerprint results remain in ALDOI's system only 30 days.** If the NIPR application reaches the Department after that, you must be reprinted and pay again. ALDOI's instruction is to get fingerprinted *"after passing the state exam and one day before applying for the license"* — so the order is **pass → wait 3-5 business days → print → apply immediately.**
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedThe examination certificate is valid for ONE YEAR from the date of completion
- How long a passed exam remains valid tested1 year
- Waiting period before retaking a failed exam tested**No wait after the 1st failure** — re-register immediately. **90 days after the 2nd failure.** None after the 3rd. **180 days after the 4th** and for each further pair of attempts. ⭐ **The counter resets: "waiting periods expire 24 months after the date of the last failed examination."** Statutory basis: Ala. Code § 27-7-4.3 provides a three-month wait after two failures and six months after two further failures — the vendor's schedule is the operational expression of it. Each attempt is a separate fee; no re-application to ALDOI is needed to retest.
- Limit on number of attempts, if any tested**None.** Neither Ala. Code § 27-7-4.3 nor the vendor imposes a lifetime cap — only the escalating waiting periods, which themselves reset after 24 months.
- Rescheduling, cancellation and arrival rules tested⚠️ **RESCHEDULING IS NOT PERMITTED AT ALL.** Verbatim from the vendor: *"Once the exam is scheduled online and you have paid, you may not change your exam date, time or exam site."* Registration fees are **non-refundable**. Documented exceptions only: medical emergency, automobile accident, or death of an immediate family member, with documentation within 30 days. Register **at least 7 days in advance**; arrive **15 minutes early**; late arrivals are turned away. A **no-show does not count as an exam attempt**, though the fee is lost.
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) tested**NIPR** (nipr.com) is what ALDOI directs applicants to. **Sircon** also supports Alabama apply, renew, status checks, letters of certification and appointments. ALDOI's own **LicenseHub / Online Services** handles renewals, license printing, CE transcripts and status — not initial applications. ⚠️ ALDOI warns: *"If you fail to select all the lines of authority you wish to apply for, you will have to reapply through NIPR to add the line with additional fees."*
- Are temporary licenses available? testedYes — a 6-month temporary producer license, sponsored and paid for by an appointing insurer
- Temporary license duration and training requirement testedMaximum 6 months, non-renewable, ONCE IN A LIFETIME per line of authority. Alabama residents only. The insurer sponsors, appoints, and pays the $120 fee. It converts automatically to a full producer license if the holder passes the exam AND submits fingerprints before it expires.
- Is online / remote proctored testing available?**Yes — proctored by ProctorU**, and exams *"can be scheduled for any time,"* which is a real advantage over Alabama's fixed-day classroom sittings. Scheduling details arrive by email from noreply@proctoru.com the **next business day** after you register. Requires a **desktop or laptop with camera and microphone**; ⚠️ **Chromebooks are NOT permitted.** Same fee as in person ($50 / $75). ID rules are stricter online: *"only valid driver's licenses, passports, or government photo identification … current (not expired) and … a hard copy."*
- Identification required on exam day**One valid photo ID.** The vendor lists acceptable types — a valid driver's license or non-driver photo ID, a valid passport, a military ID, or an **employee ID card** — and nowhere requires two documents. Arrive **15 minutes early**: *"if you arrive at the exam site after the proctor has started the exam, or if you do not have the required identification, you will not be permitted to take the test."* Online sessions do **not** accept an employee ID.
- Where the exams are held**Five cities, in borrowed college classrooms** — Birmingham (Jefferson State CC, Lurleen Wallace Bldg Rm 322, 2601 Carson Rd), Huntsville (UAH, Wilson Hall Rm 214, 960 Ben Graves Dr), Mobile (Bishop State CC, 351 N Broad St Rm 159), Tuscaloosa (University Hall, 275 Kilgore Ln) and Montgomery (Alabama State University, Ralph Abernathy Annex, 1625 Harris Way) — plus **online via ProctorU**. Sessions run on fixed days at fixed start times, not as continuous appointment windows. ⚠️ The vendor's static page still shows Montgomery as unavailable while its live catalog accepts Montgomery bookings.
- Do professional designations waive the licensing exam? tested⛔ **No — and this is a common error in secondary content.** Rule 482-1-147-.06(3)(a) lists exam exemptions **by line of authority only** (variable products, credit, rental vehicle, crop, portable electronics, travel, legal services, dental services, motor club, self-service storage). **No professional designation appears in it.** CPCU, CIC, CLU, ChFC, CFP, RHU, REBC, CHC and ARM waive **continuing education** under a different rule in a different chapter (482-1-110-.03(3)). **FLMI and LUTCF appear in neither list and waive nothing in Alabama.**
- Exam waiver for producers licensed in another state tested⭐ **Waived where the home-state license is CURRENT, or was CANCELLED WITHIN THE PAST 90 DAYS**, for out-of-state licensed producers (Rule 482-1-147-.06(3)(b)-(c)). Nonresidents apply through NIPR or Sircon and ordinarily take no Alabama exam; nonresident CE is satisfied by meeting home-state requirements. Ala. Code § 27-7-4.2 separately lets a nonresident place multistate **commercial** P&C risks without an Alabama license in defined circumstances.
- Deadline to file a producer appointment, and to report a termination tested**15 days** — an insurer files the notice of appointment *"within 15 days from the date the agency contract is executed or the first insurance application is submitted, **whichever occurs first**"* (§ 27-7-30). The **dual trigger** is the tested nuance. On termination the insurer mails a copy of the notification to the producer within **15 days**, and the producer then has **30 days** to file written comments (§ 27-7-30.1). Appointment fees: **$40** to file, **$25** annual continuation, and late filing costs **$250 plus a further $250 per additional month**.
- How long producers must retain transaction records tested**3 years** — **2 years** for business produced under **limited lines credit** authority — kept at the place of business. The producer must furnish **verified copies to the commissioner** on request and **exhibit the records to insureds** during business hours. That second duty, disclosure to the customer rather than the regulator, is the commonly missed half.
- Published first-time pass rates by lineALDOI publishes an annual examination report. **2025 first-time rates:** Life **65%**, Health **65%**, Life & Health **62%**, Property **71%** (only 7 candidates), Casualty **50%** (only 6), Property & Casualty **56%**, Personal Lines **52%** — the lowest. Across all lines: 6,188 first-time exams, 61% passed.
- Proof of citizenship requirementA separate document from the fingerprint check, with a **10-day deadline** once requested. ALDOI: *"your license will not be issued until this documentation is received."* ALDOI also asks candidates to *"allow 3-5 business days"* after passing before applying, so the exam result can post.