What This License Is
A Connecticut Life license lets you sell life insurance and annuity products to people and businesses in Connecticut. It is issued by the Connecticut Insurance Department.
Licensing runs through the same process as every Connecticut producer line — the difference is the focused Life exam. Note that Connecticut requires 20 hours of pre-licensing education for this line before you can sit for the exam.
Exam Options & Format
The Life exam is Life Producer (Series 12-CT-01): 85 total (75 scored: 50 general + 25 Connecticut; 10 pretest) questions, 2 hr, $65 per attempt. Passing standard: 70%.
Connecticut also offers the combined exam (Life, Accident & Health Producer (Series 12-CT-03): 95 total (80 scored) questions, 2 hr 30 min, $105), which licenses both lines in one sitting. If there is any chance you will sell health products later, the combined exam is usually the better value.
Who Can Get Licensed
Connecticut's baseline requirements are short. You must be at least 18 years old, be financially responsible and of good moral character, finish any required pre-licensing education, pass the exam for the line you want, and apply online through NIPR.
Connecticut also asks resident applicants to be able to show proof of in-state residency. There's no fingerprinting step for producers — that's a frequent point of confusion because so many states require it, but the CID confirms producers do not submit fingerprints or a separate background check.
Pre-Licensing Education
Connecticut requires 40 hours of approved pre-licensing education for the combined Life, Accident & Health path (single lines are 20 hours each). Courses can be classroom, online, or self-study (correspondence) — your choice.
Your completion certificate is valid for one year, and you must bring the original certificate (or an approved waiver letter) to the test center on exam day. Show up without it and you'll be turned away and forfeit the fee, so treat it like your ticket in.
TESTivity recommends [Achievable](https://app.achievable.me/study/insurance-life/purchase#a_aid=getthelicense) to satisfy your Connecticut pre-licensing requirement. Achievable is an approved provider, its insurance courses were built by the same subject-matter expert behind TESTivity, and completing the Achievable course earns you the certificate of completion Connecticut requires.
One important distinction: TESTivity is not an approved pre-licensing provider in Connecticut and does not issue certificates of completion. The TESTivity learning tools and study packages will absolutely help you pass the exam — but treat them as a supplement to your Achievable course, not a substitute for it.
Disclosure: TESTivity has a partnership with Achievable and may earn a commission if you enroll through links on this page.
Applying for Your License
Once you pass, your result uploads to NIPR in about 1–3 business days. Then you apply online at www.nipr.com (select "Apply for a License") — Connecticut does not accept paper applications.
The resident individual producer application fee is $140. After the CID issues your license you can print or download it from the department's website. From passing to license-in-hand, most candidates land in the 2–4 week range.
What It Costs
The Life, Accident & Health combined exam (12-CT-03) is $105. Single lines run $65 each — but two single exams cost more than one combined, so the combined exam is usually the better deal if you want both.
Add the $140 NIPR application fee, plus whatever your pre-licensing provider charges for the 40-hour course. There's no fingerprinting fee in Connecticut because there's no fingerprinting step. Renewal later is $160 (every two years), or $320 if you're late.
Renewal & Continuing Education
Connecticut producer licenses are good for two years and expire on the last day of your birth month. You renew online through NIPR — and you must finish and post your CE before you can submit the renewal fee.
The CE requirement is 24 hours per two-year cycle: 3 of those hours must be in ethics, laws, or regulations, and at least 6 hours must be in a line of authority you actually hold (for a combined license, 6 in each line held). Up to 24 hours can carry forward, but you can't repeat the same course inside one renewal period.
Two product-specific training gates apply on the life and health side: before you can sell annuities you must complete a one-time, state-approved 4-hour Annuity Best Interest course, and before you sell or solicit Connecticut Partnership long-term care policies you must complete the one-time LTC Partnership certification training. Both can count toward your 24 hours.
Connecticut Quirks Worth Knowing
A few things set Connecticut apart from the average state, and they're exactly the kind of details the state portion likes to test.
No fingerprinting for producers. The combined L&H exam's general portion is unusually short at 50 scored questions (the P&C combined general portion is twice that). Renewal is tied to your birth month, not a fixed calendar date. And Connecticut layers on the annuity Best Interest and LTC Partnership training gates that you'll want on your radar the moment you plan to sell those products.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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