Georgia Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Georgia-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Georgia exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Georgia exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Georgia insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Georgia-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 133 facts from the TESTivity Georgia 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 15 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period tested2 years from the date of issue
- Grace period for individual life testedNot less than 30 days
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy testedWithin 3 years of premium default, on evidence of insurability and payment of overdue premiums
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedOverdue premiums bear interest not exceeding 6% per year, compounded annually
- Suicide exclusion period testedUp to 2 years from the date of issue — 'death within two years from the date of issue of the policy as a result of suicide, while sane or insane.' Group insurance, reinsurance and annuities are excepted
- Free look for individual life tested10 days from receipt of the policy, with a full premium refund — and the returned policy is 'void from the beginning'
- Free look when a policy is being replaced testedStill 10 days. Georgia never adopted the NAIC model's extended replacement free look — Subject 120-2-24 imposes notice, signature and record duties on the agent but creates no additional right to return
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care (O.C.G.A. § 33-42-6(f)); 30 days for Medicare supplement (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 120-2-8-.17(1)(e))
- Required nonforfeiture options testedCash surrender value, reduced paid-up insurance, extended term insurance
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedThe Life license plus FINRA securities registration; Variable Products is a separate Georgia line that requires holding Life
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedYes — the Life Settlements Act (that is the statutory short title; 'Georgia Life Settlements Act' is informal usage)
- Viator's rescission window tested15 days — the owner may rescind 'on or before 15 days after the date it is executed by all parties.' The matching disclosure duty sits in § 33-59-9(a)(5)
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — Georgia adopted the NAIC best interest standard as Rule 120-2-94 (Suitability in Annuity Transactions), effective AUGUST 1, 2023 (six months after its February 1, 2023 adoption). Producers licensed before that date had to complete the Annuity Best Interest course by January 31, 2024
- May the insurer defer a policy loan? testedYes — up to 6 months, unless the loan is to pay a premium
- Agent duties when replacing a life policy testedPresent the Replacement Notice (Exhibit A or substantially similar) 'not later than at the time of taking the application,' obtain both signatures and leave a copy; obtain a signed applicant statement on whether replacement is involved plus the agent's own signed statement; leave copies of all written or printed advertisements used; and compile a list of the existing insurance to be replaced by insurer, insured and policy number. The insurer furnishes a policy summary statement within 10 working days
Health 18 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedNO full expansion — instead Georgia runs the limited 'Georgia Pathways to Coverage' program (a Section 1115 demonstration covering adults up to 100% of the poverty level who meet an 80-hour-per-month activity requirement)
- Agency administering Medicaid testedGeorgia Medicaid (with managed care delivered through Georgia Families), administered by the Department of Community Health
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA STATE-BASED exchange — 'Georgia Access.' Georgia left the federal HealthCare.gov platform and launched its own state-based exchange for plan year 2025.
- Name of the state CHIP program testedPeachCare for Kids (Georgia's CHIP)
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested15 working days to pay or deny an electronic clean claim
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested30 calendar days to pay or deny a paper clean claim
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedYes — 15 working days electronic, 30 calendar days paper
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment tested12% per year interest on overdue clean claims; an administrative penalty applies if an insurer fails to process at least 95% of claims on time in a quarter
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES — under the Patient's Right to Independent Review Act, an Independent Review Organization decision favorable to the enrollee is final and binding on the insurer (expedited decisions within 72 hours)
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20+ employees; Georgia's continuation fills the gap for smaller groups
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedGeorgia continuation applies to group coverage; the insured must have been continuously covered for at least 6 months
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedThe fractional policy month remaining at termination plus 3 additional policy months. Members 60 or older, and divorced or surviving spouses, get an open-ended extension under § 33-24-21.2 capped at 120% of the group rate
- Max premium as % of group rate testedAt the SAME RATE charged for active group members, plus any share the employer no longer contributes — NOT 120%. The 120% cap belongs to the separate age-60+ extension in § 33-24-21.2
- Autism spectrum disorder coverage mandate testedCoverage required for an individual 20 years of age or under; the policy may limit applied behavior analysis to $35,000 per year. (The 'age 6 / $30,000' figures are pre-2019 law, superseded effective January 1, 2019)
- Medicare supplement open enrollment testedSix months, beginning the first day of the first month in which the individual is both 65 or older AND enrolled in Medicare Part B. During it the insurer may not deny, condition, or price-discriminate on health status. Georgia has NO birthday rule and no annual guaranteed-issue window — the only other path is the event-triggered guaranteed issue in Rule 120-2-8-.12
- Long-term care partnership and producer training testedGeorgia runs a qualified state long-term care partnership program. Producers must complete at least 8 hours of initial training and at least 4 hours every 24 months thereafter; the insurer must verify the training before allowing the agent to sell and must retain the records for five years
- Accident & sickness grace period testedTiered by premium mode: 7 days for weekly premium policies, 10 days for monthly, 30 days for all others
- Notice of claim and proof of loss deadlines testedNotice of claim within 20 days after the occurrence or commencement of loss, or as soon as reasonably possible; proof of loss within 90 days. Time limit on certain defenses is 2 years
Auto 11 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedFault-based (tort). Georgia repealed no-fault effective October 1, 1991 and has no mandatory PIP
- 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. The limits live in § 33-7-11(a)(1)(A); § 33-34-4 imposes the owner's duty to carry them and § 40-9-37(a) cross-references the same figures. § 40-6-10 is the proof-of-insurance and penalty section, not the limits section
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedMust be OFFERED in an amount equal to the liability limits; the insured may choose lower limits, and any rejection of UM must be IN WRITING
- Underinsured motorist status testedTwo forms, and Georgia DEFAULTS to the broader one. Add-on ('excess') UM applies 'as additional insurance coverage in excess of any available bodily injury liability and property damage liability insurance coverages.' The insured may instead 'affirmatively choose' reduced / difference-in-limits coverage in writing
- Personal injury protection status testedNo mandatory PIP. Georgia repealed its no-fault system by Ga. L. 1991, p. 1608, § 1.12, effective October 1, 1991; medical payments coverage is available but optional
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedModified comparative negligence with a 50% BAR — 'the plaintiff shall not be entitled to receive any damages if the plaintiff is 50 percent or more responsible for the injury or damages claimed.' Most neighboring states use a 51% bar
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative tested50% bar — a claimant 50% or more at fault recovers nothing
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe Georgia Automobile Insurance Plan (assigned risk). Participation is mandatory — 'all such insurance companies shall subscribe thereto and participate therein.' A driver with no traffic offenses and no at-fault claims for three years is NOT eligible unless investigation shows why ordinary coverage is unavailable; appeals go to the Commissioner, then superior court within 10 days
CE & Renewal 8 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedTwo years (the license renews biennially by the last day of the licensee's birth month)
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedBiennial, tied to the last day of the licensee's birth month; the renewal window opens 60 days before expiration and the fee is $100 ($200 with Variable Products) plus $5 processing
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 hours every two years for a resident licensee licensed fewer than 20 years
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) testedStill 24 total (20 for those licensed 20+ years) — the requirement attaches to the licensee, so holding more lines never multiplies the hours
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours of ethics per renewal, within the total
- Limits on course credit hours testedA PER-COURSE approval cap, not a per-cycle limit: no single course may be approved for more than 24 hours of classroom instruction or 12 hours of self-study/online instruction. Nothing caps how much of the 24-hour requirement may be completed online
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedThe license cannot be renewed until CE is satisfied, and non-compliance inactivates it. A late renewal may be filed with a late fee within 15 days of the last day of the birth month; after that the license expires. Reinstatement carries a $150 penalty, requires new fingerprints if filed 6 or more months after expiration, and is unavailable after 1 year — at which point the licensee must reapply
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedLicensees at 20+ years need only 20 hours (an automatic 4-hour reduction effective 2026). Designation holders — CPCU, CLU, FLMI, CIC, CEBS, ChFC, AAI, CFP, CRM, CISR, or a BBA in risk management and insurance — need 12 hours including 3 ethics, claimed on Form GID-101E-AL. Nonresidents are treated as compliant if their home state requires CE AND reciprocates with Georgia licensees in the same manner
Property 11 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedSPLIT, not uniform. Private passenger auto at the mandatory minimum limits is prior approval with a deemer — effective on approval or after 45 days without disapproval, extendable by up to 55 more days (§ 33-9-21(b)(1)). ALL OTHER personal private passenger auto is file-and-use, effective 60 days after filing without approval (§ 33-9-21(b)(2)). Rates must not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPermitted but restricted: an insurer may not use an insurance score calculated from income, gender, race, address, ZIP code, ethnic group, religion, marital status or nationality, and may not deny, cancel or nonrenew a personal insurance policy solely on credit information
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedYES. Chapter 33-33 is titled 'Fair Access to Insurance Requirements'; the association operating the plan is the Georgia Underwriting Association. Membership is MANDATORY — every insurer writing property insurance in Georgia 'shall be required to become and remain a member of the plan' as a condition of its authority to transact property insurance business
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedGeorgia Underwriting Association (the Georgia FAIR Plan). Note the name is the association's own — the Code refers only to 'the plan and the underwriting association'
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedCoastal hurricane and windstorm along Georgia's Atlantic shore, plus tornado and hail inland. § 33-33-2 leaves the covered perils to the plan document rather than the statute; per OCI, the GUA writes building and personal property against fire, lightning, removal, windstorm, hail, explosion, riot, smoke, aircraft and vehicles, with vandalism and — in coastal areas — wind-only supplements available
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedAn active Georgia resident agent license as to PROPERTY, CASUALTY AND SURETY, plus a separate surplus lines broker license — with a $50,000 bond and a written competency examination
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes — the insured or the insured's agent must have 'made an effort to procure the desired' coverage from authorized insurers first. Georgia sets no numeric count of declinations, and the search is WAIVED entirely for an exempt commercial purchaser who requests nonadmitted placement in writing (§ 33-5-21(b))
- Is a standard fire policy form required? testedYes — fire policies must 'conform as to all provisions and the sequence of the standard or uniform form prescribed by the Commissioner,' excepting approved multiple-line forms. The form itself is Rule 120-2-19-.01. Casualty, marine and crop insurance are excluded
- Is the amount of insurance conclusive as to value? testedYes for certain fire policies — Georgia makes the amount of insurance conclusive as to the value of the property insured
- Surplus lines premium tax rate and who remits it tested4 percent of premium, remitted by the SURPLUS LINE BROKER quarterly on or before the fifteenth of April, July, October and January with the quarterly affidavit
- Duty to check the nonadmitted insurer testedThe broker 'shall ascertain the financial condition of the unauthorized insurer before placing insurance' and may not place with an insurer below the statutory capital-and-surplus minimum
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedGeorgia Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association — 'a nonprofit, unincorporated association'
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000 in life insurance death benefits
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values for life insurance
- Annuity benefit limit tested$300,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, but not more than $250,000 in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for HEALTH BENEFIT PLANS (the defined term); $300,000 each for disability income insurance, long-term care insurance, and other health insurance. Georgia does NOT use the older NAIC phrasing 'basic hospital, medical and surgical or major medical'
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 aggregate per life — except up to $500,000 where a health benefit plan is involved. Two further caps: $5 million for one owner of multiple nongroup life policies, and $5 million per contract owner or plan sponsor on unallocated annuity contracts
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedYes — standard NAIC model limits, with tiered health
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedGeorgia Insurers Insolvency Pool — property and casualty only. It excludes life and annuities, health and disability (except auto-related), title, surety and fidelity bonds, credit insurance and collateral protection insurance. Claims must be filed by the EARLIER of 18 months after the liquidation order or the court's bar date (§ 33-36-11)
- Per-claim cap testedCovered claims are capped at the lesser of the policy limits or $300,000. Claims under $50 are excluded and a claim of $50 or more is paid in full up to the cap. Unearned premium claims are capped at $20,000. First-party claims are excluded where the insured's net worth exceeds $10 million, third-party where it exceeds $25 million. WORKERS' COMPENSATION third-party claims are expressly excluded from the $300,000 cap
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes — using the existence of the guaranty association to sell or solicit insurance is prohibited (penalty up to $1,000 per violation, $10,000 maximum)
Workers Comp 8 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — mandatory for employers with 3 or more employees
- Employee count at which coverage is required tested3 or more employees (counting regular and part-time)
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedThe Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested66⅔% of the average weekly wage, capped at $800 per week (for injuries on or after July 1, 2023), with a $50 weekly minimum and a 7-day waiting period
- Maximum TTD duration testedUp to 400 weeks for a non-catastrophic injury (unlimited for a catastrophic injury)
- Deadline to file a claim testedReport the injury to the employer within 30 days; file a claim within 1 year of the injury (or within 1 year of the last remedial treatment, or 2 years of the last income-benefit payment)
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedInsure with a licensed carrier, or qualify as an approved self-insurer
- Choice of treating physician testedThe employer must post a panel of AT LEAST SIX physicians reasonably accessible to employees, at least one practicing orthopedic surgery, with no more than two industrial clinics. The employee selects from the panel and may make ONE change to another panel physician without prior board approval. The alternative is a certified workers' compensation managed care organization. If no valid panel is maintained, the employee may select any physician at the employer's expense
Regulator 9 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (the Department of Insurance)
- Title of the person who heads it testedCommissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire — who also serves as the State Fire Marshal (the 'Safety Fire' role)
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedELECTED by the voters of Georgia to a four-year term — not appointed by the Governor
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedTitle 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.), with regulations in Chapter 120 of the Georgia Comp. Rules & Regulations
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedYES — Georgia's insurance regulator is also the STATE FIRE MARSHAL. The elected Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire runs both insurance regulation and the state's fire-safety and inspections functions.
- Where unfair trade practices are enumerated testedO.C.G.A. § 33-6-4 — deceptive advertising, misrepresentation, defamation of an insurer, boycott/coercion/intimidation, false financial statements and entries, unfair discrimination (including on race, color, or national or ethnic origin), REBATING at (8)(B), tying arrangements, falsely representing employment by Medicare or the Social Security Administration, deceptive marketing to service members, and discrimination against family violence or sexual assault victims
- Is there a separate unfair claims settlement statute? testedYes — Article 2 of Chapter 6, §§ 33-6-30 through 33-6-37, distinct from the unfair trade practices in § 33-6-4. Conduct is improper only if 'committed flagrantly and in conscious disregard' of Title 33 or 'with such frequency so as to indicate a general business practice.' § 33-6-37 states the article creates NO private cause of action
- Bad faith failure to pay a claim testedRefusal to pay within 60 days after a demand exposes the insurer to a penalty of not more than 50 percent of its liability for the loss or $5,000, whichever is greater, plus all reasonable attorney's fees
- Monetary penalty the Commissioner may impose testedUp to $2,000 for each act in violation, rising to $5,000 per act where the person knew or reasonably should have known of the violation; plus suspension or revocation and, for violation of a cease and desist order, up to $10,000 per act
Cancellation 10 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely tested60 days. For residential property, only after coverage has been in effect more than 60 days (or after a renewal's effective date) does cancellation narrow to the enumerated grounds — nonpayment, fraud or concealment or material misrepresentation, a substantial change in the hazard, or violation of material policy terms. For auto, § 33-24-45 simply does not apply to a policy in effect less than 60 days unless it is a renewal. The 60-day rule restricts the GROUNDS; it never removes the notice requirement
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window tested30 days generally, 10 days for nonpayment or where the policy has been in effect less than 60 days. Separately, any REDUCTION IN COVERAGE requires 30 days' written notice in a separate document headed 'NOTICE OF REDUCTION IN COVERAGE' in all capitals, at least 12-point type
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window tested30 days generally, 10 days for nonpayment or where the policy has been in effect less than 60 days (§ 33-24-44). § 33-24-45 supplies the permitted grounds after 60 days, the 30-day nonrenewal notice, and the 30-day separate-document notice of any reduction in coverage
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment testedAt least 10 days prior to the effective date, where cancellation is for nonpayment of premium OR where the policy has been in effect less than 60 days
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes testedNot less than 30 days from the date of mailing or delivery in person — the general rule for all other cancellations
- Notice days required for nonrenewal testedNot less than 30 days' advance notice of nonrenewal for both personal auto and residential property, with the reason stated
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedYes — the insurer must provide the reason for cancellation and for nonrenewal, 'as required by Chapter 39 of this title' (the Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act)
- Notice days for commercial cancellation and nonrenewal tested45 days for commercial risks — covering cancellation, nonrenewal, and any premium increase (other than one due to a change in risk or exposure) exceeding 15 percent of the current premium. Workers' compensation gets 75 days. A reduction in coverage requires 45 days in a separate 'NOTICE OF REDUCTION IN COVERAGE' document. This section expressly does NOT apply to personal auto or personal property and casualty policies
- Refund of unearned premium on cancellation testedRefunded pro rata; an agent holding it must return it within 10 working days, with a penalty of 25 percent plus 18 percent annual interest (capped at 50 percent of the refund) for failure
- First-party claim handling deadlines testedAcknowledge the claim within 15 days; furnish proof-of-loss forms within 15 days; determine liability within 15 days of completed proof of loss on a motor vehicle claim or 60 days on fire and extended coverage (30 days where no proof of loss is required); pay within 10 days after coverage is confirmed and the amount is determined and undisputed; notify within 5 business days if more time is needed, with a 60-day outer limit. Denials must cite the specific policy provision, condition or exclusion in writing
Licensing 33 facts
How you get and keep the license — exams, fees, applications, background checks.
- Is there a standalone life license/exam? testedYes — a Life line with its own exam
- Is there a standalone health license/exam? testedYes — an Accident and Sickness line with its own exam
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedYes — Georgia offers a combined Life, Accident and Sickness course and combination examination for those pursuing both lines
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — a genuine standalone Personal Lines line of authority with its own rule (120-2-3-.14), its own 8-hour course and its own exam (12-GA-55): 'property and casualty insurance coverage sold to individuals and families for primarily noncommercial purposes'
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? testedGeorgia OFFERS separate Property (12-GA-03) and Casualty (12-GA-04) exams as an alternative to the combined Property & Casualty exam (12-GA-06) — but it does NOT issue the licenses separately: 'you must select both Property and Casualty when applying. We do not license just Property or just Casualty.' Personal Lines (12-GA-55) is a genuine standalone line
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — annuities are sold under the Life line (Variable Products require the Life license plus FINRA registration)
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedYes — the full Property & Casualty license covers personal-lines risks; the Personal Lines license is a narrower subset for those who sell only personal lines
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedRule 120-2-3-.06(1) lists: Life; Accident and sickness; Property; Casualty; Variable products; Personal lines; Credit; and any other line permitted by Georgia law. OCI's issued license types are Life, Accident and Sickness, Property and Casualty (together), Personal Lines, Variable Products, Credit, Title, Travel — plus Surplus Lines broker (requires P&C), Adjuster, and Counselor credentials
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE, at physical test centers only — Georgia Insurance is not on Pearson VUE's OnVUE remote-proctoring program list and the candidate handbook makes no provision for remote testing
- License application fee tested$120 for a resident agent license — $100 for the new license, a $15 application fee, and a $5 state processing fee. The fee attaches to the license, not to the number of lines
- Fee per insurer appointment tested$10 per appointment
- Passing score tested70% — a raw percentage, not a scaled score. 'The passing grade on examinations for licenses shall be seventy percent (70%)'
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18, and the applicant must reside and be present in Georgia at least six months of every year and be of good character
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedYES — Georgia requires pre-licensing education: 'all prelicensing courses must contain a minimum of eight (8) hours of instruction per major line of authority.' The certificate is valid 12 months
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) tested8 hours per major line — Life 8, Accident & Sickness 8, Property 8, Casualty 8, Personal Lines 8 — so Life/A&S is 16 and Property & Casualty is 16. Variable Products adds 8 (Rule 120-2-3-.23); Credit is 5 hours self-study; Title and Travel require none. The 20-hour figure in Chapter 120-2-3 applies to LIMITED SUBAGENT combination-line courses, not to agents
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedFingerprinting is REQUIRED for new resident applicants — electronic fingerprints through IdentoGO, the GBI's approved vendor, under OCI service code 2TGJ6B. The application must be filed FIRST: 'a registration for an appointment will not be approved until after you have applied for your license'
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedIdentoGO by IDEMIA, the GBI's approved fingerprint vendor. Service code 2TGJ6B is a shared, publicly published code for insurance licensing — not a per-applicant code issued after application
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedSircon (sircon.com/georgia) for ALL resident applications — 'as of April 1, all resident applications must be submitted via Sircon.com/Georgia,' and NIPR states that 'resident license transactions are not available through NIPR' for Georgia. Nonresidents use NIPR. There is no paper option
- Are temporary licenses available? testedYes — on the death, disability or termination of an agent (to wind up the business, with no authority to write new accounts), or at an insurer's request to train an individual under supervision. 6 months, renewable in 3-month periods, to a 15-month maximum. Rule 120-2-3-.40 limits an applicant to ONE 15-month temporary license IN THE SAME LINES OF AUTHORITY — not one per lifetime
- Temporary license duration and training requirement tested6 months initially, renewable in 3-month increments to 15 months maximum; fee $80. Eligible lines are Life, Accident & Sickness, Property, Casualty and Personal Lines — note Property and Casualty ARE separately issuable as temporary lines even though OCI will not license them separately on a permanent basis. Temporary applicants are exempt from prelicensing and examination
- Designation-based exam waivers testedGeorgia waives the EXAM itself, not merely prelicensing. Agent life / accident & sickness: CLU or FLMI. Agent property & casualty: CPCU. Counselor: CIC, AAI, REBC, CPCU, CLU or FLMI. Limited Health Counselor: CIC, CLU, FLMI, REBC or RHU, or 5 years' experience as an A&S agent. Workers' Comp Adjuster: CWCP. Adjuster: UCC. Also exempt: a Ph.D. in Risk Management, salaried insurer adjusters, temporary/credit/workers' comp applicants, and persons previously licensed in another state applying within 90 days of cancellation in good standing
- Pre-licensing course exemptions testedProperty/casualty lines: CPCU, CIC, CISR or CRM. Life/health lines: CLU or FLMI. Also: temporary license applicants; credit insurance agent applicants; two college or university insurance courses related to the lines applied for; a college degree in insurance; applicants qualifying under O.C.G.A. § 33-23-5(a)(5)(A)/(B); and Commissioner discretion. Note CISR and CRM appear on the COURSE list only — they do not waive the exam
- How long a passing exam score stays valid tested12 months — 'a person who has not filed an application within twelve (12) months of the date of receiving a passing exam score will be required to retake the examination.' The Pearson VUE candidate handbook is silent on this
- Retake waiting periods and attempt limits testedA failed candidate may schedule within one day but must wait 14 days to retest after attempts one and two, and 60 days after the third and any subsequent attempt. There is no limit on the number of attempts. A candidate who took prelicensing through an INDEPENDENT provider and fails three times must take the course from a DIFFERENT provider before retesting
- Exam fee per attempt tested$67 per attempt for every producer line, non-refundable. Note O.C.G.A. § 33-8-1(3) sets a $25 statutory examination fee — that is not what a candidate pays Pearson VUE
- Citizenship affidavit requirement testedEvery new applicant must upload a completed, NOTARIZED Citizenship Affidavit (GID-276-EN) with a copy of the front of an acceptable identification document; the application cannot be processed without it. If an online notary is used, proof of that process must accompany the affidavit
- Deadline for a producer moving to Georgia tested90 days. Request a letter of clearance, confirm the prior license is inactive, and apply via Sircon within 90 days of that date — 'this must be done within that time period to be exempted from pre-licensing courses, exams and fingerprinting.' Separately, O.C.G.A. § 33-23-16(c) requires a change of address and home-state certification within 30 days of a change in legal residence
- Basis for nonresident licensing testedConditional reciprocity — the applicant must be currently licensed and in good standing in the home state, and that state must award nonresident licenses to Georgia residents 'on the same basis.' No Georgia exam, except where the applicant's home state does not require a license to transact the business at all
- Is a carrier appointment required, and what does it cost? testedYes — 'each insurer authorized to transact insurance in this state shall obtain an agent's certificate of authority for each agent representing such insurer.' The insurer files it and pays $10. The appointment is effective immediately upon submission, EXCEPT that for a first-time applicant it cannot take effect until the license is granted. Termination must be reported within 30 days
- How long producer records must be kept testedFive years, 'beginning immediately after the completion of the transaction or the term of the contract, whichever is greater'
- Is countersignature by a resident agent required? testedNo — § 33-23-32 is captioned 'Resident agent countersigning not required; exceptions; commissions'
- Penalty for transacting without a license testedWillful violation of the licensing requirement is a MISDEMEANOR. Monetary penalties run up to $2,000 for each act, rising to $5,000 per act where the person knew or reasonably should have known of the violation. No insurer or agent may pay commissions to an unlicensed person
- Typical application processing time testedAbout 14 business days for a complete application. An incomplete application is closed after 60 days and the application fee is forfeited