Rhode Island Insurance Exam Guides
Pick the license you're studying for. Each guide covers Rhode Island-specific requirements, fees, and official links — plus a free practice exam. Then scroll down to explore the Rhode Island exam's state-law material, mapped.
Free study resource
What's actually tested on the Rhode Island exam — the state regulations, mapped
Every Rhode Island insurance exam reserves a block of questions for Rhode Island-specific law — the fees, deadlines, limits, and rules that generic national study guides gloss over. This is that material: 149 facts from the TESTivity Rhode Island 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 18 facts
The life insurance rules that differ by state — free look, grace, reinstatement.
- Incontestability period tested2 years — a policy is incontestable after it has been in force for 2 years during the insured's lifetime (except for nonpayment of premium)
- Grace period for individual life tested31 days (one month) for any premium after the first, during which the policy stays in force
- Window to reinstate a lapsed policy testedNot fixed by statute - chapter 27-4 contains no life reinstatement provision at all, so the policy terms control. The contrast is instructive: §27-18-3(a)(4) DOES mandate a Reinstatement provision for individual accident and sickness policies
- Max interest chargeable on reinstatement, if capped testedThe rate specified in the policy — Rhode Island fixes no statutory maximum reinstatement interest rate
- Suicide exclusion period testedUp to 2 years, and the provision is PERMISSIVE rather than mandatory - §27-4-6.2(b) says a policy MAY contain a suicide provision and caps it at 2 years if it does. Where it applies the minimum settlement is a refund of premiums paid less dividends, indebtedness and partial withdrawals, so the beneficiary never receives nothing
- Free look for individual life tested20 days minimum to return an individual life policy or individual annuity contract delivered after 1 January 2008, and the policy may be returned to the insurer OR to the producer through whom it was applied for - then it is void from the beginning. The older 10-day limb still governs pre-2008 contracts
- Free look for annuities tested15 days minimum where the Buyer's Guide and disclosure document were NOT delivered at or before application - and it runs concurrently with other free-look protections, so on an individual annuity the operative period is the 20 days of §27-4-6.1, which covers annuity contracts in the same sentence as life policies
- Free look when a policy is being replaced tested30 days - a replacement sale carries its own unconditional refund right, separate from and longer than the 20-day general free look. The duty is on the REPLACING insurer, which must notify the owner of the right to return the contract within 30 days of delivery and receive a full refund of all premiums paid
- Free look for long-term care tested30 days for long-term care, from receipt of the policy, certificate, or rider
- Required nonforfeiture options testedCash surrender value, reduced paid-up insurance, and extended term insurance, under Rhode Island's Standard Nonforfeiture Law
- Registrations required to sell variable products testedVariable life and variable annuities require the Rhode Island Life line plus a Variable Life & Variable Annuity line of authority and FINRA registration (a Series 6 or 7 with a Series 63) — they are securities
- Does the state regulate viatical/life settlements? testedYes — Rhode Island regulates viatical and life settlements under the Life Settlements Act (Chapter 27-72); providers and brokers must be licensed
- Viator's rescission window testedThe owner may rescind on or before 15 days after the settlement contract is executed by all parties; if the insured dies within the window, the contract is deemed rescinded, subject to repayment
- Has the state adopted the NAIC best interest standard? testedYES — Rhode Island adopted the NAIC 2020 best interest annuity standard (effective 2021), with the obligations of care, disclosure, conflict-of-interest, and documentation
- Interest owed on life insurance death proceeds tested9 percent per annum FROM THE DATE OF DEATH - not from proof of death, not from claim filing - added to and made part of the total sum paid. The section is a single sentence and carries no proof-of-death filing proviso
- Maximum policy loan interest rate testedThe insurer ELECTS between a fixed maximum of not more than 8 percent per annum and an adjustable maximum - so "Rhode Island caps policy loans at 8 percent" is only half the rule. The adjustable ceiling is the higher of the published monthly average from two months prior or the cash-value rate plus 1 percent, adjustable at least once every 12 months but not more than once in any 3-month period, and only for a change of half a percent or more. Applies to policies issued on or after 25 May 1982
- Misstatement of age adjustment testedChapter 27-4 contains NO misstatement-of-age benefit-adjustment provision. The nearby §27-4-10 is a different rule entirely - a materiality test providing that no misstatement renders a life policy void "unless this matter represented shall have actually contributed to the contingency or event on which the policy is to become due and payable," and making that a jury question
- When the Buyer's Guide must be delivered testedThe duty is the INSURER's, not the producer's: the Buyer's Guide goes to all prospective purchasers before the insurer accepts the initial premium. But a proviso flips the timing wherever the policy carries an unconditional refund of at least 10 days - then it may be delivered with, or before, the policy. Rhode Island's 20-day statutory free look makes that later route available on essentially every individual life policy
Health 20 facts
Health coverage rules — continuation, prompt pay, mandates, public programs.
- Has the state expanded Medicaid under the ACA? testedYES — Rhode Island expanded Medicaid under the ACA (adults up to 138% of the federal poverty level), effective January 1, 2014
- Effective date of expansion, if expanded testedJanuary 1, 2014
- Agency administering Medicaid testedThe Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS); managed care is delivered through RIte Care
- Federal marketplace or state-based exchange testedA STATE-BASED marketplace — HealthSource RI, Rhode Island's own exchange, operating since 2014 (not the federal HealthCare.gov)
- Name of the state CHIP program testedRIte Care — Rhode Island's CHIP is administered within Medicaid (RIte Care is the family/children's managed-care program)
- Clean-claim payment deadline, electronic tested30 calendar days to pay a clean claim submitted electronically
- Clean-claim payment deadline, paper tested40 calendar days to pay a clean claim submitted on paper
- Does the state distinguish electronic vs paper claims? testedYes — Rhode Island uses different deadlines for electronic (30 days) and paper (40 days) clean claims
- Interest / penalty on late claim payment testedInterest of 12% per year accrues on a clean claim not paid on time (from day 31 electronic / day 41 paper)
- Is the IRO's external review decision binding on the plan? testedYES - the IRO's decision "shall be binding on the healthcare entity and/or review agent," while an aggrieved person keeps a right to judicial review. Standard reviews run two clocks at once: no more than 10 calendar days from receipt of all necessary information AND no more than 45 calendar days from the request; expedited reviews, 72 hours
- Employer size at which federal COBRA applies testedFederal COBRA applies at 20 or more employees. Rhode Island's continuation law sits ALONGSIDE it rather than beneath it - §27-19.1-1 carries no employer-size threshold and no carve-out for employers subject to COBRA
- Employer size range covered by state continuation testedANY size. The statute contains no employer-size limit; the fifty-member line inside it is a PAYMENT-ROUTING rule, not an eligibility rule - continuees from plans of 50 members or fewer pay the carrier directly, and those from larger plans pay the employer
- Duration of state continuation coverage testedUp to 18 months, but TRIPLE-CAPPED in one sentence: not to exceed the shorter of the period of continuous employment preceding termination, or the time until the person becomes employed by another group and eligible under another group plan. Four months of service buys four months of continuation
- Election period for state continuation testedThe qualifying person MAY ELECT to continue within 30 days of qualification - it is an entitlement exercised by the individual, not an offer made by the employer. The employer's only duty is to post a conspicuous notice of the options
- Max premium as % of group rate testedThe same monthly group premium rate or subscription fee, with no administrative loading in the statute and no lump-sum demand permitted. If the employer takes the money and fails to remit it, the employer is liable for benefits to the same extent the carrier would have been
- Free look, individual accident and health tested10 days from delivery - and it is NOT in the General Laws. §27-18-3 enumerates thirteen required provisions and a right to return is not among them; the free look lives in the form rules, which except only single premium nonrenewable contracts
- Free look, Medicare supplement tested30 days, by statute rather than by rule, with the notice printed prominently on the first page - and the refund must be paid DIRECTLY TO THE APPLICANT
- Medicare supplement open enrollment window testedSix months beginning the first day of the first month in which the individual is BOTH 65 or older AND enrolled for benefits under Medicare Part B. Rhode Island publishes no annual birthday-rule window, and §7.14 grants no under-65 disability or ESRD entitlement
- Required provisions, individual accident and sickness testedThirteen, at §27-18-3(a)(1)-(13). Notice of claim runs 20 days "or as soon after this as is reasonably possible"; proofs of loss run 90 days, from termination of the period of liability for periodic-payment losses and from the date of loss for everything else; and the Time Limit on Certain Defenses is 3 years, EXCLUDING any period during which the insured is disabled
- Grace period, individual accident and sickness testedA BLANK in the statute. §27-18-3(a)(3) prescribes the provision as model text reading "A grace period of ____ days," leaving the insurer to fill the number subject to filing. Do not carry the 31-day individual-life figure across - that one is §27-4-6.2(a)(1) and belongs to life
Auto 12 facts
Auto insurance — minimum limits, fault system, required coverages.
- Fault-based (tort) or no-fault testedTORT (at-fault) — the at-fault driver's liability insurance pays the other party's damages. Rhode Island is NOT a no-fault state and has no mandatory PIP.
- Minimum bodily injury liability per person tested$25,000 per person
- Minimum bodily injury liability per occurrence tested$50,000 per accident
- Minimum property damage liability tested$25,000 per accident (or a $75,000 combined single limit)
- The memorizable shorthand (e.g. 30/60/25) tested25/50/25
- Uninsured motorist: mandatory / must be offered & rejectable / not required testedPROVIDED BY DEFAULT, not merely offered. Uninsured motorist bodily injury must be provided at limits equal to the insured's bodily-injury liability limits; the named insured may select less only IN WRITING and never below the 25/50/25 compulsory minimums - and may go to zero only where buying minimum coverage only AND signing an advisory notice approved by the DBR Director
- Underinsured motorist status testedMerged into uninsured motorist by definition - §27-7-2.1(g) says "'uninsured motorist' shall include an underinsured motorist," and the trigger is DAMAGES-based: liability coverage "less than the limits or damages that persons insured pursuant to this section are legally entitled to recover." Rhode Island does not run two provisions with opposite rules
- Personal injury protection status testedNot required — Rhode Island is a tort state with no mandatory PIP (medical payments coverage is optional)
- Contributory / pure comparative / modified comparative negligence testedPURE COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE — a claimant's recovery is reduced by their share of fault but is NEVER barred, even at 99% fault. Rhode Island is one of the pure-comparative states.
- The bar percentage, if modified comparative testedNone — Rhode Island uses pure comparative negligence, so there is no percentage bar; a claimant recovers even if mostly at fault (damages reduced by their share)
- Assigned risk / residual market plan for auto testedThe Rhode Island Automobile Insurance Plan — the assigned-risk plan through which drivers who cannot obtain coverage in the voluntary market are assigned to insurers
- Any alternative to buying liability insurance (e.g. VA's UMV fee) testedBesides a liability policy, financial responsibility may be met by a financial security bond, a $75,000 cash/securities deposit, or qualifying as a self-insurer (approved by the DBR)
CE & Renewal 11 facts
Continuing education and renewal rules — the numbers the exam loves.
- How long a license lasts before renewal testedA Rhode Island producer license runs on a two-year (biennial) term and is renewed by paying the biennial fee and completing continuing education
- What the renewal date keys off (flat term / birthday / birth year) testedA flat two-year term for PRODUCERS, not a birthday cycle. 230-RICR-20-50-5 says "The Department issues two-year licenses. The fees listed below apply to a person obtaining the license during the two-year period even if his or her license will expire in less than two years." No DBR page, NIPR producer page or regulation ties Rhode Island PRODUCER expiry to a birth month - though NIPR's Rhode Island non-resident ADJUSTER page does say "The renewal date is the birth month of the licensee," which is a different licence class. NIPR's usable producer rule is that renewal opens 90 days before the expiration date carried on the PDB
- CE hours per renewal period, standard case tested24 CE credit hours every 2 years
- CE hours if holding multiple license types (if different) tested24 total each cycle — not stacked per line
- Ethics hours required per period tested3 hours of ethics within the 24 (the 3 ethics hours must be earned each cycle — excess ethics credit carries forward only as general credit)
- Limits on who may provide CE credits testedCourses and providers must be approved by the Department, and it is the PROVIDER who files - rosters go in electronically "within ten (10) days of completion of the course." Up to 12 excess credits carry forward one cycle, but carried ethics credits arrive as general credits only
- Initial long-term care training requirement testedLong-term care: no less than 8 hours one time, then no less than 4 hours every 24 months, and §27-34.2-21 says the training "may be approved as continuing education courses" - so the hours can count toward the 24. Annuities: a one-time 4-credit best-interest course - Bulletin 2021-1's 1-credit bridge for producers who already held the older annuity training was a transition measure and expired on 30 September 2021
- What happens if CE is not completed (fine / expiry / cancellation) testedYou cannot renew until the credits appear on your transcript, and NIPR warns it takes up to 72 hours from the compliance date for the status to update. Beyond that, §2.10(A) exposes a violator to "any or all of the penalties in R.I. Gen. Laws §42-14-16" - an administrative penalty of not less than $100 and not more than $50,000, plus suspension or revocation
- Late renewal / reinstatement tiers testedThree stages. Renew inside the 30-day fee-free GRACE period after expiry and pay only the $120; from day 31 to day 365 reinstate for $170 ($120 plus the $50 reinstatement fee); and §27-2.4-9(c) allows reinstatement within twelve months of the renewal due date WITHOUT re-examination, on payment of a penalty of double the unpaid renewal fee
- Any CE exemption (e.g. long-service agents) testedFive categories at §2.5: holders of licences for insurance types requiring no examination; residents limited to credit, crop, travel, surety, car rental or title; non-residents who meet their home state's requirement where that state is reciprocal; residents licensed continuously 25 or more years who are at least 55 at renewal; and any exemption the Department grants
- Pet insurance product training testedA FOURTH training gate, effective 1 January 2026, and it is not a course you buy. DBR's licensing FAQ answers it directly: "The law requires insurance companies to train all insurance producers on their products. The Rhode Island licensing team has received many inquiries on how to find this training. Insurers are responsible for providing this training directly and are not required to file those courses with our department." The carrier delivers it before you write the product
Property 17 facts
Property insurance — rate regulation, residual markets, catastrophe exposure.
- Rate regulation system (file-and-use / prior approval / use-and-file) testedFILE-AND-USE. Under §27-44-6 rates are filed at least 30 days before the proposed effective date and "at the end of that time, the rates may be used if no disapproval order or request for supporting information has been issued by the director" - but a request for supporting information restarts the clock, and the rates may not take effect until 30 days after the information arrives
- Is insurance credit scoring permitted in personal lines? testedPERMITTED but RESTRICTED — for personal lines an insurer may not decline a new customer based solely on an insurance score (or the absence of one), and may not cancel, nonrenew, or raise rates of an existing customer solely on a worsening score; 'extraordinary life event' protections apply
- Does the state have a FAIR Plan? testedYES - and the statutory hook is in a chapter nobody would search. The programme is created by regulation under §27-33-11, inside chapter 27-33, the Federal Riot Reinsurance Reimbursement Fund. Participation is compulsory for all domestic insurers and all insurers licensed to write the specified classes, with writings, expenses and losses distributed equitably - an insurer cannot opt out
- Name of the FAIR Plan, if any testedOne body, three names: the Basic Property Insurance Inspection and Placement Program, the Rhode Island Joint Reinsurance Association, and the Rhode Island FAIR Plan. Eligibility needs two things, not one - inability to secure the insurance in the normal market AND satisfaction of the Association's underwriting standards on condition, maintenance, occupancy and tax status. Coverage limits are set by the Governing Committee, not printed in the rule
- Dominant catastrophe perils in the state testedCoastal hurricanes and windstorm (Rhode Island is on the Atlantic coast; Block Island carries the highest exposure), nor'easters and severe winter storms, and coastal and inland flooding
- What license you must already hold to write surplus lines testedA surplus line broker licence, $100 initial and biennial renewal. NIPR's Rhode Island page requires a surplus lines applicant to hold or apply for Property AND Casualty in Rhode Island, and the licence itself is discretionary - §27-3-38(a) says the commissioner MAY issue one, "subject to the restrictions provided in this section"
- Is a diligent-effort search of the admitted market required first? testedYes, and the requirement lives in BOTH instruments. The statute makes the affidavit show inability to obtain "from no less than three (3) admitted insurers the full amount of insurance required"; the rule defines "Diligent effort" as submission "to no fewer than three (3) Licensed Insurers," requires the affidavit to identify the three that declined, and makes the broker or producer keep the file for three years after the policy expires
- Does the state prescribe a standard fire policy? testedYES - §27-5-1 prescribes it, §27-5-2 requires compliance, and §27-5-3 prints the policy text itself, which is where the clocks actually live
- Proof of loss deadline, fire policy tested60 days after the loss, and the proof must be "signed and sworn to by the insured." Note the contrast with the accident and health side, where §27-18-3(a)(7) allows 90 days
- Insurer's time to pay a fire loss tested60 days after the proof of loss is received - the same number as the proof-of-loss deadline, running from the opposite end. Separately, the P&C claims rule requires written acknowledgement of a claim within 15 days and acceptance or denial within 21 days of receipt of properly executed proofs of loss
- Appraisal clause - mandatory or elective? testedELECTIVE and bilateral. It is triggered only where insured and insurer "shall fail to agree" on actual cash value or the amount of loss, and then only "on the written demand of either" - so either side may force it, and neither side is in it by default
- Fire policy cancellation notice periods tested30 days' written notice by the insurer, cut to 10 days for nonpayment of premium, plus 10 days to a designated mortgagee not named as the insured. §27-5-3.4 looks like the cancellation section and carries NO day counts and NO grounds - it is purely procedural, on service of notice, notice to both payee and named insured, and the insured's right to cancel through the producer who issued the policy
- Cap on hurricane deductibles tested5 percent of the insured value of the DWELLING (Coverage A), not of the loss - the maximum that may be offered or included in a residential property policy. And windstorm deductibles are prohibited outright: "Windstorm deductibles may not be included in residential property insurance policies"
- When a hurricane deductible may apply testedAn asymmetric window. It commences with the issuance of a hurricane warning by the National Weather Service for the applicable part of the state, and concludes 24 hours after the termination of the last hurricane warning for ANY part of the state. Disclosure must include at least two practical examples of how the deductible works
- Flood insurance duty on the insurer testedA NOTICE duty, not an offer duty. §27-5-3.6 requires a clear and conspicuous notice - on issuance AND at each renewal of a policy covering standard fire insurance - that the policy may not cover flood damage, that NFIP coverage may be available through FEMA, and that policyholders should contact their insurer or producer. Nothing in Rhode Island law requires an insurer to OFFER flood coverage
- Minimum property claim payable to a mortgage holder testedA mortgage holder is not entitled to payment for a loss to a covered building of LESS THAN $3,500 unless no liability exists as to the mortgagor. The same section bars a lender from requiring property insurance in excess of the replacement cost of the buildings, and makes a holder that fails to notify the producer and insurer within 30 days of a servicing transfer indemnify the PRODUCER
- Does the state have a valued policy law? testedNo valued policy law appears in chapter 27-5 - all 31 section catchlines were read - and §27-5-3 frames the loss settlement in terms of ACTUAL CASH VALUE. A total loss is not automatically paid at the face amount in Rhode Island
Guaranty 10 facts
The safety nets when an insurer fails — and their limits.
- Name of the life & health guaranty association testedThe Rhode Island Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
- Life death benefit limit tested$300,000 in life insurance death benefits per life, BUT NOT MORE THAN $100,000 of that in net cash surrender and net cash withdrawal values - the $100,000 is a sub-limit carved out of the $300,000, never an addition to it
- Life cash surrender / withdrawal value limit tested$100,000 in net cash surrender or withdrawal value for life insurance
- Annuity benefit limit tested$250,000 in annuity present value (including net cash surrender/withdrawal value)
- Health benefit limit tested$500,000 for basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance; $300,000 for disability or long-term care; $100,000 for other health coverage
- Aggregate per-individual cap, if any tested$300,000 with respect to any one life, and it OVERRIDES the category caps - a $300,000 life claim plus a $250,000 annuity claim does not pay $550,000. The single exception raises the ceiling to $500,000 with respect to any one individual where the benefits are for "basic hospital, medical, and surgical insurance and major medical insurance" - major medical sits inside the exception and is easy to lose. A separate $5,000,000 cap applies to one owner's multiple policies and to unallocated annuity contracts
- Does the state follow the standard NAIC model limits? testedYes — Rhode Island follows the NAIC model limits ($300,000 death benefit, $100,000 cash value, $250,000 annuity, tiered health, $300,000 aggregate)
- Name of the P&C guaranty association testedThe Rhode Island Insurers' Insolvency Fund (the Rhode Island Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association)
- Per-claim cap testedFour different caps with four different units, as amended effective 1 January 2026: workers' compensation claims paid IN FULL; unearned premium not exceeding $10,000 PER POLICY; and $500,000 for all first- and third-party cybersecurity claims arising out of a SINGLE INSURED EVENT. Only subparagraph (C) is keyed to the date of INSOLVENCY, and it runs a three-limb ladder - $1,000,000 for all first-party property loss claims arising from a SINGLE OCCURRENCE under a commercial or residential property policy for insolvencies after 1 January 2026, $500,000 PER CLAIMANT for all other covered claims for insolvencies on or after 1 January 2008, and $300,000 per claimant before that
- Is using the guaranty association as a sales inducement prohibited? testedYes, and the same section imposes the mirror-image duty. The prohibition opens "No person, including an insurer, agent, producer, or affiliate of an insurer" - the list is illustrative, so it reaches any person - and bars using the association's existence for sales, solicitation or inducement - doing so is an unfair method of competition under chapter 27-29 - while subsection (b) requires that the association's approved SUMMARY DOCUMENT be delivered to the owner at the time the policy is delivered
Workers Comp 7 facts
Who must carry workers' compensation and what it pays.
- Is workers' compensation mandatory for private employers? testedYes — a covered Rhode Island employer must secure workers' compensation by insuring or qualifying to self-insure
- Employee count at which coverage is required testedOne or more employees, with exemptions enumerated at §28-29-5 and elective opt-in for exempt employers at §28-29-8. Rhode Island carries two unusually specific exemptions worth knowing - certain real estate persons at §28-29-7.1, and professional hockey personnel at §28-29-15
- Agency administering workers' compensation testedRhode Island Department of Labor and Training (Workers' Compensation) and the Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Court
- Temporary total disability wage replacement rate tested62% of the employee's average weekly base wages for injuries on or after January 1, 2022 (the older rate of 75% of spendable base wages applies only to injuries on or before December 31, 2021)
- Maximum TTD duration testedThe maximum weekly benefit is 125% of the state average weekly wage; total-disability benefits continue as long as the incapacity lasts, with annual cost-of-living increases after 52 weeks (the exact dollar maximum is published annually by the DLT)
- Deadline to file a claim tested2 years from the occurrence or manifestation of the injury or incapacity, or from the employee's death - with a discovery rule for latent conditions, and no time limit at all where the employer or insurer failed to file the required notices after paying weekly compensation
- Ways an employer may comply (insure / self-insure / group) testedBuy a policy from a private carrier, buy from Beacon Mutual Insurance Company (Rhode Island's insurer of last resort), or qualify as an approved self-insurer, individually or through a group. Beacon is NOT a live state fund: chapter 27-7.2, the Workers' Compensation Insurance Fund, was repealed in its entirety by P.L. 2003, ch. 410 §24, and Beacon now operates as a domestic mutual insurer
Regulator 8 facts
Who regulates insurance here and what powers the office holds.
- Name of the state insurance regulator testedThe Insurance Division of the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation (DBR)
- Title of the person who heads it testedThe Director of the Department of Business Regulation, with the Insurance Division led by the Superintendent of Insurance (also called the Insurance Commissioner)
- How the commissioner is chosen: elected / appointed by governor / appointed by other body testedAPPOINTED — the DBR Director is appointed by the Governor (not elected)
- Where the state's insurance law is codified testedTitle 27 of the Rhode Island General Laws (Insurance), with rules in Title 230 of the Rhode Island Code of Regulations (230-RICR); producer licensing is in Chapter 27-2.4
- Does the regulator sit somewhere unusual (e.g. inside a constitutional commission)? testedYes — insurance is one division inside the multi-industry Department of Business Regulation (which also oversees banking, securities, gaming, and more), and HEALTH insurers are regulated by a SEPARATE agency, the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC)
- Administrative penalty range for a licensing violation testedNot less than $100 and not more than $50,000, under §42-14-16 - and the range does NOT vary by who the violator is. The same section reaches "a licensee, or any person or entity conducting any activities requiring licensure under title 27," so an individual producer, a business entity and an insurer all sit in one band. The tiered figures people remember come from different chapters
- Does one act violate the unfair practices law? testedIt depends which chapter. §27-29-4 opens "The following ARE DEFINED AS unfair methods of competition" across sixteen paragraphs with no frequency qualifier, so a single act suffices under the trade practices chapter. The CLAIMS chapter is narrower: §27-9.1-3 requires the act to be committed "flagrantly and in conscious disregard" OR "with a frequency as to indicate a general business practice"
- Does the unfair claims act reach a producer personally? testedYES, through the definitions section rather than the operative text. §27-9.1-4 prohibits acts "by an insurer," and §27-9.1-2(3) defines insurer to "also mean ... insurance producers, adjusters, and third-party administrators." So the §27-9.1-6 penalties - up to $10,000 per violation and $100,000 aggregate, rising to $25,000 and $250,000 for flagrant conduct - reach producers. Note the chapter's scope carve-out: workers' compensation, fidelity, suretyship and boiler and machinery are outside it
Cancellation 9 facts
When and how policies can be canceled or nonrenewed — heavily tested.
- Initial window during which an insurer may cancel more freely tested60 days — during the first 60 days a new auto policy (not a renewal) may be canceled more freely; after 60 days, cancellation is limited to enumerated grounds
- Notice days to cancel a homeowners policy inside the initial window testedAt least 30 days' notice is the working homeowners standard (Rhode Island regulates homeowners cancellation chiefly through R.I. Gen. Laws §27-8-11 and the 30-day material-change/reduction-in-coverage rule rather than a single dedicated homeowners day-count)
- Notice days to cancel a personal auto policy inside the initial window testedAt least 30 days' written notice to cancel a personal auto policy (except for nonpayment); applies after the 60-day window
- Notice days for cancellation for nonpayment tested10 days' written notice for cancellation for nonpayment of premium (auto), with a statement of the reason
- Notice days for cancellation for other permitted causes testedFor a permitted cause (after the 60-day window), a personal auto cancellation runs on 30 days' notice, with the specific reason stated
- Notice days required for nonrenewal testedA personal auto nonrenewal requires at least 30 days' notice before the end of the policy period, with reasons stated (homeowners follows the §27-8-11 / 30-day material-change framework)
- Must the reason be stated proactively, on request, or not at all? testedYes — cancellation, reduction-of-limits, and nonrenewal notices must state the specific reason(s) relied upon; the cancellation duty sits at the end of section 2.5(B) and the nonrenewal duty at section 2.6(A)
- Restrictions on nonrenewing because of claims (e.g. weather claims excluded) testedAuto: an insurer may not nonrenew for loss occurrence alone unless there was a chargeable loss or more than two non-chargeable losses in the period, nor solely because the insured turned 65. Property: an insurer may not cancel, nonrenew, or surcharge solely for a claim inquiry, a no-payout loss, a loss under $500, or a catastrophic-event loss.
- Which cancellation statute covers personal lines? testedNot the one that looks like it. §§27-29-17 through 27-29-17.4 sit in the middle of the unfair-practices chapter and read like general cancellation law; §27-29-17 scopes them to COMMERCIAL property, liability, package, excess or umbrella and commercial auto policies, so homeowners and personal auto fall outside by affirmative scope and are never named. The section's own express carve-outs are a different five - reinsurance, aviation, workers' compensation and employer's liability, multistate location risks, and policies subject to retrospective rating plans. Personal lines run on §27-8-11 and 230-RICR-20-05-2 instead
Licensing 37 facts
How you get and keep the license — exams, fees, applications, background checks.
- Is there a standalone life license/exam? testedYes — a standalone Life exam and line of authority (Life includes annuities)
- Is there a standalone health license/exam? testedYes — a standalone Accident and Health or Sickness exam and line of authority
- Is there a combined life+health license/exam? testedNo — Rhode Island does NOT offer a combined Life & Health exam; Life and Accident & Health are separate lines with separate exams
- Is there a personal lines license/exam? testedYes — a Personal Lines line (its own exam), covering property and casualty sold to individuals for personal, noncommercial purposes
- Is P&C one combined license, or split into Property and Casualty? testedSPLIT — Property and Casualty are separate lines with separate exams; Rhode Island has no single combined Property & Casualty license. A narrower Personal Lines line is also offered. First-time P&C candidates register for both the Property and Casualty exams.
- Does the life license cover annuities? testedYes — annuities are sold under the Life line (Life covers benefits of endowment and annuities). VARIABLE life and variable annuities require the Life line plus a Variable Life & Variable Annuity line of authority and FINRA registration (they are securities).
- Does the P&C license already include personal lines authority? testedYes — holding both the Property and Casualty lines covers personal-lines risks; standalone Personal Lines is a narrower, personal-only line
- Full list of exam-based agent license types testedRhode Island licenses each line separately: Life · Accident and Health or Sickness · Property · Casualty · Personal Lines — plus Variable (with FINRA registration), Surplus Lines, and Adjuster, and limited lines (credit, crop, travel) that need no exam
- Exam administrator (Prometric / PSI / Pearson VUE) testedPearson VUE administers Rhode Island producer exams under contract with the DBR
- Exam fee tested$80 per examination, paid to Pearson VUE at reservation - and the Available Examinations table prints a discount worth real money inside its fee column heading: "Test Center Exam Fees* (If scheduled back to back, buy one get one free)," with the asterisk resolving to "* Candidates can register for two exams in one session (i.e. Property & Casualty)." The handbook adds that candidates CAN take two major lines, or two limited lines, or one major and one limited line, in one test session
- License application fee tested$120 for a resident producer licence covering the two-year term, $130 for a non-resident. The rule shows the arithmetic: $55 a year under §27-2.4-4 plus a $5 a year continuing-education tracking fee, doubled. The Department publishes no separate fee for adding a line of authority
- Fee per insurer appointment tested$15 per insurer appointment (and $15 to renew), paid by the insurer; appointments run through January 31 annually and are filed electronically via NIPR within 15 days of the first application submitted
- Passing score tested70 (a scaled score, reported on a 0-100 scale)
- Minimum age to be licensed tested18
- Is pre-licensing education required? testedNO — Rhode Island has no statutory pre-licensing education requirement; you may sit the exam without completing a required course
- Pre-licensing hours and any exceptions (e.g. Title, adjusters) testedNone — Rhode Island requires no pre-licensing hours for any line. Preparation is up to the candidate, but no course is mandated before the exam.
- Fingerprints, state police report, or none testedA NAME-BASED state background check, not fingerprinting. DBR asks for a "B.C.I. (State Background Check)" from the Rhode Island Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Identification - $5, walk-in, same day. BCI's separate $45 National check IS fingerprint-based, and DBR does not ask for it
- Who takes the prints / issues the report testedThe Rhode Island Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Identification, in person at 4 Howard Avenue, Cranston, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., no appointment - then you email the report to dbr.inslic@dbr.ri.gov with your NIPR transaction number. There is no third-party fingerprint vendor and no ORI or service code to quote
- How long the background report stays valid testedThe BCI report must be no more than 30 days old when submitted — the DBR will not accept a report older than 30 days
- Deadline to apply after passing the exam testedApply through NIPR within 12 months of passing - Rhode Island exam scores are valid for 12 months, per NIPR's Rhode Island state-information overview. DBR puts the posting lag at 3-5 BUSINESS days before the NIPR application can validate the exam.
- How long a passed exam remains valid testedExam scores are valid for 12 months
- Waiting period before retaking a failed exam tested24 hours before you may MAKE the reservation - "Reservations for reexamination cannot be made at the test center, and candidates must wait 24 hours before making one." Since a reservation must itself be made at least 24 hours ahead, the practical floor from failing to re-sitting is about two days, at the full $80 again
- Notice required to reschedule/cancel without forfeiting the fee testedChange or cancel at least 48 hours before the exam to transfer or refund the fee; without proper notice the fee is forfeited
- Where you apply (Sircon / NIPR / state portal) testedNIPR (nipr.com) — apply online and pay the fees; exam scheduling is through Pearson VUE
- Are temporary licenses available? testedYes — but only for business-servicing situations (the death or disability of a producer, a member/employee of a producer's business entity, or a producer entering active military service); not a general 'work while you study' license
- Temporary license duration and training requirement testedUp to 180 days, with no exam, issued only to service an existing insurance business after a producer's death, disability, or military induction; the Commissioner may require a sponsoring producer and may revoke it
- Is errors and omissions insurance required? testedYES, and Rhode Island is one of the few states that says so in statute. §27-2.4-23 requires every resident producer licensee to carry E&O of at least $250,000 PER CLAIM and $500,000 ANNUAL AGGREGATE, lets a licensed firm cover all its licensees with a single policy, and makes failure to maintain it a ground for suspension or revocation
- Must E&O coverage be filed with the state? testedNo. DBR: residents "are required to carry errors and omissions insurance but are not required to file that information with the department." There is no E&O form and no proof-of-coverage step in the application - it is a carry-and-be-able-to-prove-it duty. Producers employed directly by insurance companies are excluded, and the Department may grant a WRITTEN exemption to a producer not engaged in sales, solicitation or negotiation
- How the exams are structured by line testedFive separate producer papers, each in a General and a Rhode Island section: 01 Life (50 + 30 scored), 02 Accident & Health (50 + 30), 03 Property (50 + 26), 04 Casualty (50 + 32) and 55 Personal Lines (75 + 25). Pretest items add 10 or 11 more. There is no combined Life & Health paper and no combined Property & Casualty paper
- Where you can sit the exam testedOne Rhode Island site, in EAST PROVIDENCE, plus five nearby Massachusetts sites - Worcester, Boston, Woburn, Springfield and North Dartmouth. The handbook prints cities and testing days only, no street addresses, and adds that candidates "may take the exam at any national test center at no additional charge"
- Is remote online proctoring available? testedUNSETTLED - confirm at booking. Rhode Island Insurance does not appear on Pearson VUE's OnVUE programme inventory, no RI insurance OnVUE page exists, and the vendor's landing page says candidates may reserve "in a physical test center." But DBR's licensing FAQ tells candidates to schedule "an in-person or remote exam," and DBR's own first-time pass-rate tables for 2023, 2024 and 2025 split every producer exam into IN-PERSON and REMOTELY PROCTORED blocks - 181 remotely proctored Life Producer exams were graded in 2025
- Is there a designation-based exam waiver? testedNO. No CLU, CPCU, ChFC, CFP, CIC, FLMI or LUTCF list appears in the candidate handbook, the DBR FAQ, the Insurance Professionals page or either NIPR page. Rhode Island's exam relief is based on PRIOR LICENSURE instead - §27-2.4-11 excuses the examination for a producer previously licensed for the same lines elsewhere, conditioned on current licensure or an application within 90 days of cancellation plus good standing, and still requires the applicant to certify knowledge of Rhode Island law
- Who files the appointment, and when testedThe INSURER, not the producer. §27-2.4-14.1(b): "the appointing insurer shall file ... a notice of appointment within fifteen (15) days from the date the first insurance application is submitted" - so the clock runs from the first application, not from the contract. A producer not acting as an agent of an insurer is not required to be appointed at all
- Grounds to deny, suspend or revoke a licence testedFourteen, at §27-2.4-14(a)(1)-(14) - numbered paragraphs of subsection (a), so the pin cite is §27-2.4-14(a)(6) and never §27-2.4-14(a)(1)(F). The remedies are discretionary and include probation, and two grounds expressly reach conduct outside Rhode Island
- Must premiums be held in a separate trust account? testedNO separate account is required - but only conditionally. §27-2.4-19 holds premiums in a fiduciary capacity and makes conversion punishable as theft, then provides that nothing requires separate bank accounts "if and so long as these funds held are reasonably ascertainable from the books of account and records of the insurance producer." Both "Rhode Island requires a trust account" and "Rhode Island requires nothing" are wrong
- What languages the exams are offered in testedThe Available Examinations table groups its rows under two headings: "Major Lines - available in English or Spanish" for the five producer papers (01, 02, 03, 04 and 55), and "Limited Lines - English only" for the adjuster and appraiser papers (14, 17, 18 and 38). Pearson VUE separately publishes an English as a Second Language request form
- What happens if you are late or miss the exam testedYou are not admitted and you forfeit the fee - but the Absence/Lateness Policy publishes a way back: "Candidates who are late or absent from an exam may call Pearson VUE within 14 days of the exam date to request an excused absence," on six grounds - illness of the candidate or an immediate family member, a death in the immediate family, a disabling traffic accident, a court appearance or jury duty, military duty, or a weather emergency