What This License Is
A Virginia Life license lets you sell life insurance and annuity products to people and businesses in Virginia. It is issued by the State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance.
Licensing runs through the same process as every Virginia producer line — the difference is the focused Life exam.
Exam Options & Format
The Life exam is Life & Annuities (Series 11-05, Prometric): 105 total (incl. unscored trial items) questions, 2 hr, $35 per attempt. Passing standard: 70%.
Virginia also offers the combined exam (Life, Annuities & Health (Series 11-01): 150 questions, 2 hr 30 min, $35), 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.
Pre-Licensing Education: Not Required
Virginia repealed mandatory pre-licensing education for the major lines back in 2001 (Acts 2001, c. 706). For Life, Annuities, Health, Property, Casualty, and Personal Lines, you can register and sit for the exam without completing any approved course first. (Title insurance is the lone exception, with its own 16-hour requirement.)
That said, the exam is real - it carries heavy Virginia-specific state law, and the 70% bar is unforgiving. 'Not required' is not the same as 'not recommended.' A structured prep course is the difference between passing on the first try and eating a retake.
Scheduling and Exam Fees
Register and schedule directly with Prometric at prometric.com/virginia/insurance or by phone at (866) 891-6396. The exam fee is $35 per attempt, paid when you reserve (credit/debit, company check, cashier's check, or money order - no personal checks or cash).
Two timing windows matter. Your Prometric registration is valid for 90 days, so schedule and pass within that window or you'll re-register and re-pay. Separately, your passing exam result is only good for 183 days - you must submit your license application within that window or you'll have to test again.
Fingerprints and Criminal History
Virginia residents complete two background steps. First, fingerprint-based screening through Fieldprint (about $35.72) - create an account at fieldprint.com and use Fieldprint code FPVABOIProducer so results route to the Bureau of Insurance. Second, a Criminal History Record Report (CHRR) from the Virginia State Police, which you attach to your license application.
These steps are independent of the exam - you can do them before or after you test. The only sequencing rule is timing: your fingerprints can't be more than 90 days old when you submit, and your application must go in within 90 days of fingerprinting. The CHRR also can't be more than 90 days old. Scheduling fingerprints the same week as your exam keeps everything inside the windows.
Applying for Your License
Once you've passed and your background steps are done, file your producer license application electronically through NIPR or Sircon. The application fee is $15, paid by credit card, and you attach your CHRR as part of the submission.
The Bureau reviews and approves, and you can then print your license straight from NIPR or Sircon. Processing typically runs up to about 15 business days once your documentation is complete.
What It Costs
Virginia is one of the cheaper states to get licensed in, precisely because there's no pre-licensing course to buy. Budget roughly $85.72 in mandatory fees: $35 exam (Prometric) + $35.72 fingerprints (Fieldprint) + $15 application (NIPR/Sircon).
Optional prep (a TESTivity course, practice exams, study manual) sits on top of that - and given the state-law weighting, it's money well spent. Renewals later carry a small per-line fee.
Continuing Education and Renewal
A combined Life, Annuities & Health license is a multi-line license, so you'll complete 24 hours of approved CE every two-year cycle, including 3 hours of ethics, before you submit your renewal.
Licenses renew biennially on the last day of your birth month, and you can renew up to 90 days early. Aim to finish CE at least a couple of weeks ahead so your provider has time to report completion to the Bureau. Renewals are filed through NIPR with a small renewal fee.
Virginia-Specific Life & Health Topics
On the state portion, expect Virginia-specific treatment of Medicare supplement policies, long-term care, HIPAA and group health rules, advertising standards, and minimum standards for individual policies. The 11-01 exam folds Life, Annuities, and Health into a single sitting, so suitability and replacement rules for annuities show up alongside health-policy provisions.
Anchor your studying on SCC authority, licensing and appointment rules, and unfair-practices statutes - that regulatory backbone is tested directly and is also embedded inside the product questions.
Quick Reference
Official Links
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