Non-Resident License

Let’s say you get invited to a family member wedding in a state you don’t live in. While you are at the wedding, you talk to family members who live in the state the wedding takes place about how you now sell insurance. They are interested and want to learn more and maybe buy a policy. You are licensed in your resident state and appointed with one of FFS product providers, but not in the state where the family member lives. The question is…can you sell them a policy? The answer is no, because you do not hold a license in the state they reside in.

If you hold an active life insurance license and are appointed with an insurance carrier in your home state and wish to write business in another state, you must first obtain a non-resident license for that state.  You do not have to pass a test to obtain your non-resident license. Once your resident license is active and compliant, you can simply complete the non-resident license application and pay the license fee. The states recognize your resident license as though you have fully gone through the process required to become licensed. If they made you go through their steps, it would be like you repeating a process you already did to get licensed.

Most states allow you to apply for your non-resident license online. You may use one of the following three website options to apply for a non-resident license:

• National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR)
• Vertafore (formerly Sircon)
• The state you are applying in Department of Insurance website

Completing your license application does not mean you are licensed.  It is important that you verify that your license has been issued and you appointed with the FFS product provider in that state before writing business. Most states DOI websites allow you to look up your license status and number on their website.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when completing your license application:

• Do not enter the FFS Headquarters address in your “Business Address” field. If you do not have a personal business address, then leave it blank. Most Insurance Departments will include the business address entered on the application on the license and mail to that address. If only a home address is entered, that is what will appear on the license and the license will be mailed to that address.
• The “Insurance Agency Affiliation” section is now mandatory when applying for Washington state and Nevada licenses. When completing the affiliation section, you may enter FFS’s NPN: 8668618, and the agency name (First Financial Security, Inc).

You will be able to find and reference this information in your Agent Back Office as well, when you are ready to apply for a non-resident license.