You passed the California exam. Now what?
Passing the exam is not the license. A few more steps stand between you and selling, and California adds one that national courses tend to forget.
⏳ Finish the 12-hour ethics and code course
California requires 12 hours of study on ethics and the California Insurance Code, including one hour on insurance fraud, for the life and the accident and health licenses (Insurance Code 1749). CDI explains the requirement on its prelicensing pages.
Apply to the Department of Insurance and get fingerprinted
Apply through CDI's online licensing services and complete the fingerprint background check CDI requires. Keep your PSI score report.
⏳ You need an appointment to sell
An insurer files a notice of appointment for the agents who transact on its behalf (Insurance Code 1704). A license with no appointment is inactive.
Plan your continuing education and product training
Each renewal needs 24 hours of CE with 3 in ethics (1749.33). Selling annuities requires 8 hours of training before you solicit and 4 hours before each renewal (1749.8), and long-term care has its own training requirement.
Licenses that build on this one
Many agents add a second line or the authority to sell more complex products.
The other line
If you passed only the Life or only the Accident & Health exam, the other 75-question exam completes the pair; the general insurance sections carry over.
Property and Casualty
Auto, home and business insurance, a separate CDI exam also offered in Spanish.
Variable products
Variable life and variable annuities also need FINRA securities registration.
Licensing steps summarized from the California Insurance Code and CDI's published requirements. Confirm current requirements with the California Department of Insurance before applying.