How to get your Texas life and health insurance license

Who can apply

TDI issues the license to applicants who are at least 18, have passed the exam, and apply within 12 months of passing with the fee and a fingerprint receipt. To book the exam you also need a valid Social Security number, and your name, date of birth and SSN must match exactly on the booking and the license application.⁷

Every Texas resident applicant is fingerprinted. The prints are checked against Texas Department of Public Safety and FBI criminal-history records, and TDI won't finish processing your application until both reports arrive. TDI can refuse a license for the acts listed in §4005.101 of the Texas Insurance Code.⁷

Pre-licensing course: Not among TDI's listed steps for this license. TDI's steps go straight from booking the exam to fingerprints and the application. The only 40-hour training rule is for a temporary license, which an insurer or agency requests for you.^1,7

This guide covers the resident license. If you hold an equivalent license in good standing in your home state, and that state gives Texans non-resident licenses in return, you can get a Texas non-resident license without the exam.⁷

Step by step

1. Book the exam with Pearson VUE, online or by phone, at least 24 hours ahead. The fee is $49, paid when you book; the test center won't take payment. To change or cancel without losing the fee, give at least 48 hours' notice.⁷
2. Start your application on TDI's online initial application and fingerprint portal. TDI emails you a service code, and you need that code to book fingerprints.³
3. Book a fingerprint appointment at an IdentoGO location. You need an appointment; there are no walk-ins. Bring photo ID and payment, and keep the receipt IdentoGO gives you.^4,7
4. Take the exam at a Pearson VUE test center. It has 130 scored (100 general knowledge + 30 Texas law), plus 15 unscored pretest questions, and you get 150 minutes. You leave with your official score report.^7,8
5. Apply online through Sircon or NIPR, pay the $50 application fee, and attach your IdentoGO receipt. Apply within 12 months of passing, or you will have to pass the exam again.^1,7
6. Wait for TDI to process it. TDI publishes the received date of the applications it is working on now, and an application that needs extra review of its background-check results takes longer.⁵
7. Get appointed. An insurer must file your appointment with TDI, through NIPR or Sircon, before you transact any business for it.^6,7

What it costs

Exam day

Bring two current IDs, both signed, and the name on each must exactly match your booking. The first must be a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, passport, state ID card, military ID or green card. The second only needs a signature: a Social Security card or a debit or credit card will do. An expired ID doesn't count, even inside a grace period. Without the right ID you are turned away and lose the fee.⁷

You take the exam in person at a Pearson VUE test center: Pearson VUE's Texas page books test-center appointments only. Arrive 30 minutes early to check in, where you are photographed for the score report. The exam is also offered in Spanish, and on the Spanish version you can switch between Spanish and English at any time.^7,9

Nothing personal goes into the room. That includes phones, watches, wallets, bags, notes and your own pens; the test center gives you something to write on. A calculator is allowed only if it is silent, hand-held, non-printing and has no letter keys, and you have to bring your own. You can take a break, but the clock keeps running.⁷

When time runs out the exam ends, and you leave with your official score report. The pass mark is 70 on a 0–100 scaled score (not 70% correct). There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question. If you fail: Rebook from the next day; no limit on attempts. Each attempt costs the exam fee again.⁷

Study the licensing rules the exam tests

• License types, exemptions, appointment, and continuing education
• License records, renewal, termination, and notification duties

After you're licensed

The license lasts two years, and renewal costs $50 through Sircon. For each two-year term you need 24 hours of continuing education: 3 of them in ethics, and at least 12 in classroom or classroom-equivalent courses. Finish them at least 30 days before your license expires. Any hours you miss are fined $50 each, up to $500 per license.²

These rules change. TDI's page for managing this license has the current requirements, so check it before you renew.²

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a pre-licensing course to get a Texas life and health license?

No course appears among TDI's steps for the General Lines – Life, Accident and Health license: you book the exam, get fingerprinted and apply. The 40-hour training rule applies only to a temporary license, which an insurer or agency requests for you.^1,7

How much does it cost to get a Texas life and health insurance license?

At least $49 for the exam and $50 for the license application, plus IdentoGO's fingerprint fee. Each retake costs the exam fee again. Study materials are extra, and you choose them.^1,7

Can I take the Texas insurance exam online?

No. Pearson VUE's Texas insurance page books test-center appointments only, and the candidate handbook only describes testing in person.^7,9

How long is the Texas life and health exam?

You get 150 minutes. The exam has 130 scored (100 general knowledge + 30 Texas law), plus 15 unscored pretest questions.^7,8

What happens if I fail?

Rebook from the next day; no limit on attempts. You pay the exam fee again each time. Your score is a scaled score: anything under 70 shows how close you came, not the percentage you got right.⁷

How long do I have to apply after passing the exam?

Twelve months. If you don't submit the application through Sircon or NIPR within a year of passing, you will have to pass the exam again.^1,7

Can I sell insurance as soon as my license is issued?

Only for an insurer that has appointed you. The insurer must file your appointment with TDI before you transact any business for it.⁶

Official sources

1. Texas Department of Insurance: General lines – life, accident, health and HMO (how to apply)
2. Texas Department of Insurance: General lines – life, accident, health and HMO (manage your license: CE and renewal)
3. Texas Department of Insurance: Texas initial application and fingerprint process
4. Texas Department of Insurance: Fingerprint requirements and instructions
5. Texas Department of Insurance: Processing dates
6. Texas Department of Insurance: Appointment transactions
7. Pearson VUE: Texas Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (#124400)
8. Pearson VUE: Texas Insurance Examination Content Outlines, effective September 1, 2026 (#124401)
9. Pearson VUE: Texas Insurance Licensure Examinations

Checked against these sources as of September 30, 2026.