California Producer Licensing
The California state supplement opens with how a person becomes and keeps a licensed agent in California, a state with several distinctive requirements. This chapter covers the California Department of Insurance and its elected Commissioner, the license types and prelicensing education, appointments and background checks, and the continuing education plus product-specific training that California requires. These state licensing rules carry the most weight in the California supplement.
The CDI and the Elected Commissioner
The California Department of Insurance (CDI) regulates insurers and agents and enforces the California Insurance Code. California is unusual in that its Insurance Commissioner is elected directly by voters to a four-year term rather than appointed. The Commissioner and CDI issue, deny, suspend, and revoke licenses and bring enforcement actions for violations.
License Types and Prelicensing Education
California offers a Life-Only Agent license, an Accident and Health Agent license, and the combined authority for those who complete both. Effective January 1, 2026, Assembly Bill 943 repealed the former 20-hour-per-line prelicensing requirement; the only prelicensing education California now requires is a 12-hour course on ethics and the California Insurance Code, completed before the license is issued. Applicants must then pass the state exam, which California law requires to be offered in several languages.
Appointments and Background Checks
Applicants submit fingerprints for a background check, and CDI reviews criminal and disciplinary history. As in other states, a license lets a person act as an agent, but the insurer must file a notice of appointment before the agent may transact business for that company. An agent may hold appointments with multiple insurers.
Continuing Education and Product Training
California licenses run for two-year terms. Resident licensees generally must complete 24 hours of continuing education per term, including at least 3 hours of ethics. California adds product-specific training: an 8-hour annuity training course is required before selling annuities (with ongoing refresher training), and long-term care sales require separate LTC training. Completing CE and required training keeps the license and its authority in force.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- California Department of Insurance
- Exam vendor
- PSI
Who regulates life & health insurance licensing in California?
The California Department of Insurance (CDI), through its Producer Licensing Bureau, licenses life and accident & health agents in California. CDI contracts with PSI Services to schedule and deliver the licensing exams.
Does California still require prelicensing education for the life & health exam?
California's prelicensing rules changed for 2026. Under AB 943, the prior line-specific prelicensing hour requirements for Life-Only and Accident & Health were removed effective January 1, 2026; the mandatory 12-hour code-and-ethics course must still be completed before a license is issued. Confirm the current requirement on the CDI site before enrolling.
Who administers the California life & health insurance exam?
PSI Services administers California's producer licensing exams at test centers statewide on behalf of the California Department of Insurance.
Sources: https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0200-industry/0200-prod-licensing/0100-applicant-info/0800-exam-info/, https://www.psiexams.com/
In the California Life & Health Insurance Producer Exam guide: A KEY CONCEPT box, a Common Traps list and a Check Yourself set closing each of the 9 national chapters. Practice here stays free.