To keep a resident insurance license active in California, all major-lines licensed insurance agents are required to do two things every two years: 1) complete the required continuing education of 24 credits, and 2) renew their insurance license. This must be done prior to the licensee’s expiration date. Specific renewal requirements can be viewed in our article: How to Keep Your Insurance License Active in California.
So, what happens if you don’t complete your California insurance continuing education before your license expiration date? You won’t be able to renew your license, and it will be put into inactive status. As a result, you cannot transact insurance business until the license is reinstated. Fortunately, you still have the ability to reinstate your license, but the timeframe is limited, and additional fees must be paid. This article provides further insight into how to reinstate your California insurance license.
California Insurance License Expiration and Reinstatement
California insurance agents who do not complete their CE requirements and renew their insurance license prior to their expiration date will have their license inactivated by the California Department of Insurance. Unfortunately, California does not have any provisions for granting an extension of time for a renewal after the expiration date. If you wish to keep your license active, the only option is to apply for a license reinstatement.
Agents have up to one year after their license expiration date to have their license reinstated. To do so, they must first complete any outstanding continuing education requirements. Next, they need to submit a reinstatement application and pay their initial renewal fee ($188 per line of authority), plus pay a reinstatement fee equal to 50% of their renewal fees ($94 per line of authority). The reinstatement application can be located here: Sircon Renew or Reinstate CA License
Keep in mind that agents only have up to 1 year following their expiration date to reinstate their license. After this, the license is canceled, and the agent must relicense if they wish to hold the same license again. This includes paying for and undergoing all of the pre-license course training, paying for and passing the pre-licensing exam, fingerprinting, and paying the license application fees.
It’s pretty clear that it’s smartest and most affordable to keep your California insurance license active by completing your CE requirements and paying your renewal fees on time. But if you aren’t able to do so, it’s still more affordable to reinstate your license within the 1-year timeframe. Otherwise, you’ll be starting the licensing process over again, which is a much more expensive and time-consuming endeavor.
Don’t Let This Happen to You — Sign Up for Continuing Education Now
Whether you’re able to renew before expiration or have to apply for reinstatement, you’ll need to complete all the continuing education requirements. We’ve got you covered with both online training and webinars.
The online training is self-paced and delivered to your computer, tablet, and smartphone. The quizzes and exams are scored instantly, and you can take them as many times as necessary to pass. Plus, you can return to the training whenever it is convenient. The course progress bar tells you exactly where you left off. This is a relatively quick way to accomplish your CE requirements.
Our webinar courses are instructor-led and delivered live using video conferencing. You’re required to be in attendance for the entire class time, with check-ins at random times throughout the webinar to confirm your attendance. Students can interact and ask questions. The advantages of webinars include no required reading and no quizzes or final exams.
We’ve got you covered with all the courses you need. You can find the complete listing in our California Insurance Continuing Education Course Catalog.
Completion Reported the Same Day
Note that your continuing education course credits will be reported directly to the California Department of Insurance on the same day you complete the training. So, we’ve got you covered when you’re trying to complete your training quickly.
We’re Here to Help
We’re confident that the continuing education you need to renew or reinstate your license is easily accessible through our website. If not, call our office, and we’ll happily assist you.
At BetterCE, we provide more than the most convenient and affordable solution for insurance continuing education. Our agent support services are provided by experienced insurance licensing professionals who have helped thousands of agents easily navigate the renewal process.
Have a question or need assistance? Phone 1-888-501-7330 for our customer care team. We also respond to emails as well as via our Contact Form. On our contact page, you can also sign up for convenient license renewal reminders so that you never have to deal with an expired license.
