Insurance Education - Iowa FAQ's
HOW DO I KEEP MY LICENSE?
A producer must meet the minimum continuing education requirement prior to the
expiration date printed on the license.
WHAT IS THE MINIMUM EDUCATION REQUIREMENT?
A producer must complete a minimum of 36 continuing education (CE) credits for each
CE term in courses approved by the division to be eligible to renew their license. Three
(3) of these credits must be in the subject of ethics. See additional requirements below.
Producers may earn up to 18 of these credits from self-study courses that do not count
towards a national designation.
ETHICS REQUIREMENT: Effective Jan., 2007, all individuals holding an Iowa
insurance license are required to complete 3 hours of ethics continuing education (CE)
credit before their next renewal. Classroom and Self-Study courses noted with the
symbol + are approved by the Iowa Insurance Division for ethics CE credit.
Can I Claim to be an Ethical Agent?+ IA #75809 Classroom 3 ethics hrs.
Ethics: It Goes Beyond Compliance+ IA #76705 Classroom 3 ethics hrs.
Fundamentals of an Ethical Environment+ IA #76702 Classroom 3 ethics hrs.
Insurance Compliance and Ethics+ IA #75810 Classroom 3 ethics hrs.
Ethics and Customer Service, 2nd Ed.+ IA #75318 Self-Study 4 ethics hrs.
Ethics and the Sale, 2nd Ed.+ IA #75319 Self-Study 3 ethics hrs.
Professional Insurance Ethics+ IA #75364 Self-Study 3 ethics hrs.
LONG-TERM CARE (LTC) INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: A one-time training course
of at least 4 hours is required before a producer sells, solicits or negotiates any LTC
insurance on or after Jan. 1, 2009. Every CE term thereafter, a producer will need to
complete at least 3 hours of LTC training. Courses noted with the symbol • are approved
by the Iowa Insurance Division and meet the Long Term Care CE requirement.
Long Term Care Insurance: Issues & The Product• IA #76772 Classroom 4 LTC hrs.
Long Term Care Insurance: Trends/Challenges• IA #76745 Classroom 6 LTC hrs.
INDEXED PRODUCT REQUIREMENT: The Iowa Insurance Division recently amended
the code 191-15.80-87 which requires all producers who wish to sell fixed index life or
annuity products on or after Jan. 1, 2008 to complete a 4 hour training course. The
following course meets this new state requirement.
Understanding Index Annuities♦ IA #75934 Classroom 4 general hrs.
FEDERAL REQUIREMENT
FLOOD INSURANCE REQUIREMENT: Producers selling flood insurance must comply
with all training guidelines established by the National Flood Insurance Program. This is
a requirement of federal law. Agents new to flood insurance sales must take a one-time,
3-hour flood insurance seminar. This also applies to anyone who currently sells flood
insurance and has not already taken a 3-hour flood seminar.
An Overview: NFIP and Flood Insurance IA #75169 3 general hrs.
WHEN MUST I HAVE THE 36 HOURS COMPLETED?
CE and license renewal must be completed prior to the expiration date on the license.
Starting in May of 2007, producers must subscribe to Online Licensee Services (OLS) in
order to view one’s continuing education credits. OLS is a new service offered by the
National Association of Insurance Commissioners to the Iowa Insurance Division. OLS
has the features for a licensee to keep up-to-date on license status, renewal and
changes. The annual single-license subscription fee of $6.16 ($5.95 OLS standard
registration fee + $0.21 credit card fee) allows a licensee to do the following:
- Submit resident license renewals for compliant licenses
- Change their address
- Print a copy of their license
- View detailed license information (including CE)
- Optionally receive e-mail notifications
WHAT COURSES CAN I TAKE TO MEET THIS CE REQUIREMENT?
Only courses approved by the Iowa Insurance Division will satisfy the Iowa CE
requirement.
Instructions for accessing the Iowa Insurance Division classroom or self-study
course listing (Note: these lists are maintained by Pearson Vue. If you have any
problems finding the lists, contact their Customer Service at 877-538-3420):
To find a list of CLASSROOM courses go to:
- http://www.asisvcs.com/services/ce/PrCourseOffering.asp?
as_prog_state=CE12IA&CPCat=1216INS - Choose Subject Area:
- ETHICS – If looking for approved Ethics CE courses only
- GENERAL – if looking for approved General CE courses only
- INDEXED PRODUCT – if looking for approved Indexed Product courses
only - LONG TERM CARE – if looking for approved Long Term Care courses
only
- Input start date (example: 05/01/2008) AND end date (example: 12/31/2008)
- Click submit
- Click on – click here to view the course offering list
- We recommend saving this web site to your favorites for the list changes daily as
new courses are approved.
To find a list of SELF-STUDY courses go to:
- https://www.asisvcs.com/services/ce/cehome.asp?
as_prog_state=CE12IA&CPCat=1216INS - Under Approved Courses by Provider, Choose Subject Area:
- ETHICS – If looking for approved Ethics CE courses only
- GENERAL – if looking for approved General CE courses only
- INDEXED PRODUCT – if looking for approved Indexed Product courses
- LONG TERM CARE – if looking for approved Long Term Care courses
only
- Select Method: Independnt Study
- Click submit
- When reviewing the self-study course offering list, make a note of the Provider ID
numbers. - Go to: https://www.asisvcs.com/services/ce/cehome.asp?
as_prog_state=CE12IA&CPCat=1216INS - Under Approved Providers Listing, enter the Provider number in the Provider ID
field - Click submit
CAN I TAKE THE SAME CLASS TWICE?
A producer may not receive credit for the same course more than once during a CE
term. A producer should contact the provider (course sponsor) to verify whether a
particular course is the same as a previous course.
HOW LONG MUST A PRODUCER KEEP CONTINUING EDUCATION CERTIFICATES
AFTER RENEWING HIS/HER LICENSE?
A producer must retain certificates for four years after the end of the year of the course.
HOW DO I RENEW MY LICENSE?
Sixty days prior to the producer’s expiration date a renewal notice will be sent. Notices
will be sent via e-mail if available. The notice will state whether the CE requirement has
been met and state the renewal fee. By the end of the last business day of the
producer’s CE term, the division must receive, from the producer, proof of completion of
CE courses and payment of the CE fee. You must renew your license by going to http://
www.nipr.com on or before your expiration date. If your license expires you will be
required to pay a $100 reinstatement fee in addition to the renewal fee.
WHAT IF THE STATE DOESN'T HAVE ALL OF MY CONTINUING EDUCATION
HOURS?
A producer will have to submit photocopies of Certificates of Completion.
I AM A PERSONAL LINES INSURANCE AGENT, CAN I ONLY TAKE PERSONAL
LINE TOPIC COURSES?
All Iowa insurance CE is approved for General, Ethics, Indexed Product or Long-Term
Care continuing education credit. You can take any topic and receive the approved
credit.
WHO DOESN'T HAVE TO COMPLETE THE 36 HOUR REQUIREMENT?
- A producer who is licensed for Crop only, Credit only or Surety only.
- Although they must file a producer renewal and pay the appropriate fees.
- A producer who is an attorney and has met the continuing legal education
requirement (they must file this proof); - A nonresident producer who lives in a state where CE is required. These
producers must file the renewal notice through the NIPR gateway. For details visit
www.licenseregistry.com - producer who serves full-time in the armed forces of the United States of
America on active duty during a substantial part of the CE term and who submits
evidence of such service.
WHY ARE PROVIDERS ASKING FOR MY NATIONAL PRODUCER NUMBER?
In May of 2007 the Iowa Insurance Division converted all Iowa insurance
producer license numbers to the National Producer Number (NPN) as issued by
the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). In time other states will convert
to the NPN and producers will then have only one license number to track.
WHERE CAN I FIND MY NATIONAL PRODUCER NUMBER?
In May of 2007 the Iowa Insurance Division converted all Iowa insurance producer
license numbers to the National Producer Number (NPN) as issued by the National
Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). National Producer numbers are printed on the
producer's physical license and are 3-7 digits. If you are not already aware of your NPN,
you may search for it at the National Insurance Producer Registry.
Link for National Producer Register is:
https://www.nipr.com/html/PacNpnSearch.html