Virginia Law

Article 2. Qualifications of Property and Casualty Insurance Agents, Personal Lines Agents, Title Insurance Agents, Life and Annuities Agents, and Health Agents.

A. No individual who is a resident of this Commonwealth shall obtain a license as a property and casualty insurance agent or as a personal lines agent from the Commission unless he has passed an examination in a form and manner prescribed by the Commission.

B. An individual may obtain a license as a limited lines credit insurance agent, a limited lines property and casualty agent, a motor vehicle rental contract insurance agent, or any other type of license of restricted authority that the Commission may deem it necessary to recognize for the purpose of complying with § 38.2-1836 without taking such examination.

1979, c. 513, § 38.1-327.15; 1985, c. 616; 1986, cc. 364, 562; 1987, c. 521; 1989, c. 435; 1994, c. 106; 1995, c. 167; 1998, cc. 16, 47, 164; 1999, cc. 490, 586; 2001, c. 706.

A. No individual who is a resident of the Commonwealth shall obtain a license as a title insurance agent from the Commission unless he has passed an examination in a form and manner prescribed by the Commission. Before registering to take an examination for a license as a title insurance agent, each applicant shall have completed, within the period specified in subsection B, a pre-licensing education course of 16 hours of instruction. The pre-licensing education course may be comprised of or include any form of classroom education or distance education in accordance with an examination content outline approved by the Commission. The applicant shall submit proof of completion of the pre-licensing education course in a form acceptable to the Commission. The proof of completion of the pre-licensing education course shall be:

1. Signed by the applicant affirming that the applicant completed a course for which the requisite number of classroom or distance education hours were completed. An applicant who is found to have submitted a materially false proof of course completion shall be deemed to have committed a knowing and willful violation of this section and be subject to the penalties as set forth in § 38.2-218. Upon receipt of acceptable proof that an applicant submitted a materially false proof of course completion, the Commission may administratively terminate any license issued based upon such submission; and

2. Signed by the individual who acted as the instructor for the course, who shall certify that the requisite number of the classroom or distance education hours were completed by the applicant. An instructor who is found to have submitted a materially false certification that an applicant completed the requisite number of classroom or distance education hours shall be deemed to have committed a knowing and willful violation of this section and be subject to the penalties as set forth in § 38.2-218. If the instructor is also a licensed insurance agent or insurance consultant, the Commission may also impose on the instructor the penalties set forth in § 38.2-1831 or 38.2-1843, as applicable.

As used in this subsection:

"Classroom education" means actual hours in a classroom environment with an instructor. Instructors shall have the right to consider an applicant to have met the classroom hour requirement if the applicant was present for not less than 95 percent of the required hours.

"Distance education" means instruction delivered or presented by or under the general supervision of an instructor using a medium other than a classroom setting. "Distance education" shall not include self-study or correspondence courses.

B. An applicant's satisfaction of the education requirement established by subsection A shall be valid only for the one-year period following the date he satisfied the education requirement. However, the Commission may waive this time limit in individual circumstances in accordance with criteria prescribed by the Commission.

C. Officers or employees who are not agents of a title insurance company shall be exempt from the provisions of this section.

D. Agents who, as of January 1, 1987, were authorized agents of title insurance companies licensed to transact title insurance in this Commonwealth shall be exempt from the requirements of subsections A and B of this section.

1986, c. 364, § 38.1-327.15:1; 1987, c. 521; 1988, c. 187; 1989, c. 435; 2001, c. 706; 2008, c. 250; 2023, c. 577.

A. No individual who is a resident of the Commonwealth shall obtain a license as a life and annuities agent from the Commission unless the individual has passed an examination in a form and manner prescribed by the Commission. The Commission annually shall review whether the examination's pass rate is consistent with the 2013 NAIC State Licensing Handbook, or any successor publication adopted by the NAIC.

B. An individual may obtain a license as a limited lines credit insurance agent, a limited lines life and health agent, a motor vehicle rental contract insurance agent, or any other type of license of restricted authority that the Commission may deem it necessary to recognize for the purposes of complying with § 38.2-1836 without taking such examination.

C. No individual who is a resident of the Commonwealth shall obtain a license as a variable contract agent unless the individual currently holds a life and annuities license, and no individual, whether resident or nonresident, shall obtain a license as a variable contract agent unless the individual has passed the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority examination or examinations prescribed by the Commission or such other examination prescribed by the Commission.

1979, c. 513, § 38.1-327.24; 1982, c. 223; 1983, cc. 160, 185; 1985, c. 616; 1986, c. 562; 1987, c. 521; 1993, c. 695; 1998, c. 47; 1999, c. 86; 2001, c. 706; 2010, c. 281; 2012, c. 413; 2020, c. 223.

A. No individual who is a resident of this Commonwealth shall obtain a license as a health agent from the Commission unless he has passed an examination in a form and manner prescribed by the Commission.

B. An individual may obtain a license as a limited lines credit insurance agent, a limited lines life and health agent, a motor vehicle rental contract insurance agent, or any other type of license of restricted authority that the Commission may deem it necessary to recognize for the purposes of complying with § 38.2-1836 without taking such examination.

2001, c. 706.

Repealed by Acts 2001, c. 706, cl. 2, effective September 1, 2002.

A. Examinations for licenses shall be conducted at least monthly at the times and places the Commission prescribes. Each applicant shall pass the examination prescribed by the Commission unless otherwise exempted.

B. If a resident individual applicant fails three times to pass the examination, the applicant shall be required to wait 30 calendar days before the applicant may retake the examination.

C. Each applicant for an examination shall make application in the form and containing the information the Commission prescribes.

D. Each applicant shall, at the time of applying to take the examination, pay such fee as may be prescribed by the Commission and in a manner prescribed by the Commission. The prescribed examination fee shall not be less than $20 nor more than $100. The examination fee shall be nonrefundable.

E. If the applicant fails to take the examination within 90 calendar days from the date his registration for the examination is accepted, the examination fee shall be forfeited and the registration shall be considered withdrawn.

F. If the applicant fails to obtain the appropriate license from the Commission within 183 calendar days from the date he passes the examination, the examination grade shall be considered invalid and the examination fee and application processing fee shall be forfeited. Such applicant shall be required to reapply for the examination and to satisfy any appropriate prelicensing requirements.

G. An individual who applies for a resident insurance agent's license in the Commonwealth who was previously licensed for the same lines of authority in the individual's home state shall not be required to complete any prelicensing examination. This exemption is only available if the individual is currently licensed in the applicant's home state, or if the application is received within 90 calendar days of the cancellation of the applicant's previous license in the applicant's home state, and if the applicant's home state issues a certification that, at the time of cancellation, the applicant was in good standing in that state or the state's Producer Database records, maintained by the NAIC, its affiliates or subsidiaries, indicate that the producer is or was licensed in good standing for the line of authority requested.

1979, c. 513, § 38.1-327.17; 1985, c. 616; 1986, c. 562; 1987, c. 521; 1989, c. 435; 1990, c. 464; 1999, c. 86; 2001, c. 706; 2018, c. 131.

A. An individual holding a nonresident Virginia agent license who has moved into this Commonwealth from another state or a province of Canada shall submit the application and pay the license processing fee required by § 38.2-1819 and in accordance with the requirements set forth in § 38.2-1836. Agents with active nonresident Virginia agent licenses may continue to operate under their nonresident licenses for up to ninety calendar days while applying for resident Virginia agent's licenses. Appointments made under such nonresident licenses shall remain in effect during the ninety-calendar-day period, unless terminated for other reasons. Appointments held by an agent under a nonresident Virginia agent license shall automatically be converted to resident agent appointments if the agent obtains an equivalent resident Virginia agent license during the ninety-calendar-day period. If an agent fails to obtain such resident license by the end of the ninety-calendar-day period, the equivalent nonresident license and all associated appointments under that license shall terminate at the end of the ninety-calendar-day period.

B. An individual licensed as an insurance producer in another state or province of Canada, but not holding a nonresident Virginia agent license, who moves to this Commonwealth shall submit the application to become a resident licensee and shall pay the license processing fee required by § 38.2-1819 and in accordance with the requirements of § 38.2-1836 within ninety calendar days of establishing legal residence in this Commonwealth. No prelicensing examination shall be required of that individual to obtain any line of authority previously held in the prior state except where the Commission determines otherwise by regulation. After establishing legal residence in this Commonwealth and prior to obtaining a license as a resident agent, the individual shall be prohibited from selling, soliciting, or negotiating insurance in this Commonwealth. An individual who fails to submit the application and license processing fee within ninety calendar days of establishing legal residence in this Commonwealth shall be required to satisfy all resident agent prelicensing requirements in order to be issued a license.

1979, c. 513, § 38.1-327.19; 1980, c. 743; 1986, c. 562; 1987, c. 521; 1997, c. 583; 2001, c. 706.