Life Insurance Licenses: Renewing In New York State

In the state of New York, insurance licenses must be renewed every two years. The renewal date is determined by the licensee's birthday, with odd-numbered birth years corresponding to odd-numbered renewal years and even-numbered birth years corresponding to even-numbered renewal years. To renew a license, individuals must complete continuing education (CE) requirements and submit a renewal application before the expiration date. Failure to renew on time will result in the termination of all appointments and the need to reapply for a new license.

Renewal applications are available online only

To renew your New York insurance license, you must complete your New York Insurance CE requirements before your license expires. This means taking 15 hours of New York insurance continuing education every renewal period, which is two years.

The renewal process can be started by visiting the New York DFS website. Here, you can find a list of DFS-approved providers for your continuing education courses. Once you have completed your courses, you can apply for a renewal online. Renewal applications are available online only.

To apply for a renewal, you must log in to the ALiS MyPortal and choose the account where you signed up during your New York insurance license application. There may be transaction fees when using the ALiS MyPortal. You must also pay the renewal fee of $80 per line of authority.

You can renew your license up to 180 days before your expiration date. Your license will expire on your birthday, regardless of the length of the licensing period. If your license has been expired for more than two years, you must apply for a new license.

Renewal fees vary depending on the license type

In addition to the renewal fees, there are transaction fees when using the ALiS MyPortal. There is also a $10 late fee if the renewal is submitted 60 days or less before the license expiration date. A $10 CE fee applies if CE is required.

The excess lines fee is based on the largest county in New York State in which the applicant maintains an office or in which the risks are located upon with the proposed insurance as an excess line broker. The fee is $50 for a county population of less than 100,000 and $400 for a county population of over 100,000.

The renewal fee is $80 per line of authority. There are no late renewal fees because New York doesn’t allow renewals after the expiration date.

Continuing Education (CE) requirements must be met before renewal

To keep your New York life insurance license active, you must renew it before its expiration date. Renewal requirements include completing your New York Insurance Continuing Education (CE) courses.

Continuing Education Requirements:

In New York, insurance licenses are issued with an expiration date determined by the licensee's date of birth. Licenses expire every two years on the licensee's birthday, regardless of the length of the licensing period. To renew your license, you must complete 15 hours of CE every two-year license term. These 15 hours must include:

• At least one hour of Insurance Law instruction
• At least one hour of ethics and professionalism instruction
• At least one hour of diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias instruction
• At least one hour of flood insurance instruction if the licensee is licensed to sell one or more lines of property/casualty insurance
• At least three hours of enhanced flood insurance instruction if the licensee sells flood insurance through the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program)

Please note that CE requirements must be completed before submitting your renewal application. You can take CE courses in a classroom setting, via webinar, or as self-study with a textbook or online.

Special Training Requirements:

In addition to the general CE requirements, there are special training requirements for New York insurance agents who sell certain products. These courses count towards your overall CE requirements:

• Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias Training: All agents must complete at least one hour of approved training in Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias in the Workplace every renewal period.
• Ethics Training: All agents must complete at least one hour of approved Ethics training every renewal period.
• Insurance Law Training: All agents must complete at least one hour of approved Insurance Law training every renewal period.
• Flood Insurance Training: All New York insurance agents licensed in any of the Property or Casualty lines must complete one hour of approved Flood Insurance Training.
• Enhanced Flood Insurance Training: Any licensee that sells flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program must complete three hours of Enhanced Flood Insurance Training.

License Renewal Process:

Once you have completed your CE requirements, you can renew your New York insurance license by following these steps:

• Complete your New York Insurance License Continuing Education requirements (15 hours of CE).
• Apply for New York Insurance License Renewal by logging into the ALiS MyPortal and choosing the account you signed up for during your initial license application.
• Pay the New York Insurance License Renewal Fee of $80 per line of authority.

Please note that there are no late renewal fees as New York does not allow renewals after the expiration date. If your license expires, all appointments are automatically terminated, and you must apply for reinstatement or a new license, depending on how long it has been expired.

Renewal period begins 180 days before license expiry

The renewal period for a New York State life insurance license begins 180 days before the license's expiration date. The license must be renewed online before its expiration date, or it will expire.

The renewal process involves three steps:

• Review the State Requirements: The New York Department of Financial Services recommends completing the required number of hours at least 60 days before the license expires. The number of hours depends on the number and type of licenses held. Single-line license holders must complete 15 credits every 2 years, while multi-line license holders must complete 30 credits every 2 years.
• Register for and Complete Courses: Once you know the renewal requirements, you can choose and register for insurance continuing education courses. These can be completed through webinars, online courses, or a combination of both.
• File a Renewal Application: After completing the required number of hours, you will need to file a renewal application. This can be done up to 180 days before the license expiration date.

It is important to note that New York does not allow renewals past the license expiration date or if the license is inactive. If the license has been expired for more than two years, you must apply for a new license and retake the qualifying examination.

Late renewals are not allowed

New York does not allow the renewal of insurance licenses after their expiration date. If the license is inactive, the licensee must use the initial licensing application to reapply. Late renewals are not allowed.

If your New York insurance license has expired, you can apply for reinstatement by submitting a re-licensing application. If your license has been expired for less than two years, you must meet all CE requirements to re-license. If your license has been expired for more than two years, you must apply for a new license.

The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) recommends completing your hours at least 60 days before your license expires. There is a $10 late fee if the renewal is submitted 60 days or less from the license expiration date.

The renewal period begins 180 days prior to the license expiration date and ends on the expiration date.

To renew your New York insurance license, you must complete your New York Insurance CE requirements before your expiration date. In New York, insurance licenses expire every two years on the licensee's birthday. The license is issued with an expiration date determined by the licensee's birth date. If you were born in an even-numbered year, your license expires on your birthday in an even-numbered year. If you were born in an odd-numbered year, your license expires on your birthday in an odd-numbered year.

Frequently asked questions