Renewing Washington Auto Insurance: A Step-By-Step Guide

In Washington, vehicle insurance cards expire every year. To renew your insurance card, you can do so online via License eXpress, by mail, or in person at a vehicle licensing office. You can also sign up for renewal reminders to stay on top of your expiration date. When renewing in person, bring your current ID card and payment for the renewal fee.

Renewing your Washington insurance card online

In Washington, insurance licenses expire every two years. The expiration will be on the last day of your birth month, biennially, based on the anniversary of your original license year. This means that if you were licensed in an even-numbered year, your license will expire on the last day of your birth month in the next even-numbered year.

To renew your license, you need to complete a renewal application online and pay the renewal fees. You can renew up to 90 days before your license expiry date for on-time renewal. After the expiry date, you can late renew your license for up to 60 days. There are late fees for renewing your license late. After 60 days, the license cannot be renewed.

The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner will send you an email reminder 90, 60, and 30 days before your license expires. If you don't renew your license by the expiration date, you have 60 days after expiration to late renew. After 60 days, the license cannot be renewed, and the Office will send you a notice to your email.

It is recommended to complete all continuing education credits 90 days prior to the expiration date of the license. This will give the CE provider time to report the successful completion to the department of insurance. Your CE courses can be taken at any time within your license term.

After you have completed your continuing education requirements, you may renew your Washington insurance license to keep it active. Here are the steps to renew your Washington insurance license:

• Complete Washington Insurance License Continuing Education: Follow the steps above to complete your required 24 hours of CE.
• Apply for Washington Insurance License Renewal: According to the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner, you may renew your insurance license in two ways. Choose the account where you signed up for during your Washington insurance license application. Log into the OIC Online Services portal, select "Renew License", and complete your online renewal application. Alternatively, use NIPR to renew your license. NIPR charges $5.60 for processing, while the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner provides no charge for processing, but additional fees may apply.
• Pay the Washington Insurance License Renewal Fee: The renewal fee is $55 per line of authority. To avoid paying late renewal fees, you must complete CE hours and apply for renewal at least 90 days before your license expires. The late fee is $82.50 per line of authority. Pay the renewal fees via the OIC Online Services portal or NIPR by credit card, electronic check, or your chosen online payment system.

Once you complete the steps above before your expiration date, you can renew your license in Washington.

Renewing your Washington insurance card in person

You can renew your Washington insurance card in person at a driver licensing office. You can make an appointment, or you can walk in. Be sure to bring your current ID card and payment for the renewal fee.

Before your photo is taken, you'll be asked to remove anything that covers your face or head, like a hat or sunglasses. They will make exceptions for medical and religious reasons.

You may be eligible to renew and pay over the phone if you are under 70 years old and last renewed in person. Phone payments can be made with a credit or debit card.

If you've recently moved, update your address before you renew. When you renew, your Washington residence address will be matched with the United States Postal Service.

Your new card will be mailed to the Washington residence address they have on file for you in 7-10 business days. If you don't get it within 30 days, call 360-902-3900 (TTY: call 711).

You can also get help renewing in person from a navigator or broker. Navigators are trained to help you complete an application and answer any questions as you enroll. Registered brokers are licensed professionals that can help you fill out the application and recommend a plan for you.

Renewal fees for Washington insurance cards

To renew your insurance license in Washington, you must complete a renewal application online and pay the renewal fees. You can renew up to 90 days before your license expiry date for an on-time renewal. After the expiry date, you can renew your license for up to 60 days, but late fees will apply. After 60 days, the license cannot be renewed.

The Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner provides information on individual and business entity license renewal and reinstatement fees. These fees vary depending on the type of license and how long it has been expired.

For individual licenses, fees vary depending on whether the license is for a first-time or new licensee, or for someone whose license has expired or been cancelled. The type of license also affects the fee. For example, a full-lines producer license that includes life, disability, property, casualty, or personal line insurance will have a different fee from a limited-lines producer license, which covers credit, surety, or travel insurance.

Business entity license fees are also available, but the specific costs are not provided. To find out the exact costs for renewals and reinstatements, individuals and businesses can log in to their account on the Office of the Insurance Commissioner website (fortress.wa.gov).

Continuing education requirements for Washington insurance cards

To renew your insurance license in Washington, you must complete continuing education (CE) credit hours. The specific requirements depend on the type of license you hold.

For Washington residents with licenses as individual resident, full-lines producers, individual resident adjusters, or individual non-resident adjusters claiming Washington as their designated home state, you must complete 24 credit hours of CE, with three of those hours dedicated to ethics credits. This also applies to resident individual producers with life, disability, property, casualty, or personal lines licenses.

Non-residents do not need to meet these CE requirements to renew their Washington state license, but there are some education prerequisites for transacting long-term care insurance business. Additionally, there are requirements for producers to complete flood insurance education, annuity suitability training, and long-term care education, which may have been met in the licensee's home state.

The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner provides a list of approved CE providers, which is updated twice a year. You can take any approved insurance CE course, and it is not necessary for the subject matter to match the lines of authority on your license. After completing a course, the provider will issue a certificate of completion and report your CE credits. This information can be viewed in your online account under the "Individual Education History" menu option.

Renewal reminders for Washington insurance cards

Online Reminders

The Washington State Department of Licensing offers online renewal reminders for vehicle tabs. To sign up, you will need to create a License eXpress account. You can also update or remove your email reminders via this account.

Mail Reminders

To receive renewal reminders by mail, keep your address updated.

Renewal Timing

Insurance licenses in Washington expire every two years. The expiration date is the last day of your birth month, biennially, based on the anniversary of your original license year. This means that if you were licensed in an even-numbered year, your license will expire on the last day of your birth month in the next even-numbered year.

Vehicle tabs expire every year. To see when they are due, look at your license plate for the expiration month and year. You can also check your License eXpress account, which will show the month, day, and year of expiration.

Renewal Process

To renew your insurance license, you must complete your Washington Insurance Continuing Education (CE) requirements before your expiration date. You will need to complete 24 total hours of CE every renewal period, with three of those hours in the subject of ethics or consumer protection.

You can take a self-paced course online, attend an in-person class, or join a scheduled online webinar. It is recommended to complete all CE credits 90 days before the expiration date to give the CE provider time to report the successful completion to the department of insurance.

After completing your CE requirements, you can renew your license online through the OIC Online Services portal or NIPR. The renewal fee is $55 per line of authority, and late renewal fees apply if you don't renew before your license expires.

To renew your vehicle tabs, you can do so online via License eXpress, by mail if you receive a renewal notice, or in person at a vehicle licensing office.

Frequently asked questions