Delaware Department of Insurance Licensing Requirements

To work in insurance in Delaware, you need a license from the Delaware Department of Insurance, and the Delaware insurance license requirements depend on what you plan to do: sell policies, adjust claims, or place surplus lines coverage. In broad terms, you choose a license type, pass a Pearson VUE exam (waived for most applicants already licensed in another state), clear a criminal background check, and file electronically through the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) with the state fee. Delaware does not require pre-licensing coursework for producers, so the path is faster than in most states.¹

Pick the Right License First

Applying for the wrong license wastes the fee, which is non-refundable. Match the license to the work.

A producer license is for selling, soliciting, or negotiating insurance. It covers lines of authority such as life, health, property, casualty, and personal lines, and you can request one line or several on the same application. The state fee is $125.²

An adjuster license is for investigating and settling claims. Delaware issues separate licenses for independent adjusters (working for insurers) and public adjusters (representing policyholders). The fee is $125.²³⁴

A surplus lines broker license lets you place coverage with non-admitted insurers when the standard market can’t meet a client’s need. You must already hold a resident or non-resident producer license, and the Commissioner must find you competent and trustworthy for the work. The initial fee is $275 and renewal is $225.⁵² Surplus lines brokers also file affidavits and pay premium taxes.

Limited lines and specialty licenses cover narrower roles such as self-service storage facility producers, travel insurance licensees, and automobile club licensees. Travel and auto club licensees are exempt from both pre-licensing education and the state exam. The initial fee for a limited lines producer is $125.⁶²

Baseline Eligibility

You must be at least 18 and have a valid Social Security number or taxpayer identification number, which NIPR requires on the application.⁷ Delaware does not require pre-licensing coursework for producer licenses, so you can register for the exam as soon as you’re ready.¹ Come prepared to disclose bankruptcies, tax liens, and unpaid judgments; the Department reviews them during background review.

Passing the Exam

Pearson VUE develops and administers Delaware insurance licensing exams under contract with the state. Each exam is multiple choice, split between general insurance content and Delaware-specific laws and regulations.⁸⁹

You register and pay in advance. The fee is non-refundable, appointments can often be scheduled a day out, and exams are offered at Pearson VUE testing centers or online. Bring valid government-issued ID. Unauthorized materials or communication during the test lead to immediate disqualification.¹⁰

Passing scores are scaled and vary by exam — some require 70, others 80. Your score report shows the threshold for your test. Results are immediate. If you fail, you must wait at least 24 hours to reschedule, pay a new fee, and there is no cap on attempts.⁸

Background Check

Every applicant undergoes a review covering criminal history, financial responsibility, and any prior regulatory actions. Fingerprinting is handled through IdentoGO, which processes both state and federal criminal history checks in one appointment.¹¹ The combined state and federal check through the Delaware State Police is $85, though the amount charged through IdentoGO may vary slightly.¹²

Convictions involving fraud or financial misconduct can support a denial, though the Department considers rehabilitation evidence case by case. Failing to disclose something that later surfaces in the background check is treated as dishonesty and is harder to recover from than the underlying offense.

Filing the Application

The Department only accepts electronic applications, filed through NIPR, which collects the state fee and its own transaction fee in one step.¹ The form asks for your legal name, SSN, license type, and requested lines of authority. Errors cause delays, so verify before submitting.

State fees are non-refundable:

Insurance producer: $125
Adjuster or appraiser: $125
Surplus lines broker: $275
Limited lines producer: $125
Adding a line of authority: $50

These come from the Delaware fee schedule and NIPR’s current listing.²⁷ If you answer “yes” to any background question on the application, you submit supporting documents through NIPR’s Attachments Warehouse or directly to the Department by mail, email, or fax.

Non-Resident and New Delaware Resident Applicants

If you already hold a license in good standing in another state, Delaware waives both the exam and any pre-licensing education for the same lines of authority.⁶ Non-resident applications also go through NIPR, and state fees mirror resident fees — $125 for producers, $275 for surplus lines brokers.¹³

Two 90-day windows matter here. If your prior state license was recently cancelled, you have 90 days from cancellation to apply for a Delaware non-resident license under the exam waiver, provided your prior state certifies you were in good standing. And if you move to Delaware and want to convert to a resident license, you have 90 days from establishing residency to apply, with the exam and pre-licensing waived for the lines you already held.⁶

Renewing Every Two Years

Delaware licenses run on a biennial cycle tied to a fixed date rather than your birthday. Resident licenses must be renewed by February 28 of even-numbered years, and the renewal window opens the previous December 1. All renewals go through NIPR.¹⁴

Renewal fees:

Insurance producer: $125
Adjuster: $125
Surplus lines broker: $225

These match the fee schedule statute.²

Continuing Education

Producers need 24 credit hours per biennium, three of them in ethics. Adjusters, public adjusters, and fraternal producers need 12 credit hours, three in ethics.¹⁵ If you were newly licensed during the current biennium, you’re exempt from CE for that period.¹⁴

You can carry over up to five excess credits into the next biennium, but ethics credits don’t carry over — those have to be earned fresh each cycle. If you can’t finish CE on time for a legitimate reason, the Department can grant an extension of up to 12 months; the written request must be submitted at least 30 days before the biennium ends.¹⁴

Late Renewal

Missing February 28 doesn’t kill your license immediately, but the costs stack quickly. From March 1 through August 31, late renewal runs $225 for producers and adjusters and $425 for surplus lines brokers. Starting September 1, the Department adds a $200 administrative fee. If your CE wasn’t completed by February 28, you owe a separate $200 CE late fee on top of the rest.¹⁴

If a license has been suspended, revoked, or cancelled for 12 months or more, reinstatement means starting over: complete every licensing requirement again, including retaking exams for each line of authority you want back.

After You’re Licensed

If you move — into Delaware from another state or out of Delaware — you must notify the Department within 30 days. Notifications go by fax, by email to licensing@delaware.gov, or through NIPR.¹⁶ If anything changes your answers to the background questions after you’ve filed — an arrest, conviction, or regulatory action — report it promptly. The Department reviews these disclosures and may act depending on severity.

Working Without a Valid License

Conducting insurance business after your license has lapsed is one of the faster ways to turn a manageable renewal problem into a serious one. Beyond retroactive fines, it produces the kind of regulatory history that makes reinstatement significantly harder. The Commissioner has broad authority to impose administrative fines, order restitution, and suspend or revoke licenses for unfair practices and fraud, with criminal prosecution possible in severe cases.¹⁷ The straightforward path is to calendar the February 28 renewal date, finish CE well before it, and file through NIPR while the window is open.

1
Delaware Department of Insurance. Producer License Laws FAQ
2
Justia Law. Delaware Code Title 18 701 – Fee Schedule
3
Justia Law. Delaware Code Title 18 1752 – Bond Requirement
4
Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 18 Chapter 17A – Licensing of Public Adjusters
5
Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 18 Subchapter II – Surplus Lines Insurance
6
Justia Law. Delaware Code Title 18 1709 – Exemption From Examination
7
NIPR. Delaware Resident Licensing Individual
8
Pearson VUE. Delaware Insurance Candidate Handbook
9
Pearson VUE. Delaware Insurance Supplement Examination Content Outlines
10
Pearson VUE. Delaware Insurance Licensing Exams
11
Division of Professional Regulation. Criminal Background Check Process
12
Delaware State Police. Obtaining a Certified Delaware Criminal History
13
National Insurance Producer Registry. Delaware Non-Resident Licensing Individual
14
NIPR. Delaware Resident Renewal Individual
15
Delaware Department of Insurance. Continuing Education Frequently Asked Questions
16
Delaware Department of Insurance. Producer License Laws FAQ
17
Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 18 Chapter 23 – Trade Practices Relating to Insurance