To meet the Florida 2-15 license requirements, you need to be at least 18, complete a 60-hour approved pre-licensing course, pass a fingerprint-based background check, submit a $50 application through the state’s MyProfile portal, and pass a 165-question state exam with a score of 70% or higher. The license authorizes you to sell life insurance, health insurance, annuities, and variable contracts in Florida. If you plan to sell variable annuities, you also need separate federal securities registration through FINRA.
Who Qualifies
You must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen or a legal alien with work authorization, and a bona fide Florida resident. You cannot hold a resident insurance license in another state when you apply. Employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or a state service office are ineligible.1Florida Department of Financial Services. 2-15 Resident Health and Life Agent License
Beyond those checkboxes, the Department of Financial Services decides whether each applicant is trustworthy and competent enough to handle consumer financial transactions. The department can deny a license for violations of insurance law, unfair or deceptive business practices, cheating on a licensing exam, or failing to report a felony conviction within 30 days of the disposition.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 626.621 – Grounds for Discretionary Refusal, Suspension, or Revocation
Federal Felony Bar
Even if you satisfy every Florida requirement, federal law creates a separate barrier. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1033, working in the business of insurance with a felony conviction involving dishonesty or breach of trust is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison, unless you first obtain written consent from your state’s insurance regulator.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1033 – Crimes by or Affecting Persons Engaged in the Business of Insurance The prohibition covers any qualifying felony regardless of age or whether it was a state or federal charge. If this applies to you, secure that written consent before applying.
Pre-Licensing Education
Every applicant must complete approved coursework before submitting the application. The standard path is a 60-hour pre-licensing course covering life insurance, health insurance, and variable annuity contracts, taken through a provider approved by the Department of Financial Services. The course must be completed within four years of your application date, or the credit expires.1Florida Department of Financial Services. 2-15 Resident Health and Life Agent License
Florida also accepts a split-course approach: a 30-hour life, annuity, and variable contracts course combined with a 40-hour health course. Certain professional designations can substitute for one or both halves. The Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) or Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) designation replaces the life portion; the Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) or Health Insurance Associate (HIA) replaces the health portion. Both pathways still require you to pass the state exam.
Exam-Exempt Pathways
Two routes let you skip the state exam entirely. If you earned a college degree that includes at least nine credit hours of insurance instruction covering health insurance, life insurance, annuities, and variable contracts, you can apply without sitting for the exam by submitting an official transcript. If you hold the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from the American College of Financial Services, you also qualify, with an original letter from the college confirming the designation.1Florida Department of Financial Services. 2-15 Resident Health and Life Agent License
Fingerprinting and Background Check
You must be fingerprinted through IdentoGO, the state-approved vendor, using the LiveScan electronic system. The fee is $49.50 plus local Florida county sales tax.4MyFloridaCFO. Fingerprinting Information After registering and paying on the IdentoGO site, you choose a LiveScan location from the list shown during registration. Select the correct reason code so your results route to the Department of Financial Services without delay.
Your prints are checked against state and federal criminal databases. A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you, but felonies and certain misdemeanors invite closer review, and dishonesty-related felonies carry the federal prohibition described above.
Submitting the Application
All licensing activity runs through MyProfile, the Department of Financial Services’ online portal.5Florida Department of Financial Services. DICE – MyProfile You create an account, submit the application, track deficiencies, and eventually access your license through the same portal. The application asks for your residential addresses and employment history covering the previous five continuous years with no gaps, so gather that information before you start.
The filing fee is $50.6Online Sunshine. Florida Code 624.501 – Fees Have your pre-licensing course completion certificate number ready when you apply. Approved providers typically send proof of completion to the department within 21 days of your passing date, but having the number in hand prevents delays on your side.
The State Licensing Exam
Once the department processes your application and clears your fingerprint results, you get authorization to schedule the exam through Pearson VUE.7Pearson VUE. Florida Department of Financial Services – Licensing Exams Florida law requires every non-exempt applicant to pass a written examination before a license is issued.8Online Sunshine. Florida Code 626.221 – Examination Requirement and Exemptions You can book an appointment up to one calendar day before your preferred test date.
The 2-15 exam has 165 multiple-choice questions: 150 scored and 15 unscored pretest questions mixed in so you cannot tell them apart. You get 2 hours and 45 minutes. You need 70% on the scored questions, which is 105 correct out of 150.9Pearson VUE. Florida Insurance Licensing Exam Content Outline Bring a valid government-issued photo ID to the testing center.
Content covers life insurance, annuities, variable contracts, and health insurance, along with Florida-specific insurance law and regulation.10Florida Senate. Florida Code 626.241 – Scope of Examination The life and annuity portions make up roughly half the exam, with health insurance and state law covering the rest. Once your file clears, your license appears electronically in your MyProfile account. Download a copy for your records.
FINRA Registration if You Want to Sell Variable Annuities
This is the step many new agents overlook. The 2-15 license gives you state authority to transact variable contracts, but variable annuities are also securities. Florida law prohibits selling variable life insurance, variable annuity contracts, or other variable contracts without passing a state-approved variable contracts exam.11Online Sunshine. Florida Code 626.7845 – Variable Life Insurance, Variable Annuity Contracts On top of that, federal securities law requires separate registration through FINRA.
To obtain FINRA’s Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products registration, you must pass two exams: the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam and the Series 6 qualification exam.12FINRA. Series 6 – Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Representative You can take the SIE on your own, but the Series 6 requires sponsorship from a FINRA member firm, so you need to affiliate with a broker-dealer before sitting for it.13FINRA. Securities Industry Essentials Exam Passing the SIE alone does not qualify you to sell anything.
If you only plan to sell fixed life insurance, fixed annuities, and health insurance, FINRA registration is not required. Many agents get the 2-15 first, secure an appointment with a carrier that has a broker-dealer affiliate, and then pursue the SIE and Series 6.
Getting Appointed to Sell
Holding the 2-15 license does not mean you can start writing business right away. You need to be appointed by at least one insurance company, and the insurer pays a $60 appointment fee to the state for each line of authority.6Online Sunshine. Florida Code 624.501 – Fees The appointing insurer typically pays it. Your ability to sell depends on having at least one active appointment, and each carrier appointment carries its own fee and renewal cycle.
Keeping Your License Active
Your 2-15 license renews every two years, and you must complete continuing education before each renewal. The requirement is 24 hours per cycle: a 4-hour law and ethics update course specific to the life and health license type, plus 20 hours of elective continuing education.14MyFloridaCFO. Continuing Education Once you have been licensed for six or more years, the elective portion drops from 20 hours to 16.15Online Sunshine. Florida Code 626.2815 – Continuing Education Requirements Missing your CE deadline can result in a lapsed license, and selling insurance without an active license is a separate violation.