Short answer: yes. Selling life insurance from home requires the same state license as selling it from an office — working remotely doesn't change the legal requirement. Here's what that actually involves.
What license you need
You need a life insurance producer license (sometimes called a life agent license) issued by the Department of Insurance in the state where you live. It authorizes you to sell life insurance products to residents of that state. "From home" or "remote" isn't a separate category — it's the same license, you're just doing the work over phone and video instead of face to face.
How you get licensed
- Complete any required pre-licensing education. Some states require a set number of course hours (commonly around 20) before you can sit for the exam; a growing number of states have reduced or eliminated this requirement in the last couple of years. Our state pages list the current requirement per state with sourced details.
- Pass the state licensing exam. It's administered through your state's Department of Insurance or its testing vendor, and covers life insurance basics, policy types, and state regulations.
- Complete a background check / application. Most states run a background check and require fingerprinting as part of the application.
What it costs
There are real costs, and they go to the state or an approved course provider — not to whoever is recruiting you. Typically that's a pre-licensing course fee (if your state requires the course), the state exam fee, and the license application fee. Exact amounts vary by state. A legitimate opportunity never charges you a fee to "get hired" beyond these standard state licensing costs.
Can you get licensed entirely online?
In most states, yes — pre-licensing courses are widely available online, and many states offer the exam at testing centers or, increasingly, via online proctoring. The licensing process itself is largely remote-friendly, which is part of why remote insurance sales is accessible to people starting from scratch.
How long does it take?
For most people, licensing takes somewhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on whether your state requires coursework and how quickly you study and schedule the exam. Once you're licensed, a team that provides onboarding and training gets you from "licensed" to "actually selling."
Remote life insurance sales is commission-based. Licensing is required. Training is provided. Results are not guaranteed and depend on effort, skill, consistency, follow-up, and market conditions.
Not licensed yet? That's fine — apply here and we'll walk you through the exact steps for your state.