You passed the Texas Life Agent exam. Now what?
Passing the exam is not the license. A few more steps stand between you and selling, and one of them has a deadline that catches people out.
⏳ Apply within 12 months
Pearson VUE's Texas handbook is explicit: if you do not submit a completed license application within 12 months of passing, you have to retake the exam and pay the $39 again.
Get fingerprinted and apply to TDI
Fingerprints are taken through the state's vendor and sent electronically to the Department of Public Safety and the FBI. The application goes to the Texas Department of Insurance online, with the $50 license fee.
⏳ A license alone does not let you sell
TIC 4001.201 says a licensed person may not engage in business as an agent unless an authorized insurer appoints them. Each company you write for files its own appointment, $10 for each one after the first.
Continuing education starts its clock
You owe 24 hours of continuing education every two-year license period, 3 of them in ethics. A shortfall at renewal costs $50 an hour, up to $500. Agents licensed continuously for 20 years are exempt.
Licenses that build on this one
The Life Agent license covers life insurance and annuities. These are the usual next moves for an agent who wants to sell more.
General Lines — Life, Accident & Health
Adds health insurance and HMO plans. A separate 130-question Pearson VUE exam, also offered in Spanish, and prepared on this same site with the same pass.
Variable products registration
Selling variable life or variable annuities also requires securities registration through FINRA, on top of this license.
Licensing steps summarized from the Pearson VUE Texas Insurance Licensing Candidate Handbook (October 2024) and the Texas Insurance Code. Confirm current requirements with the Texas Department of Insurance before applying.