1.2 Delaware Producer Licensing Requirements

Step 1: Pre-Licensing Education — Not Required

Unlike many states, Delaware does NOT mandate pre-licensing education hours for the Life and/or Health lines. There is no required classroom count and no completion certificate to upload before testing.

That freedom is a double-edged sword: because the exam still demands a 70% score across both national and Delaware-specific material, candidates typically self-study 20–40 hours using prep textbooks, practice exams, and a Delaware state-law supplement.

Exam tip: A question asking "how many pre-license hours does Delaware require for Life & Health?" is testing whether you know the answer is zero. Do not confuse Delaware with states like California or Texas that do require hours.

Step 2: The Licensing Examination

Delaware insurance exams are delivered by Pearson VUE. You schedule online or by phone, pay the exam fee, and test in person.

Important: The Delaware Insurance Candidate Handbook walks candidates through reporting to a physical test center (arrive 30 minutes early; you are photographed for the score report). Plan on an in-person appointment rather than assuming home testing.

The Health exam follows the same fee, passing score, and two-section structure; combined Life & Health candidates sit the relevant General Knowledge plus the shared Delaware law content.

The Two-Section Format and the Partial-Pass Rule

Each Delaware exam is scored as two distinct parts:

• General Knowledge — federal law and product concepts from the national study guide
• Delaware-Specific — Title 18 rules, the Commissioner, licensing, CE, and state mandates

Delaware's partial-pass / section-retake policy is a favorite exam item because it differs from most states:

Worked example: You pass General Knowledge but fail Delaware law. Under the partial-pass rule you reschedule only the Delaware section and must clear it within 12 months. If you wait 13 months, your General Knowledge credit lapses and you start over.

Step 3: Fingerprinting & Background Check — AFTER You Pass

A frequently-missed sequencing point: in Delaware the state and federal background check happens after you pass the exam, as part of the application — not before testing.

Disqualifying Factors

The DOI weighs felony convictions, fraud or dishonesty crimes, misappropriation of money, and prior license suspensions/revocations in other states. A record is not an automatic bar — the Department considers the offense's nature, time elapsed, and rehabilitation. Federal law (the Violent Crime Control Act, 18 U.S.C. 1033) separately bars anyone convicted of a felony involving breach of trust or dishonesty from the insurance business without written DOI consent.

Step 4: Apply Through NIPR

Lines of Authority

Producer, Agent, Broker — What the Words Mean

The modern Delaware term is producer, which covers what older statutes called agents and brokers. A few related terms are commonly tested:

• Producer — the licensed individual or agency that sells insurance.
• Insurer — the company that issues the policy and bears the risk.
• Appointment — the insurer's authorization for a producer to sell its products.
• Solicit / negotiate / sell — the regulated activities that require a license; merely clerical work generally does not.

Temporary Licenses and Business Entities

Delaware allows a temporary license in limited circumstances — for example, to a designated person continuing the business of a producer who has died, become disabled, or entered active military service — so a book of business is not abandoned. Temporary authority is time-limited and is not a substitute for passing the exam.

Business-entity (agency) licenses are also issued. An agency must designate a responsible licensed producer (a designated responsible licensed producer) who is accountable for the agency's compliance. Each line the agency transacts must be covered by a properly licensed and appointed individual.

Putting the Sequence Together

Exam tip: The exam loves order and amount questions. Lock in that fingerprinting follows the exam, the $90 is the exam fee while the $125 is the application fee, and you have 12 months both to clear a partial pass and to file the application after passing.