1.2 Georgia P&C Producer Licensing Requirements
Key Takeaways
Georgia requires pre-license education before scheduling the P&C exam; the completion certificate is valid for one year.
The Georgia exam is delivered by Pearson VUE, not PSI; it contains 135 questions (125 scored, 10 unscored pretest) in 2.5 hours.
The passing standard is 70% of the questions answered correctly; Pearson VUE reports a percent score from 0% to 100%.
The exam fee is $67 per attempt, and new resident applicants must complete IdentoGO fingerprinting for state and federal background checks after applying in Sircon.
Residents apply through Sircon (www.sircon.com/georgia) and pay a $100 license fee plus a $20 processing fee; non-residents qualify through NAIC reciprocity by holding an active home-state license.
Georgia sets specific gates between an applicant and a Property & Casualty (P&C) producer license: education, examination, background screening, and application. Miss any one and the OCI will not issue the license.
Pre-License Education
Georgia requires OCI-approved pre-license education before you may schedule the P&C exam. The Pearson VUE handbook (October 2026) requires an 8-hour Property course and an 8-hour Casualty course (16 hours) for the combined Property & Casualty exam, taken within the last 12 months. The other rules:
- Coursework must come from an OCI-approved provider (classroom or approved online).
- You receive a certificate of completion that is valid for one year — if you do not test within 12 months, you must retake the course.
- The certificate is presented when you sit for the Pearson VUE exam.
Exam Tip: The trap here is the one-year certificate expiration. If a scenario says a candidate finished pre-license in January and tries to test 14 months later, the answer is that the certificate has expired and the course must be repeated.
The Examination
Georgia's licensing exams are delivered by Pearson VUE (NOT PSI — a frequent stale-source error). The P&C exam structure:
| Exam detail | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 135 (125 scored + 10 unscored pretest) |
| Time limit | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% of questions answered correctly (percent score, 0%-100%) |
| Exam fee | $67 per attempt |
| Testing vendor | Pearson VUE test centers (the October 2026 handbook describes no online option) |
| Results | Pass/fail delivered immediately at the test center |
The scoring rule: the handbook reports a percent score — the percentage of questions answered correctly — and you need 70% to pass. A failing score report includes a numeric score and diagnostic information, and you must wait 24 hours before scheduling a reexamination.
License Types
| License | What it authorizes |
|---|---|
| Property & Casualty | All property and casualty lines (combined exam 12-GA-06) |
| Property or Casualty | One line only (exams 12-GA-03 and 12-GA-04) |
| Personal Lines | Personal auto, homeowners, and related personal coverages only |
| Limited / Restricted Lines | Narrow products such as travel, credit, or rental-car insurance |
Exam Tip: A Personal Lines licensee may NOT sell commercial general liability or commercial property. If a scenario has a personal-lines agent quoting a contractor's commercial package, that is acting outside the scope of the license.
Producer vs. Agency vs. Adjuster
Georgia licenses several roles you must keep straight on the exam:
| Role | What it does |
|---|---|
| Producer (agent) | Solicits, negotiates, and sells insurance for appointed insurers |
| Agency (firm) | A business entity that holds its own license; individual producers act under it |
| Adjuster | Investigates and settles claims (Georgia licenses independent and public adjusters) |
| Counselor / consultant | Advises on coverage for a fee rather than commission |
A single individual may hold both a producer and an adjuster license, but each requires its own qualification and renewal. Selling without the correct line of authority — for example, settling a claim for a fee without an adjuster license — is unauthorized activity the Commissioner can penalize.
Step-by-Step Application Process
- Complete pre-license education at an OCI-approved provider and obtain the certificate (valid 12 months).
- Schedule the exam through Pearson VUE online or by phone; pay the $67 fee.
- Bring a valid government photo ID that matches your registration name.
- Pass the exam — 70% of questions answered correctly.
- Apply for the license at www.sircon.com/georgia (resident applications are not available through NIPR) and pay the $100 license fee plus $20 processing fee.
- Submit fingerprints through IdentoGO for a state and federal criminal background check; the handbook requires the Sircon application first.
Background Check
Georgia requires fingerprint-based state and federal criminal background checks for all license applicants.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | State (GBI) and federal (FBI) fingerprint check |
| Vendor | IdentoGO (register at ga.state.identogo.com/ata) |
| Timing | Register after the Sircon application; must clear before the license is issued |
Character and Fitness
The Commissioner may deny, suspend, or revoke a license for criminal or dishonest conduct. Common disqualifiers:
- Felony convictions, especially fraud, breach of trust, or dishonesty
- Misdemeanors involving fraud or dishonesty
- Adverse administrative actions in other states (must be disclosed)
- A pattern of insurance-law violations
Under the federal Violent Crime Control Act (18 U.S.C. §1033/1034), anyone convicted of a felony involving dishonesty or breach of trust is barred from the insurance business unless they obtain written consent (a "1033 waiver") from the Commissioner.
License Application Logistics
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Application portal | Sircon (www.sircon.com/georgia); NIPR handles renewals and nonresident licenses, not resident applications |
| Resident fees | $100 license fee + $20 processing fee |
| Deficiencies | An application still incomplete 60 days after a deficiency notice is closed and the fee forfeited |
Resident vs. Non-Resident
- Resident: Lives or maintains a principal place of business in Georgia.
- Non-Resident: Must hold an active license in good standing in their home state; Georgia then issues a non-resident license through NAIC reciprocity without a second exam.
- Reciprocity: Because Georgia is a reciprocal state, a non-resident generally does NOT retake the Georgia exam — home-state licensure is the qualifier.
Exam Tip: A non-resident producer who lets the home-state license lapse automatically loses the Georgia non-resident license. Reciprocity depends entirely on an active home-state license.
Which testing vendor delivers the Georgia Property & Casualty licensing exam, and how is it scored?
Pearson VUE; 70% of the questions answered correctly
PSI; a scaled score of 500 on a 200-800 scale
Prometric; 65% on a single combined section
The OCI directly; pass/fail with no numeric threshold
A candidate finished OCI-approved pre-license education 14 months ago and now tries to schedule the exam. What happens?
Nothing changes; pre-license certificates never expire in Georgia
The candidate may test but must add 8 ethics hours first
The certificate has expired (valid one year), so the course must be retaken
The candidate is permanently barred from the P&C license
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.