1.2 Louisiana Producer Licensing Requirements

Step Zero: Pre-License Education

Louisiana does NOT require pre-license education. The mandatory classroom/online hours were eliminated effective June 3, 2022. You may register for the exam immediately - there is no certificate of completion to upload first.

Exam tip: Distractors that quote "20 hours per line" or "40 hours for the combined license" are wrong for Louisiana. Some neighboring states require pre-licensing; Louisiana does not. A prep course is recommended (pass rates are far higher with one) but never required.

The Examination - Vendor, Length, and Score

The exam is administered by PSI (PSI Services LLC) on behalf of the LDI. The structure differs by what you are testing for:

A 70% pass mark means at least 70 of 100 correct on a single-line exam, or 105 of 150 on the combined Series 103 exam. Questions are multiple-choice with four options. The score report is pass/fail and is handed to you at the testing center immediately after you finish.

Exam fees

IMPORTANT - in-person only: As of July 2024, PSI no longer offers remote/online proctored Louisiana insurance exams. Every exam is taken in person at a PSI testing center. Any answer claiming online testing is "available with LDI approval" is wrong.

Where You Test

PSI operates centers across the state, so most candidates are within driving distance:

• Baton Rouge
• Lafayette
• Lake Charles
• Metairie (New Orleans area)
• Monroe
• Pineville / Alexandria
• Shreveport

Exam-Day Procedure and Common Traps

1. Arrive 30 minutes early. Arrive late and you forfeit the exam and the fee.
2. Bring two valid government IDs. One must show your name and photo (driver's license, passport, or military ID); the second must be signature-bearing. The names must match your registration exactly.
3. No electronics or personal items at the testing station - phones, smartwatches, and notes are prohibited and stored in a locker.
4. Fingerprints are captured on exam day at the PSI site (see below).

Common trap: Candidates assume the score report is mailed later. In Louisiana your pass/fail result prints at the center immediately, and PSI transmits it electronically to the LDI/NIPR.

Fingerprinting (Required of Every Applicant)

After You Pass - the Application

Passing the exam does not make you licensed. You then apply:

1. Pass with 70% or higher.
2. Complete fingerprinting through IdentoGO ($60.75, service code 27N339) - scheduled separately from the exam.
3. Apply through NIPR (National Insurance Producer Registry) at nipr.com.
4. Pay the license fee - $75 (NIPR state fee for producer all LOAs excluding surplus lines), plus the NIPR transaction fee.
5. Wait for the background-check review and LDI approval.

Baseline qualifications

To hold a Louisiana resident producer license you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be a Louisiana resident (for a resident license)
• Pass the exam at 70% or higher
• Complete fingerprinting and clear the background check
• Submit the application through NIPR and pay the fees
• Have no disqualifying criminal history (e.g., a 1033 felony involving dishonesty or breach of trust generally bars licensing without a federal waiver)

Worked example

You want to sell both life and health products and minimize cost. The combined Series 103 exam (150 questions, $58) is one sitting versus two $36 single-line exams ($72 total). The combined route is cheaper and one trip - but you must clear 70% across the larger blueprint in a single attempt.

Retaking a Failed Exam

Failing is not the end of the road. PSI lets you reschedule and retake the exam after paying the exam fee again. There is no fixed lifetime cap on attempts within the one-year eligibility period, but same-day retesting is not available, each sitting costs the full $36/$58 fee, and you should wait long enough to address weak areas. Your fingerprinting and background check carry over; you do not repay the $60.75 fingerprint fee for a retake if your prints are already on file.

Trap: A failing candidate sometimes assumes they must retake pre-licensing first. Louisiana has no pre-licensing, so the only step before a retake is paying PSI again and rebooking a seat.

Resident vs. Non-Resident at Application

The path above is the resident path - for someone living in Louisiana. If your principal residence and home-state license are in another state, you instead apply as a non-resident (covered in 1.3) and skip the Louisiana exam entirely. Pick the right path before you pay PSI: a non-resident does not sit the Louisiana exam at all.

Lines of Authority and What This License Lets You Sell

The license you earn here authorizes specific lines of authority (LOA):

The $75-per-line fee means a producer holding both Life and Health pays $150 total in license fees. Variable life and variable annuities additionally require a FINRA securities registration (Series 6 or 7) plus a state securities license, because those products are securities - the LDI life license alone is not enough to sell them.

Exam pearl: "Variable" = invested in separate accounts = security. Selling variable products needs both an insurance license and a securities registration; a question implying the Louisiana life license by itself covers variable annuities is wrong.