1.2 Minnesota Producer Licensing Requirements

Pre-License Education IS Required

Minnesota is a pre-license education (PLE) required state. You must complete an approved course and pass its monitored certification exam before you sit the state exam.

CRITICAL: If you sit the state exam before finishing PLE, your results are INVALID and you must retake the exam. Bring your Certificate of Completion to PSI.

Exemptions from Pre-License Education

Holding certain professional designations waives the PLE requirement for the matching line:

Life line exemptions

• CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter)
• ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant)
• CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist)
• FLMI (Fellow, Life Management Institute)
• LUTCF (Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow)
• CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor)

Health line exemptions

• CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist)
• RHU (Registered Health Underwriter)
• REBC (Registered Employee Benefits Consultant)
• HIA (Health Insurance Associate)

Note that the exemption is line-specific: a CLU waives Life PLE but not the Health requirement, so a combined-line applicant still completes A&H education.

The State Examination

Minnesota contracts with PSI as its sole exam vendor.

Common trap: Affiliate sites sometimes cite "60%" as the passing score. The official PSI specification is 70%. Use 70% on the exam.

The two-line combined exam is not two separate sittings — it is a single test covering both Life and Accident & Health domains plus Minnesota law. Per the PSI content outline it delivers 130 scored items (50 life + 50 health + 30 Minnesota law) plus 15 unscored pretest items = 145 total. Candidates pursuing only Life take the shorter 75-item exam.

What "Producer" Means and Who Needs a License

Minnesota uses the term insurance producer for anyone who sells, solicits, or negotiates insurance. "Sell" means to exchange a contract for money; "solicit" means to attempt to sell or urge someone to apply; "negotiate" means to confer with a buyer about the terms of coverage. If you do any of the three for compensation, you need a license — and you need the specific line of authority (Life, or Accident & Health) for the product involved.

Certain roles are exempt from producer licensing because they do not sell, solicit, or negotiate:

• A salaried clerical employee who takes only factual information and does not discuss terms
• An officer or employee who supervises producers but does not receive sales-based commissions
• Someone whose only role is to process claims (those duties may instead require an adjuster credential)

Lines of Authority

The license you earn is tied to lines of authority — you may transact only the lines listed on your license:

Variable life and variable annuities are securities as well as insurance, so selling them also requires a FINRA registration (e.g., Series 6 or 7) and a relationship with a broker-dealer — the Minnesota insurance license alone is not enough. This dual-credential rule is a popular exam item.

Step-by-Step Path to Licensure

1. Complete pre-license education (unless exempt) and pass its certification exam at 70%.
2. Schedule the PSI exam at the Minnesota insurance portal and pay the $45 fee.
3. Pass the state exam at 70% — results print immediately at the center.
4. Get fingerprinted for the background check (offered at PSI, commonly the same day).
5. Apply through NIPR or Sircon and pay the state license fees.
6. Submit the application within 36 months of passing the exam.
7. Await approval after background-check review.

PSI Exam-Day Rules

Bring your Certificate of Completion unless you qualified for a designation exemption — PSI may deny entry without it.

Fingerprint Background Check

Resident license applicants must clear a fingerprint-based criminal background check before the license issues.

A conviction does not automatically bar licensure, but failure to disclose it is itself grounds for denial — the application asks you to report criminal history truthfully.

Score Validity and Application Window

Minnesota gives one of the longest post-exam windows in the country: exam scores remain valid for 36 months (3 years). You must submit a completed application within that window or retest. This is a frequent exam fact — distractors of 6, 12, or 24 months are wrong.

Nonresident Applicants

If you hold an active resident license in your home state, Minnesota grants reciprocity:

• No Minnesota pre-license education required
• No Minnesota examination required
• Lines of authority mirror your home state
• Apply through NIPR; keep your home-state license in good standing

If your home-state license lapses or is revoked, your Minnesota nonresident license can be terminated in turn.