2.5 Application Steps, Fees, Examination, Fingerprints and ID Card

This section covers the remaining Category II items: change of personal information (II.C), fingerprinting (II.E), application fee (II.G) and identification card (II.H). It also covers the examination rule in 114CSR103-3.10 and the practical steps the OIC publishes.

The OIC's application sequence

The OIC's How To Become a WV Licensed Bail Bondsman (updated July 21, 2026) lists the steps in order:

1. Pass the West Virginia Professional and Surety Bail Bond Exam through Pearson Professional Assessments.
2. Surety applicants only: obtain a limited lines surety line of authority (no exam, via NIPR), or a property and casualty line of authority (pre-licensing plus producer exam).
3. Fingerprints through IdentoGo, at initial application and at every renewal, using the WVOIC service code 228NS5. Without the code the OIC cannot see the results and the process must be repeated.
4. Mail to the OIC Licensing and Education Division:
   • the NAIC Uniform Application;
   • the WV Bail Bondsman Supplemental Application with:
     • Form A: Bail Bondsman Affidavit, notarized, required of all applicants;
     • Form B: Employees Engaged in Bonding Business, for owners whose employees issue bonds (each of whom must be licensed);
     • Form C: Irrevocable Letter of Credit, for professional applicants using a letter of credit, on the bank's letterhead;
     • Form D: Power of Attorney for the Commissioner, notarized, required of all professional applicants;
     • Form E: FBI Privacy Act Statement, required of all applicants;
   • surety applicants: a qualifying power of attorney and letter of appointment from each company.

The examination

114CSR103-3.10 (effective for applicants from July 1, 2024):

• Competency is determined by examination on the duties and responsibilities of the bonding business and West Virginia law and rules.
• The exam is multiple choice, with at least 25 and no more than 50 questions.
• 80% correct is required to pass.
• Each examinee pays a $25 state examination fee for each exam. If an independent testing service gives the exam, it collects and remits this $25 in addition to its own fees (3.10.3).
• Exempt: anyone licensed as a bondsman by the Commissioner on or before June 30, 2024.
• 3.10.1: a pre-July 1, 2024 licensee who let the license expire in good standing is exempt on reapplication within one year of expiration, if not under investigation when it expired.
• 3.10.2: anyone whose license was suspended or revoked for violating the rule must pass the exam again to be relicensed.

Pearson's West Virginia Insurance Candidate Handbook (September 2026) gives the current delivery details:

At 80%, a candidate needs 24 of 30 correct (0.80 × 30 = 24). The handbook lists the fee as $84. Confirm at booking whether the separate $25 state fee in 3.10.3 is included.

Fees at a glance

Rule 3.4 adds two details. Failing to pay at the time of application results in denial. The fee is in addition to any producer, adjuster, insurer or business-entity license fee. A bondsman holding both license types pays the fee for each (3.9).

Worked example. A first-time professional bondsman applicant pays the listed amounts: $84 (Pearson) + $200 (OIC) + $45.75 (fingerprints) = $329.75, plus the $25 state exam fee if Pearson collects it separately. The $10,000 minimum security deposit is a pledge, not a fee.

Fingerprints and criminal history

114CSR103-3.2 requires compliance with W.Va. Code §33-12-37 (criminal history record checks through the West Virginia State Police and the FBI). 114CSR103-4.4 requires a new check at every renewal. The handbook states fingerprints are valid for 60 days from the date taken and must be redone (and paid again) if they expire before the process is complete. The OIC receives no part of the fingerprint fee.

The picture ID card: 114CSR103-3.6

• The Commissioner issues an official picture identification card to each licensed bondsman. The Commissioner may coordinate with the Division of Motor Vehicles.
• The bondsman must carry it at all times when working as a bail bondsman.
• If the license is revoked, expired or otherwise terminated, the card goes back to the Commissioner within 10 working days.

Keeping information current: 114CSR103-3.11

A bondsman must notify the Commissioner of a change of legal name, residence address, business address, mailing address, email address or telephone number within 30 days after the change. Missing this deadline, or ignoring a properly mailed notice, is a suspension and revocation ground (11.1.11). Recall that notice mailed to the last address of record is effective (§33-2-12).

Denials and reapplication

After a denial, the applicant may reapply, but the Commissioner considers no more than one application per six months from the same person (3.5).

Exam traps

• Exam rule versus Pearson exam. The rule allows 25–50 questions; Pearson's current exam has 30. Both require 80%.
• June 30, 2024 grandfather date for the exam exemption; one year to reapply after a good-standing lapse.
• Carry the card; return it in 10 working days when the license ends.
• 30 days for personal-information changes; 10 working days for employee-list changes.