Hawaii Insurance Licensing State Requirements
On this page, you will find all of the state-specific information for insurance licensing in the state of Hawaii. This information pertains to resident license applicants. For additional information for resident licensing, or for nonresident license information, please refer to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs website at: http://cca.hawaii.gov/ins. Information is subject to change, and we will do our very best to make the process of completing your licensing education requirements as simple as possible.
Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Insurance Division
King Kalakaua Building335 Merchant St. Rm. 213
Honolulu, HI 96813
P.O. Box 3614Honolulu, HI 96811
Phone: (808)586-2790 Fax: (808) 586-2806
Website: http://cca.hawaii.gov/ins
Email: inslic@cca.hawaii.gov
How to Get Your Hawaii Insurance License
1. Complete an Insurance Exam Prep Course
Those looking to earn a Hawaii insurance license have a significantly higher chance of passing their licensing exam when they complete one of Kaplan’s exam prep courses. Give yourself the best chance to pass before you sit for
the state exam.
Prelicensing Education Hour Requirements
- The state of Hawaii does not require prelicensing education.
- Although prelicensing education is not required, due to the difficulty and nature of these exams, Kaplan highly recommends enrolling in a study course.
- Acceptable Methods of Education
- Classroom
- Self-Study
- Online
2. Pass Your Hawaii Licensing Exam
After completing your exam prep course, you must pass a state licensing exam. Kaplan’s exam prep content is based directly on the Hawaii licensing exams, so you will be prepared to pass the first time.
Exam Provider: Pearson VUE
Beginning May 18, 2021, the Insurance Division has approved Pearson VUE to administer testing through their online proctoring process, in addition to the standard test center process. For exams taken prior to May 18, 2021 that contained both National and State content, if an applicant wishes to only retake the previously failed portion, applicant must retest by May 17, 2021. If not retested by May 17, 2021, applicant will be required to retake the entire examination, as the option to retest for just one portion of the examination will no longer be available.
For more information or if you have any questions, please visit the Pearson VUE website at https://home.pearsonvue.com/hi/insurance or contact Pearson VUE Call Center at 1-800-274-2608.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Hawaii Licensing Exam
After completing my exam prep, how should I prepare for exam day?
Practice Tests: Practice tests are offered exclusively online at www.pearsonvue.com, giving candidates even more opportunity to succeed on insurance examinations. Practice tests will not only prepare candidates for the types of questions they will see on the licensure exam, but also familiarize them with taking computer-based examinations. Pearson VUE offers practice tests in the areas of Life, Health, and Property and Casualty that contain questions developed by subject matter experts using concepts found in the general portion of the licensure examination. The tests closely reflect the format of the real licensure examination, can be scored instantly, and provide immediate feedback to help candidates identify correct and incorrect answers. Candidates can purchase practice tests anytime at www.pearsonvue.com.
Make an Examination Reservation: Walk-in examinations are not available. Online reservations are the most efficient way for candidates to schedule their examination. Candidates must go to www.pearsonvue.com/hi/insurance to make an online reservation for an examination. First-time users are required to create an account. The candidate will need to fill in all required fields, which are preceded by an asterisk (*),
on the online form in order to create an ID and be assigned a password. Step-by-step instructions will lead the candidate through the rest of the examination reservation process. Candidates must make an online reservation at least twenty-four (24)
hours before the desired examination date. Candidates who wish to make a phone reservation at (800) 274-2608 must do so at least twenty-four (24) hours before the desired examination date (unless an electronic check is used for payment, as detailed
below). Before making a reservation, candidates should have the following:
- Legal name, address, Social Security number, daytime telephone number, and date of birth
- The name of the examination(s)
- The preferred examination date and test center location
Required Materials: All candidates are required to bring identification that is deemed acceptable, listed under Acceptable Forms of Candidate Identification.
Acceptable Forms of Candidate Identification: Candidates must present two (2) forms of current signature identification. The name on the identification must exactly match the name on the registration. The primary identification must be
government-issued and photo-bearing with a signature, and the secondary identification must contain a valid signature. Identification must be in English. Primary ID (photograph, and signature, not expired):
- Government-issued Driver’s License
- U.S. Dept of State Driver’s License
- U.S. Learner’s Permit (plastic card only with photo and signature)
- National/State/Country Identification Card
- Passport
- Passport cards
- Military ID
- Military ID for spouses and dependents
- Alien Registration Card (Green Card, Permanent Resident Visa)
- Secondary ID (signature, not expired)
- U.S. Social Security Card • Debit (ATM) or credit Card
- Any form of ID on the Primary list
Candidates should report to the test center thirty (30) minutes before the examination and check in with the test center administrator. The candidate’s identification will be reviewed, and they will be photographed for the score report.
Candidates are required to review and sign a Candidate Rules Agreement form. If the Candidate Rules Agreement is not followed and/or cheating or tampering with the examination is suspected, the incident will be reported as such and the appropriate action
will be taken including reporting the matter to the Hawaii Insurance Division. The examination fee will not be refunded, the exam may be determined invalid, and/or the state may take further action such as prohibiting candidates from retaking the
examination and/or denying a license.
What is the exam like?
Test Center Policies: The following policies are observed at each test center. Candidates who violate any of these policies will not be permitted to finish the examination and will be dismissed from the test center, forfeiting the examination
fee.
- No personal items are allowed in the testing room. Personal items include but are not limited to: cellular phones, hand-held computers or other electronic devices, pagers, watches, wallets, purses, firearms or other weapons, hats, bags, coats, books, notes, pens, or pencils.
- Candidates must store all personal items in a secure area as indicated by the administrator, or return items to their vehicle. All electronic devices must be turned off before storing them in a locker. The test center is not responsible for lost, stolen, or misplaced personal items.
- Studying is not allowed in the test center. Visitors, children, family, or friends are not allowed in the test center.
- Dictionaries, books, papers (including scratch paper), and reference materials are not permitted in the examination room (unless permitted by the exam sponsor), and candidates are strongly urged not to bring such materials to the test center. Upon entering and being seated in the testing room, the test administrator will provide the candidate with materials to make notes or calculations and any other items specified by the exam sponsor. The candidate may not write on these items before the exam begins or remove these items from the testing room.
- Eating, drinking, chewing gum, smoking, and/or making noise that creates a disturbance for other candidates is prohibited during the exam.
- Break policies are established by the exam sponsor. Most sponsors allow unscheduled breaks. To request an unscheduled break, the candidate must raise their hand to get the administrator’s attention. The exam clock will not stop while the candidate is taking a break.
- Candidates must leave the testing room for all breaks. However, candidates are not permitted to leave the floor or building for any reason during this time, unless specified by the administrator and the exam sponsor. If a candidate is discovered to have left the floor or building, they will not be permitted to proceed with the examination and may forfeit the exam fees.
- While taking a break, candidates are permitted to access personal items that are being stored during the exam only if necessary (e.g., personal medication that must be taken at a specific time). However, a candidate must receive permission from the administrator prior to accessing personal items that have been stored. Candidates are not allowed access to other items, including but not limited to, cellular phones, exam notes, and study guides, unless the exam sponsor specifically permits this.
- Any candidate discovered causing a disturbance of any kind or engaging in any kind of misconduct—giving or receiving help; using notes, books, or other aids; taking part in an act of impersonation; or removing examination materials or notes from the examination room—will be summarily dismissed from the examination and will be reported to the state licensing agency. Decisions regarding disciplinary measures are the responsibility of the state licensing agency.
How is the exam scored?
- There are multiple versions of each of the licensing examinations. These versions are known as forms. Although all forms of an examination are developed based on the content outlines, the difficulty of the forms of an examination may vary slightly because different questions appear on each form. To ensure that no candidate is put at an unfair advantage or disadvantage due to the particular form of an examination that he or she is given, a statistical procedure known as equating is used to correct for differences in form difficulty. The passing score of an examination was set by the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (in conjunction with Pearson VUE) after a comprehensive study was completed for each examination. Raw scores are converted into scaled scores. To avoid misuse of score information, numeric scores are only reported to failing candidates. The scaled score that is reported to you is neither the number of questions you answered correctly nor the percentage of questions you answered correctly. With a passing score of 70, any score below 70 indicates how close the candidate came to passing, rather than the actual number or percentage of questions the candidates answered correctly.
- When candidates complete the examination, they will receive a score report marked “pass” or “fail.” Candidates who pass the examination will receive a score report that includes information on how to apply for a license. The Division will receive examination scores electronically.
- Candidates who fail the examination will receive a score report that includes a numeric score and diagnostic information relating to the general portion of the examination, as well as information about reexamination. Reservations cannot be made at the test center. Candidates must wait 24 hours before making a reservation for reexamination.
How long is the exam?
AVAILABLE EXAMS
| Exam Code | Line of Authority | Section | Total Questions |
| 01 | Life Producer | General | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
| State | 45 Minutes | ||
| 02 | Accident & Health Producer | General | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
| State | 45 Minutes | ||
| 03 | Property Producer | General | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
| State | 45 Minutes | ||
| 04 | Casualty Producer | General | 1 Hour 15 Minutes |
| State | 45 Minutes | ||
| 55 | Personal Lines | General | 1 Hour 30 Minutes |
| State | 1 Hour | ||
| 06 | Surety Producer | One Part | 45 Minutes |
| 09 | Workers Compensation Adjuster | One Part | 45 Minutes |
| 14 | Adjuster | One Part | 2 Hours 45 Minutes |
| 83 | Title Producer | One Part | 2 Hours |
Any two exams may be taken during one session, except for 14 and 55, which must be taken individually
3. Get Fingerprinted
Get fingerprinted for licensing purposes (does not apply to a Third Party Administrator applicant). If you are submitting applications for two licenses simultaneously (e.g., producer and surplus lines broker), you will need to be fingerprinted once. However,
if you submit your producer application now and apply for a surplus lines broker license at a later date, you will need to be fingerprinted again.
To obtain fingerprints, schedule an appointment online at http://www.fieldprinthawaii.com. Fees collected by Fieldprint include state and federal submission fees. Effective
September 1, 2018, all applicants must enter HI-DCCA-INS, which is the code that identifies the Insurance Division as the intended recipient of your fingerprint result, when scheduling an online appointment with Fieldprint.
4. Apply for Hawaii Insurance License
Once you have passed your state licensing exam, you are ready to apply for an insurance license here. Submit your completed license application and applicable
licensing fee within 60 days of the date of fingerprinting.
You will be assigned an NPN. This unique identifier is assigned through the licensing application process and is used to track individuals and business entities on a national basis. The NPN is used by many states to replace a producer license number.
5. Plan to Complete Required Insurance Continuing Education (CE) Credits
Every insurance producer must adhere to their home state’s CE requirements. Stay on top of your CE and ahead of the competition with 365 days of unlimited course access when you enroll in a CE library with Kaplan.
Learn how to renew a Hawaii insurance license by clicking here.