Which license do you need
Texas sells these two paths most new agents take. The Life Agent license covers life insurance only. The General Lines license for Life, Accident, Health and HMO covers life and health together. Each license type takes its own exam and its own $50 application. If you want to sell health coverage too, take the General Lines exam first and skip paying twice.
The steps, in order
- Study on your own schedule. Texas sets no course hours, so the exam is the gate. Buy a prep course if it helps you, work timed practice tests, and do not book the real exam until your practice scores hold up. The Texas law section is 30 of the scored questions on both exams, so study Texas rules, not just insurance basics.
- Pass the state exam through Pearson VUE. Life Agent costs $39 and runs 120 minutes. General Lines Life, Accident and Health costs $49 and runs 150 minutes. You need a scaled score of 70. Remote exams are not offered for these licenses; you test at a Pearson VUE center, and TDI has also worked with the vendor to place exam sites on military bases in Texas.
- Start the fingerprint process on TDI's online initial application and fingerprint portal. TDI emails you a service code. Book IdentoGO with that code, bring photo ID and payment, and keep the receipt. Your prints go to the Department of Public Safety and the FBI, and TDI will not process your application until those reports come back. If you already hold an active Texas license and submitted fingerprints to TDI before, you may not need to repeat this step.
- Apply through Sircon or NIPR within 12 months of passing. The fee is $50 per license type. Attach a copy of your IdentoGO receipt. Miss the 12 month window and you retake the exam.
- Get appointed and start training. The license lets you sell. It does not give you clients, a system, or anyone to call when you get stuck. That is where Oihana Consulting comes in: mentorship and training from people who do this work every day. Agents are independent contractors, not employees. You own your schedule and your results, and the income is commission based, so nobody hands you a paycheck. What you get instead is a team, a process, and someone in your corner while you build. Start with the career fit assessment and see whether this business fits you before you spend a dollar.
One more path, stated plainly: Texas offers a one time 180 day temporary license for the General Lines license at a $150 application fee, which covers both the temporary and the permanent application. A sponsoring agent, agency, or company must certify the appointment on Form FIN700, you must finish at least 40 hours of training from the appointing company within 30 days, and you must still pass the exam inside the 180 days. It is issued once and cannot be renewed.
The numbers, verified
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-licensing hours | None. Texas does not require a pre-licensing course for these agent licenses. Study tools are optional. | TDI; Pearson VUE handbook |
| Exam vendor | Pearson VUE | TDI |
| Exam fee, Life Agent | $39 per attempt, paid to Pearson VUE when you reserve. Non-refundable. | Pearson VUE handbook |
| Exam fee, General Lines Life, Accident and Health | $49 per attempt, same payment rules | Pearson VUE handbook |
| Exam format, Life Agent | 90 questions presented: 80 scored plus 10 pretest questions that do not affect your score. 120 minutes. | Pearson VUE handbook, outlines effective September 1, 2026 |
| Exam format, General Lines | 145 questions presented: 130 scored plus 15 pretest questions. 150 minutes. | Pearson VUE handbook |
| Pass score | Scaled score of 70. Pearson VUE converts raw scores to a scaled score from 0 to 100, so 70 is not 70 percent of questions right. | Pearson VUE handbook |
| Exam validity | 12 months. Submit a completed application within 12 months of passing or you retake the exam. | TDI |
| Application fee | $50 per license type, through Sircon or NIPR. Non-refundable. Waived for military service members, veterans, and military spouses. | TDI |
| Fingerprinting | IdentoGO by IDEMIA, booked with the service code TDI emails you after you start on TDI's portal. Keep the receipt for your application. Cost is about $41; confirm the live amount when you schedule. | TDI fingerprint instructions |
| Processing time | Not published by TDI. Any end to end timeline here is an estimate. | TDI |
Total in required fees if you pass on the first try: the Life Agent path is $39 exam plus $50 application plus about $41 fingerprints, about $130. The General Lines path is $49 plus $50 plus about $41, about $140. Each exam retake costs the full exam fee again. Sircon or NIPR may add a small platform charge at checkout; confirm it on the payment screen.
Frequently asked questions
What does the whole thing cost?
About $130 for the Life Agent path and about $140 for the General Lines Life, Accident and Health path, if you pass on the first try: the exam at $39 or $49, the $50 application, and about $41 for IdentoGO fingerprints, with the fingerprint price marked Verify at booking. Add $100 to $200 if you buy a prep course. Each retake costs the full exam fee again.
How long does it take?
Estimate only: plan on 2 to 6 weeks from the day you start studying to the day the license is in hand, if you pass on the first try and your background file is clean. TDI does not publish a processing time, so no part of that range is a state promise. Your study pace sets most of the clock.
What does the background check involve?
You start on TDI's fingerprint portal, get a service code by email, then get fingerprinted at IdentoGO. Prints go to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI. TDI does not process the application until it receives those reports. Keep your IdentoGO receipt and attach a copy to your application, because TDI accepts the receipt, not your online payment confirmation.
What disqualifies me?
Texas law lists acts that can ground a denial in Texas Insurance Code section 4005.101, and TDI reviews problem history case by case. Cases involving fraud, theft, or dishonesty are the hardest to get past. A record does not automatically end your application, but you have to disclose it. Lying on the application is a separate problem on its own.
Do veterans get any fee help?
Yes. Three separate facts, all from TDI and Texas law. First, no application fee: TDI states that military service members, veterans, and military spouses do not have to pay Texas insurance license application fees, and Texas Occupations Code section 55.009 requires state agencies to waive license application and examination fees paid to the state for those applicants. Email applications@tdi.texas.gov to ask for the application copy and the waiver path before you pay anything. Second, exam fee reimbursement: veterans who passed Texas insurance exams can apply to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to get the exam fee reimbursed, for exams taken on or after February 1, 2019. Third, TDI worked with its exam vendor to add insurance exam sites on military bases around the state.
Can I do this part time?
Yes. The license does not set your hours. Plenty of new agents keep a day job while they study, get licensed, and build their first clients on nights and weekends. The tradeoff is speed. Part time means slower momentum, and this business rewards consistency.
Do I need a degree?
No. Texas does not require a college degree for this license. You must be at least 18. The exam tests insurance concepts and Texas rules, not academics.
Direct links
- Texas Department of Insurance, General Lines apply page: tdi.texas.gov/agent/general-life-apply.html
- Texas Department of Insurance, fingerprint instructions: tdi.texas.gov/agent/fingerprint-instructions.html
- Texas Department of Insurance, help for military members and spouses: tdi.texas.gov/tips/military-members-and-spouses-who-work-in-insurance.html
- Pearson VUE Texas insurance exams: home.pearsonvue.com/tx/insurance
Last verified: October 17, 2026. Confirm current amounts with the Texas Department of Insurance before you pay anything.