Arizona Insurance Continuing Education

Resident Requirements

It is mandatory to meet state continuing education (CE) requirements in order to renew an insurance license in the state of Arizona. All licensed Arizona residents who are not exempt are held to specific CE standards in order to renew their licenses every three to four years. Insurance producers must complete at least 48 hours of CE prior to their renewal date. At least six of these required hours must consist of ethics training unless the resident is exempt.

Adjusters, title agents, and service representatives are not required to complete CE hours. Holding a multi-line license does not increase the number of required CE hours. 

Rules for Non-Residents

Some non-residents may be exempt from completing Arizona insurance continuing education requirements.

Any non-resident producer licensed in Arizona who is in good standing and has completed their home state's insurance CE requirements are exempt from Arizona CE requirements. If they have not completed their home state's CE requirements, they will be held to Arizona CE standards.

If their home state does not require long-term care training or flood training, they will also be held to Arizona requirements for these specific products. 

Carryover of Excess CE

Arizona does not permit excess CE hours to be carried over into the next license term.

Insurance License Term Renewal Requirements

The state of Arizona determines license renewal dates based on the birthdate of the licensee as well as the date of licensure. Arizona insurance licenses are renewed or expire on the last day of the licensee's birth month every three to four years.

For example, if a producer was born in June and receives their license in November of 2018, their first renewal will occur on June 30th, 2022.

In order for a license renewal to be approved, all CE hours must be logged by the state prior to receiving the application. It is important to note that the license renewal process is not automatic. Producers must specifically apply for a renewal in the 90 days prior to their renewal date, or their license will expire. 

Rules for Taking the Exam

Producers must take CE exams as their test provider permits. Exams may be open or closed-book depending on the preference of the person teaching the CE course. In order for a CE course to count for credit, the producer must pass the exam with a score of 70% or higher. However, failed exams may be retaken without limit. 

Effective March 26, 2020 Arizona is waiving the proctor requirements for post-course examinations. This accommodation will be in place until social distancing recommendations are lifted.

Rules for Repeating a Course

Courses may not be retaken for credit during a single period of licensing. However, after a license renewal, the licensee may repeat a course for credit on their next licensing period. 

Credit for Instructors

Any individual who teaches an Arizona insurance continuing education course must still complete the required number of CE hours in order to renew their own license. Arizona does not specify that instructors of these courses receive credit towards their CE hours, so it is still required for instructors to attend other CE courses to meet the 48 hour CE requirement. 

Reporting Rules

Each CE provider reports the CE hours they have administered to the state, so it is not necessary for producers to submit their hours as well. Not every CE provider reports their credits immediately, so it is important to complete CE training well in advance of the license renewal date. To confirm whether CE hours have been submitted and approved, producers can check the National Association of Insurance Commissioners website.

Producers should maintain their own records of completed CE hours by keeping certificates of completion. In order to renew a license on paper, the producer must send copies of each of these certificates. These certificates should be held until after the second renewal period for which they were relevant. 

Insurance CE Requirement Exemptions

There are three groups who are exempt from Arizona's CE requirements, which are:

• Non-resident insurance producers who have completed their home state's CE requirements and are in good standing in their home state
• Producers who have been continually licensed in Arizona and no other state since January 1st, 1995
• Producers whose licenses only cover credit or crop lines of authority

Every other insurance producer in the state of Arizona must fulfill the state's CE requirements prior to license renewal or their license will expire.

Arizona Annuity Insurance Requirements

As of January 1, 2021, all insurance producers in the state of Arizona must complete a single four-hour annuities best interests training program if they wish to sell annuities. Prior to taking this course, it is illegal to sell, negotiate, or solicit any annuity product in Arizona. Completing the equivalent course in another state for licensing will count towards Arizona licensure.

Arizona Long-Term Care Training Requirements

In order to sell long-term care policies, producers licensed in accident and health or sickness must meet two requirements. First, for initial licensure, they must complete a one-time eight-hour long-term care training course. Thereafter, every two years they must complete an additional four-hour CE course. This is in addition to the standard 48 hours of required CE. Unlike other Arizona CE requirements, these courses must be completed twice every licensure period instead of once, for a total of eight hours every licensing period. 

This mandated training covers the following subjects:

• How long-term care insurance works
• Various services covered under long-term care insurance
• Qualified partnerships and how they interact with other types of long-term care coverage

Even if a producer is otherwise exempt from CE hours, federal law mandates that all long-term care producers must complete the appropriate training. This includes both the initial eight-hour training and the biennial four-hour training. However, long-term care training may be done in any state where the producer is licensed.

Flood Insurance Training Requirements

Arizona licensees who intend to sell flood insurance must follow national guidelines. In order to sell flood insurance, the individual must complete a one-time minimum of three training hours as outlined by the National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA. This may be completed in any state in which the producer is licensed.