Minnesota Insurance Continuing Education

Resident Requirements

In order to renew an insurance license in Minnesota, you must complete state continuing education (CE) requirements. All insurance producers in the state of Minnesota, both independent and public, are subject to this requirement.

During each two-year licensing period, producers are required to complete a minimum of 24 credit hours in courses accredited by the state Commissioner of Commerce. No more than half of the credit hours may be acquired through courses sponsored by, offered by, or affiliated with an insurance company or its agents. At least three credit hours per licensing period must come from ethics courses. 

No more than eight hours of CE may be completed in a single day. Any additional hours on a given day will not result in CE credit for the producer.

Rules for Non-Residents

A non-resident producer who has satisfied the CE requirements of their home state is exempt from the Minnesota CE requirements. This is conditional on the producer's home state CE requirements being substantially similar to those of Minnesota.

Carryover of Excess CE

Minnesota does not allow carryover of excess CE from one licensing period to the next. Hours are only valid for the licensing period in which they are taken.

Insurance License Term Renewal Requirements

The licensing period for Minnesota producers is two years. A license expires on the last day of the producer's birth month. The renewal year is based on the original licensure year, meaning producers originally licensed in an even-numbered year will renew in an even-numbered year, and producers originally licensed in an odd-numbered year will renew in an odd-numbered year.

A license may not be renewed more than 90 days prior to its expiration date. If you attempt to renew prior to the 90-day period through the National Producer Database, you will receive an error message.

Rules for Taking the Exam

All self-study CE courses in Minnesota require a closed-book final examination. Exams must be proctored by an impartial third party. A score of 70% or higher is required to pass.

Rules for Repeating a Course

Within a single licensing period, no CE course may be repeated for credit. CE courses may be taken again during the next licensing period.

Credit for Instructors

Qualified instructors of a CE course will earn three hours of CE credit for each classroom hour of approved instruction that they deliver independently. They will also receive three hours of CE credit for each classroom hour of approved instruction that they deliver as a part of a team, so long as the course is no longer than two hours and they attend the course in its entirety.

Qualified instructors may not earn more than one-half of their required CE hours at the rate of three hours of credit to one hour of approved instruction. No credit will be earned if the instructor has previously obtained credit for the same course, either as a student or an instructor, during the same licensing period.

Reporting Rules

Following the completion of credit hours, producers must have a compliance report filed. An institution offering an accredited CE course in Minnesota is responsible for reporting course completion on behalf of the producer. Completion must be reported by the institution with 10 days. Resident producers can verify their CE transcripts with Sircon.

Insurance CE Requirement Exemptions

Non-resident producers who have met CE requirements in their home state are not subject to Minnesota's CE requirements. This is provided their home state requirements are substantially similar to the requirements of Minnesota.

Those who are soliciting or selling solely on behalf of companies organized and operating as Township Mutual Fire Insurance Companies are also exempt from CE requirements. Details of Township Mutual Fire Insurance Companies are outlined in Minnesota State Statutes Chapter 67A.

Minnesota Annuity Requirements

Annuity producers are subject to special requirements in the state of Minnesota. Both residents and non-residents who hold an active Minnesota insurance producer license with a life line-of-authority are required to complete an initial four CE credit hour course. It is the ongoing responsibility of the producer's insurer to document training completion.

An annuity suitability course is required to cover the following topics:

• The types and various classifications of annuities
• The identification of the parties to an annuity
• How fixed, variable, and indexed annuity contract provisions affect consumers
• The application of income taxation of qualified and nonqualified annuities
• The primary uses of annuities
• The sales practices, replacement, and disclosure requirements that are outlined in Minnesota state statutes 72A.2033 Subd. 2. C.

If the producer has completed a substantially similar four-credit annuity suitability training in another state, it may satisfy the Minnesota requirement. The producer's insurer must verify the course content's similarity and the producer's completion of the course prior to permitting the producer to sell any annuity products in Minnesota.

Minnesota Long-Term Care Insurance Training Requirements

A producer may not sell, solicit, or negotiate long-term care insurance in the state of Minnesota unless they are licensed as an insurance producer for accident and health, sickness, or life insurance. Producers are required to complete an initial one-time, 8-credit course in long term care insurance and a further four hours of CE in long term care insurance every licensing period.

All courses must consist of topics related to long-term care insurance, long-term care services, and qualified state long-term care insurance partnership programs. Specific topics may include:

• The relationship between qualified state long-term care insurance partnership programs and other public and private coverage of long-term care services
• Available long-term care services and providers
• Changes or improvements in long-term care services or providers
• Alternatives to the purchase of private long-term care insurance
• The effect of inflation on benefits
• Consumer suitability standards and guidelines

Courses must not cover content that is product-specific or that includes any sales or marketing information, materials, or training other than those required by state or federal law.

The satisfaction of the training requirements in any state will fulfill the Minnesota state requirement, with the caveat that non-resident producers are expected to demonstrate knowledge about unique aspects of the Minnesota medical assistance system.