How to Get Your Maryland Insurance License in 2026
A complete step-by-step guide to becoming a licensed insurance producer in Maryland. Good news up front: Maryland repealed its pre-licensing education requirement in 2024 — the old 20-hour course is history, so you can go straight to exam prep. Maryland uses Prometric for the exam, and you can test in person or remotely from home.
Maryland insurance license — quick facts
| State regulator | Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) |
| Exam vendor | Prometric — test center or remote ProProctor |
| Pre-licensing education | Not required — repealed effective October 1, 2024 (MIA Bulletin 24-19) |
| Exam fee (resident) | $62 per producer exam |
| Exam format | 80 scored questions / 1 hr 45 min (Life, Health, Property, Casualty); 100 scored / 2 hr 15 min (Personal Lines); 70% to pass |
| License application fee | $54 per producer, via NIPR or Sircon |
| Fingerprinting | Not required — background questions on the application only |
| License term | 2 years — expires last day of birth month |
| CE requirement | 24 hours / 2 years incl. 3 hours ethics |
The six steps
- 1
Skip pre-licensing education — Maryland repealed it in 2024
Maryland eliminated its mandatory pre-licensing education (and experience) requirement effective October 1, 2024 (Maryland Insurance Administration Bulletin 24-19). Applicants who must pass an exam for a producer license are no longer required to complete a Commissioner-approved course — the old 20-hour requirement is gone, no matter what older guides say. That means you can go straight to focused exam prep: our $49.99 Maryland course gets you ready for the Prometric exam in 2-4 weeks.
- 2
Schedule your Prometric exam
Maryland contracts with Prometric for insurance license exams. Create a profile and register at prometric.com/exams/mia, then pay the $62 fee for the producer exam you need. Maryland is one of the few states that still lets you choose your setting: test in person at any Prometric test center in the U.S., or take a remotely proctored exam from home using Prometric's ProProctor application.
- 3
Pass the exam at 70%
You need a score of 70% or higher to pass. The Life, Accident & Health, Property, and Casualty producer exams each have 80 scored questions (plus 10 unscored pretest questions) with a 1-hour 45-minute time limit; the Personal Lines exam has 100 scored questions (plus 10 unscored) and a 2-hour 15-minute limit. Maryland also offers combined Life & Health and Property & Casualty exams. You get your result immediately at the test center — and if you fail, you must wait four days before retaking that exam.
- 4
Submit your MIA license application
Once you pass, apply online through NIPR (nipr.com) or Sircon. The Maryland resident producer application fee is $54, plus a small NIPR transaction fee. Answer the background questions on the NAIC Uniform Application; if you answer yes to any, upload your written statement and court documents through NIPR's Attachments Warehouse.
- 5
Clear the MIA's application review — no fingerprinting required
Maryland does not require fingerprinting for resident producer applicants — the background questions on the application are the whole check. The Maryland Insurance Administration reviews every application before issuing a license; clean applications typically clear within a few business days to two weeks.
- 6
Get appointed by a carrier
A producer license alone doesn't authorize you to sell — you need at least one carrier appointment. The insurer files the appointment with the Maryland Insurance Administration; if you're joining an agency, they'll typically handle this for you.
What's on the Maryland P&C exam
Maryland offers separate Property and Casualty producer exams (80 scored questions each) as well as a combined Property & Casualty exam. Each is built on the standard NAIC framework plus Maryland-specific statutes — roughly 30–38% of every property/casualty exam is Maryland insurance regulation. Approximate section weights from the official Prometric content outlines:
- Insurance regulation (Maryland law) — ~30-38%
- General insurance concepts — ~9%
- Property / casualty insurance basics — ~9-19%
- Dwelling, homeowners & auto policies — ~25-35%
- Commercial package, BOP, workers comp & other lines — ~15-20%
The Maryland-law section punches above its weight: compulsory auto coverage, the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund (MAIF), lead paint liability rules, and the Maryland Workers' Compensation Act are all state quirks that generic national study guides gloss over. Try our free Maryland practice exam to see where you stand before booking with Prometric.
Why so many guides get Maryland's requirements wrong
For years Maryland required a pre-licensing course before you could sit for the producer exam, and a lot of study-site content was written in that era. The Maryland Insurance Administration repealed the pre-licensing education and experience requirement effective October 1, 2024 (Bulletin 24-19). So if a guide tells you to buy a mandatory 20-hour Maryland course, it's out of date. What hasn't changed: the exam is still substantial and Maryland's state-law section is the single largest topic on it — which is exactly what focused exam prep is for.
CE requirements after licensing
Maryland producer licenses renew every 2 years and expire on the last day of your birth month. Most licenses require 24 hours of MIA-approved CE, including 3 hours of ethics, each renewal period. Limited-line credit and travel licenses have no CE requirement. You can submit a renewal (and pay the fee) up to 90 days before your license expires; if it lapses, you have up to one year to reinstate by paying the renewal fee, a late/reinstatement fee, and completing your CE.
Cost breakdown
- Exam-prep course: $49.99 with Elite Training Academy (lifetime access, 500+ practice questions)
- Prometric exam fee: $62 per producer exam
- State application: $54 producer fee via NIPR
- NIPR transaction fee: ~$6
- Every 2 years: 24 CE hours ($30-$200 depending on provider) + $54 renewal fee
All-in, plan on roughly $170–$230 to go from zero to licensed for a single line. Since Maryland no longer requires a pre-licensing course, the biggest variable is retake fees — every failed attempt adds $62, which makes practice exams the cheapest insurance you can buy.
Ready to start studying?
Start your Maryland insurance license exam prep for $49.99 with lifetime access and 500+ practice questions per course — including the Maryland-specific law that makes up the largest chunk of the Prometric exam.
See Maryland exam prep courses →Frequently asked questions
Does Maryland require pre-licensing education?
No — not anymore. The Maryland Insurance Administration repealed the pre-licensing education and experience requirement effective October 1, 2024 (Bulletin 24-19). Applicants who must pass an exam for a producer license are no longer required to complete a Commissioner-approved program of study. Many older guides still claim Maryland requires a 20-hour course — that information is outdated. A quality exam-prep course is strongly recommended, but it is not legally required.
Is the Maryland insurance exam PSI or Prometric?
Prometric. Maryland contracts with Prometric for all producer license exams, and you can test either in person at a Prometric test center or remotely from home using Prometric's ProProctor online proctoring. Register at prometric.com/exams/mia.
How many questions is the Maryland insurance exam?
It depends on the line. The Life, Accident & Health or Sickness, Property, and Casualty producer exams each have 80 scored questions (plus 10 unscored pretest questions) with a 1-hour 45-minute time limit. The Personal Lines exam has 100 scored questions (plus 10 unscored) and a 2-hour 15-minute limit. The passing score for every exam is 70%.
How much does the Maryland insurance exam cost?
$62 per producer exam through Prometric, paid by credit or debit card when you schedule. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, and if you fail you must wait four days before retaking — which is why solid practice-exam prep pays for itself.
How much does a Maryland insurance license cost in total?
Roughly $170-$230 all-in for a single line: about $49.99 for exam prep, $62 for the Prometric exam, $54 for the state application, and a small NIPR transaction fee. Add another $62 if you take a second producer exam (for example, separate Property and Casualty exams instead of the combined P&C exam).
What's the passing score on the Maryland insurance exam?
70% or higher on every producer exam. Prometric administers the exam, you see your result immediately at the end, and your passing record is available to the Maryland Insurance Administration when you apply through NIPR.
What are the Maryland insurance CE requirements?
Maryland producer licenses run on a 2-year (biennial) cycle and expire on the last day of your birth month. Most licenses require 24 hours of MIA-approved continuing education, including 3 hours of ethics, each renewal period. Limited-line credit and travel licenses are exempt from CE.
Related guides
- Free Maryland practice exam
- Texas insurance license cost — full breakdown
- How to get your Texas insurance license
- All exam-prep and CE pricing
Sources cited
This guide is based on Maryland Insurance Administration, Prometric, and NIPR published procedures current as of July 2026, including the October 1, 2024 repeal of Maryland's pre-licensing education requirement. Fees and procedures change — always verify current requirements at insurance.maryland.gov before relying on any specific number.