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How to Get Your New Mexico Insurance License in 2026

A complete step-by-step guide to becoming a licensed insurance producer in New Mexico. Good news up front: New Mexico does not require pre-licensing education — you go straight to the PSI exam. Just note the state's unusual order of operations: pass the exam first, then fingerprints, then the application.

Quick summaryTotal time: 4–6 weeks. Total cost: roughly $200–$225 all-in. No pre-licensing education required — a PSI exam, IdentoGo fingerprints, and a NIPR application are the whole process.

New Mexico insurance license — quick facts

State regulatorNM Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI)
Exam vendorPSI (test centers + remote PSI Bridge) — replaced Prometric Aug 27, 2024
Pre-licensing educationNot required — exam only
Exam fee (resident)$75 per attempt
P&C exam format150 scored questions, 2.5 hours, 70% to pass
License application fee$30 per application via NIPR (+ ~$5.60 NIPR transaction fee)
FingerprintingRequired — IdentoGo live scan, service code 2BH27J, ~$44–$59 (NM DPS + FBI)
License term2 years — expires last day of birth month; renewal $60
CE requirement24 hrs per biennium — 21 general + 3 ethics, min 3 hrs classroom/webinar/seminar

The six steps

  1. 1

    Skip pre-licensing education — New Mexico doesn't require it

    The NM Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) does not mandate pre-licensing education for resident producers — you can go straight to focused exam prep. Don't skip studying, though: the exam is 150 questions of dense, factual material. Our $49.99 New Mexico course gets most students exam-ready in 2-4 weeks.

  2. 2

    Schedule your PSI exam

    New Mexico contracts with PSI for insurance license exams (PSI replaced Prometric on August 27, 2024 — ignore older guides that say Prometric). Register at test-takers.psiexams.com/nmins or call 855-560-3714, choose a PSI test center or the remote-proctored PSI Bridge option, and pay the $75 exam fee per attempt.

  3. 3

    Pass the exam at 70%

    The New Mexico Property & Casualty exam has 150 scored questions with a 2.5-hour time limit, and you need 70% to pass. If you fail, you can rebook as soon as 24 hours later — but after a fourth failed attempt you're locked out for six months, so prep before your first sitting. PSI submits passing results to NIPR within about 48 hours.

  4. 4

    Get fingerprinted through IdentoGo — after you pass

    New Mexico's order of operations is unusual: pass the exam first, then complete a fingerprint background check. Register at nm.state.identogo.com using OSI service code 2BH27J and complete a live scan (roughly $44-$59, covering NM Department of Public Safety and FBI checks). Results take 3-5 days to reach OSI and are valid for only 90 days, so apply promptly.

  5. 5

    Submit your license application through NIPR

    Apply online at nipr.com — wait at least 48 hours after passing your exam so PSI's results are on file, and allow 3-5 days for your background report to reach OSI. The state fee is $30 per application (one fee covers all lines you qualified for) plus a small NIPR transaction fee. OSI will not issue the license until your background check results arrive (NMSA § 59A-11-2(E)); most clean applications process within about a week.

  6. 6

    Get appointed by an insurance carrier

    A producer license alone doesn't authorize you to sell — you need at least one carrier appointment. The insurer files the appointment with OSI; if you're joining an agency, they'll typically handle this for you. You can print your license free anytime through the NAIC State Based Systems (SBS) portal.

What's on the New Mexico P&C exam

The New Mexico Property & Casualty exam (PSI Series 18-31) has 150 scored questions, a 2.5-hour time limit, and a 70% passing score — about one minute per question. It covers the standard NAIC framework plus New Mexico-specific law from Chapter 59A of the NMSA. Section weights are fixed by the official PSI Series 18-31 content outline:

  • Insurance regulation (licensing, unfair trade practices, NMSA Ch. 59A) — 10% (15 items)
  • Federal laws and regulations (FCRA, 18 U.S.C. 1033/1034, NFIP) — 2% (3 items)
  • General insurance concepts — 8% (12 items)
  • Property & casualty insurance basics — 16% (25 items)
  • Dwelling policy — 2% (3 items)
  • Homeowners policy — 12% (18 items)
  • Personal automobile policy (incl. UM/UIM) — 12% (18 items)
  • Commercial automobile policy — 4% (6 items)
  • Commercial property policies (incl. farm coverage) — 15% (22 items)
  • Commercial general liability — 10% (15 items)
  • Businessowners policy — 4% (6 items)
  • Other property & casualty (specialty liability, umbrella, surety, flood, earthquake) — 3% (4 items)
  • Workers' compensation laws — 2% (3 items)

Two New Mexico specifics examiners love: the state's auto liability minimums are 25/50/10 ($25,000 bodily injury per person / $50,000 per accident / $10,000 property damage — lower property damage than most states), and workers compensation is required for employers with three or more employees. Drill both. Try our free New Mexico practice exam to see where you stand before booking with PSI.

Why New Mexico's process runs exam-first

Most states have you apply, then test. New Mexico flips it: OSI's official checklist is pass the PSI exam → complete the IdentoGo background check → submit the NIPR application. Under NMSA § 59A-11-2(E), OSI cannot issue a license until it receives your background check results, and the report is only valid for 90 days — so the sequencing keeps everything fresh when your application lands. Your exam pass is valid for one year, so there's no rush on that end, but don't let fingerprints expire while you procrastinate on the application. One more New Mexico quirk: the Superintendent of Insurance isn't elected or Governor-appointed — the office is filled by an independent Insurance Nominating Committee, a structure designed to insulate the regulator from political cycles and unique among Western states.

CE requirements after licensing

New Mexico producer licenses run on a biennial cycle that expires on the last day of your birth month. Each two-year compliance period requires 24 hours of OSI-approved continuing education — 21 general hours plus 3 hours of ethics — and at least 3 of those hours must come from classroom, classroom-equivalent, webinar, or seminar instruction rather than pure self-study (13.4.7 NMAC). Renewal costs $60 through NIPR and opens 90 days before expiration; finish CE at least a few days early, since providers have up to 10 days to report hours and the renewal system needs your compliance status on file. Miss the deadline and it gets expensive: a $50 CE penalty, a $150 late-renewal fee in the first 30 days after expiration ($120 from day 31 to one year), and past one year you must reinstate as a brand-new applicant — fingerprints and all.

Cost breakdown

  • Exam-prep course: $49.99 with Elite Training Academy
  • PSI exam fee: $75 per attempt
  • IdentoGo fingerprinting: ~$44–$59 (NM DPS + FBI checks; confirm current fee when you register)
  • OSI license application: $30 per application, plus a ~$5.60 NIPR transaction fee
  • Biennial renewal: $60 + CE course costs ($30-$200 depending on provider)

All-in, plan on roughly $200-$225 to go from zero to licensed. With no mandatory pre-licensing course, the single best way to protect that budget is passing the $75 exam on the first attempt.

Ready to start studying?

Start your New Mexico insurance license exam prep for $49.99 with lifetime access and 500+ practice questions per course — built around the current PSI exam outline.

See New Mexico exam prep courses →

Frequently asked questions

Does New Mexico require pre-licensing education?

No. The NM Office of Superintendent of Insurance does not require pre-licensing education for resident producer licenses — New Mexico is an exam-only state. A solid exam-prep course is strongly recommended (the exam is 150 questions of purely factual material), but there's no mandatory course or hours requirement.

How many questions is the New Mexico insurance exam?

The New Mexico Property & Casualty exam has 150 scored questions with a 2.5-hour time limit — that's about one minute per question, so pacing matters. The Life, Accident and Health or Sickness exam is also 150 questions; single-line exams (Property only, Casualty only) run about 100 questions. You need 70% to pass.

How much does the New Mexico insurance exam cost?

$75 per attempt through PSI, paid when you book. If you fail you pay $75 again for each retake — you can rebook after 24 hours, but a fourth failed attempt triggers a six-month waiting period, which is why practice-exam prep pays for itself.

Did New Mexico switch from Prometric to PSI?

Yes. Effective August 27, 2024, New Mexico moved its insurance exams from Prometric to PSI. All exams are now scheduled at test-takers.psiexams.com/nmins (or 855-560-3714), with in-person test centers and a remote-proctored PSI Bridge option. Older guides that point you to Prometric are out of date.

Does New Mexico require fingerprinting for an insurance license?

Yes. All new resident applicants must complete an electronic fingerprint background check through IdentoGo (IDEMIA, in partnership with the NM Department of Public Safety) using OSI service code 2BH27J — and unusually, you do this after passing the exam, before applying. The fee is roughly $44-$59, results take 3-5 days to reach OSI, and the report is valid for only 90 days. OSI will not issue a license until the background results arrive.

How much does a New Mexico insurance license cost in total?

Roughly $200-$225 all-in: $49.99 for exam prep, $75 for the PSI exam, about $44-$59 for IdentoGo fingerprinting, and $30 for the license application plus a small NIPR transaction fee (about $5.60). Budget another $75 per attempt if you need a retake.

How long does it take to get a New Mexico insurance license?

Typically 4-6 weeks. Because New Mexico has no pre-licensing requirement, most of the timeline is study time: 2-4 weeks of exam prep, then the PSI exam, a 48-hour wait for results to post to NIPR, 3-5 days for fingerprint results to reach OSI, and the NIPR application — usually processed within about a week, though OSI says to allow up to 30 days.

What are New Mexico's continuing education requirements?

24 hours of OSI-approved CE every two-year compliance period, split as 21 general hours plus 3 hours of ethics — and at least 3 hours must be earned through classroom, classroom-equivalent, webinar, or seminar instruction (13.4.7 NMAC). Licenses renew biennially on the last day of your birth month; the renewal fee is $60, you can renew up to 90 days early, and completing CE late adds a $50 penalty.

Related guides

Sources cited

This guide is based on NM Office of Superintendent of Insurance, PSI, and NIPR published procedures current as of 2026. Fees and procedures change — always verify current requirements at osi.state.nm.us before relying on any specific number.