License Requirements
Professional development is key to the insurance industry. First of all, one must be licensed by the State of Michigan to sell or even discuss insurance coverages. The State of Michigan offers a number of different insurance licenses, and each requires a minimum number of hours of pre-licensing education. There are several licenses one can obtain. Below is a chart of the required number of hours of pre-licensing study required to obtain different licenses.
| License | Pre-licensing required |
| Life/Limited Life | 26 hours of course study |
| Accident & Health | 20 hours of course study |
| Life and Health | 40 hours of course study |
| Property and Casualty | 40 hours of course study |
| Property only | 18 hours of course study |
| Casualty only | 28 hours of course study |
As you can see above, in order to obtain a Property and Casualty License or a Life and Health License, you must attend an approved pre-licensing course of at least 40 hours, successfully complete the course of study, and pass an examination administered by the State. You should be licensed in all areas to ensure your success as an independent agent. The Office of Financial & Insurance Regulation (OFIR) has a listing of approved pre-licensing education providers www.michigan.gov/ofir.
Continuing Education
Once you are licensed, you must comply with Michigan's continuing education law. The law states that one must obtain 24 hours of approved continuing education every two years. Of those 24, three hours must be in approved ethics coursework. Many times, one can obtain their required credits in one of the many professional designation programs available to insurance professionals. For more information on designation programs, visit the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents website at http://michagent.org.