Agency Licensing & Renewals

A detailed reference guide about licensing, prelicensing and application requirements, exams, license fees, links to forms and more.

Click here for a pdf of this information.

Definitions: 

Agency - a business entity which represents one or more insurers and is engaged in the business of selling, soliciting, or negotiating insurance. Agency also means business entity insurance producer.  O.C.G.A. § 33-23-1(a)(2) 

Business Entity - a corporation, association, partnership, sole proprietorship, limited liability company, limited liability partnership or other legal entity. O.C.G.A. § 33-23-1(a)(4) 

Principal Agency - the primary location of an agency or agency organization. An agency or organization with multiple locations seeking licensure must designate one agency location as the principal office of such organization. O.C.G.A. § 33-8-1(B.1-B.2), Ga. Comp. R. and Regs. R. 120-2-3-.05(1) 

Branch Agency - all other locations of the agency or agency organization. Ga. Comp. R. and Regs. R. 120-2-3-.05(1) 

Responsible Agent - each agency location and must have at least one licensed agent whose primary place of business is that agency location. Ga. Comp. R. and Regs. R. 120-2-3-.05(5) 

Officers, Owners, Partners and Directors are not required to be licensed producers. However, no person shall be an owner of an agency or, if the agency is a corporation, no person shall be an officer or director of the agency corporation or own 10 percent or more of the corporation if such person has had his or her license refused, revoked, or suspended. 

Resident Agency - an agency or agency organization that is a domesticated organization of Georgia.  

Non-resident Agency - an agency or agency organization that is a foreign entity. 

Lines of Authority – The lines of authority of an agency cannot be greater than the lines of authority held by the agent or agents whose primary place of business is that agency location. Ga. Comp. R. and Regs. R. 120-2-3-.05(7) 

FAQs: 

1. When is a Principal Agency license required? 

A business entity must be licensed as an agency if it employs an individual who is required to be licensed as an agent pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 33-23-1 et seq. and R. & Regs. r 120-2-3-.05, and such individual is selling, soliciting, or negotiation insurance on behalf of that business entity in Georgia. 

2. When is a Branch Agency license required? 

The purpose of a branch office is to establish another statutory place of recordkeeping and transactions. For resident and non-resident (foreign offices) that transmit all records and transactions through the principal offices of the agency, a branch agency license is not required. In that situation, only a Principal –Resident or Non-resident Agency license is required.  

1. An agent working remotely is not considered to be a branch agency. 

2. How to add or end an agency association – Access www.sircon.com/Georgia and select Maintain Agency Associations under the Licensees section. EIN or License Number of agency is required to be entered as well as any license number of individual producers licensed in Georgia. 

3. What is needed when applying for a branch agency license? The Principal Agency name, EIN and Georgia license number must be provided in the application. An EIN should have only one principal agency licensed in Georgia. The branch business address should be different than the principal agency business address. The mailing address can be the same. 

4. What Lines of Authority can be applied for? The lines of authority of an agency cannot be greater than the lines of authority held by the agent or agents whose primary place of business is that agency location. Ga. Comp. R. and Regs. R. 120-2-3-.05(7) 

5. How do I know if I need to apply for a Name Approval? A new agency license may require a Name Approval Letter if any of the following words are in the agency name: 

• Assurance, Annuity, Benefit, Discount, Fidelity, Guaranty, Health, Insurance, Indemnity, Life, Medical, Manager, Pharmacy, Reciprocal, Reassurance, Reinsurance, Settlement, Syndicate, Surety, Sharing, and Viatical.  

• Information and a link to the process can be found on on this page under Agency Name Approval Process.  

• This is an electronic process. The information for the name request is entered and online payment is required to submit. The approval or denial of the name change is sent via email within three business days. Typically, within one business day of submission. 

• This form must be uploaded with your application or provided with the paper application for mail in applications. The licensing teams do not have access to the Name Approval letters.  

• If  you have lost the Name Approval letter sent, please email [email protected] for a replacement. The following information must be provided to locate the approval – Name of the Agency as applied, the approximate time of initial request (month and year) along with a contact name and phone number of requestor. 

6. Is a citizenship affidavit required? A Citizenship Affidavit and appropriate ID is required to be submitted with the agency application. This affidavit should be completed by an employee or officer of the business entity who has authority.  

NOTE: Also, if this individual is a non-citizen, the citizenship affidavit and ID must also be submitted with all future renewals of the agency license. Information on this process can be found on the OCI website which includes the form with instructions and the list of secure and verifiable documents that can be submitted with the affidavit.  

7. How can I surrender an agency license? An agency license can be surrendered by completing the License Cancellation Form  which can be electronically sent via email or through the forms portal. 

8. How to change an agency name? If a licensed agency needs to change the licensed name of the agency: 

• For Agency Name Changes, a Name Approval Letter is required to be filed with the Name Change Form if any of the following words are in the new name: 

• Assurance, Annuity, Benefit, Discount, Fidelity, Guaranty, Health, Insurance, Indemnity, Life, Medical, Manager, Pharmacy, Reciprocal, Reassurance, Reinsurance, Settlement, Syndicate, Surety, Sharing, and Viatical. 

• Information and a link to the process can be found on this page under Agency Name Approval Process.  

• This is an electronic process. The information for the name request is entered and online payment is required to submit. The approval or denial of the name change is sent via email within three business days. Typically, within one business day of submission. 

• For all name changes with or without the Name Approval Letter, complete the Name Change Form - GID-390-AL and submit with payment to the address provided on the form.  

• If the name change required approval through the Name Approval process, the name approval acceptance letter must be filed with the Name Change Form. The licensing team does not have access to Name Approval Letters. 

• To update or add any unlicensed affiliations such as Owners, Operators, Partners or Directors, complete the Affiliation form. 

9. When are agency license renewals?  

• Agency licenses are renewed every two years by the last day of the calendar year.  

• Renewal reminders are emailed 90 days prior to the renewal expiration date.  

• Be prepared to answer background questions for any events that have happened since the last licensing event (initial application or last renewal period). Any events that have already been reported to Georgia are not required to be reported again. Upload any required documents regarding the newly reported events with the renewal. 

• If the authorized individual for the agency is a non-citizen, a newly executed citizenship affidavit and id must be provided with the renewal. For instructions and the form, go to this link on this website. If you are using forms saved prior to 2022, please use the current form.  

• To add or end an agency association for a licensed agent, go to www.sircon.com/Georgia and select Maintain Agency Associations under the Licensees section. EIN or License Number of agency is required to be entered as well as any license number of individual producers licensed in Georgia. 

• If any unlicensed affiliations of Owners, Officers, Directors or Partners need to be updated, please submit the following Affiliation Form.  

• Just starting? Review our step-by-step guide to qualify and apply for an initial Agency license.
• Already familiar with the steps? Login to the Georgia Licensing Portal to apply.

All resident and non-resident insurance agencies using a business name or DBA that includes one of the following restricted words must obtain a Name Approval Acceptance: Assurance, Annuity, Benefit, Discount, Fidelity, Guaranty, Health, Insurance, Indemnity, Life, Medical, Manager, Pharmacy, Reciprocal, Reassurance, Reinsurance, Settlement, Syndicate, Surety, Sharing, and Viatical.

If the name of your agency includes one of these words, an insurance license will not be issued until a Name Approval Acceptance Letter has been issued by the Office of Insurance’s Insurance Financial Oversight Division. Additionally, if you are required to register with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, they will deny your request to form a domestic company in Georgia or to register as a foreign corporation doing business in Georgia until you have been issued a Name Approval Acceptance Letter.

To obtain a replacement Name Approval Letter for a lost or misplaced letter, please contact [email protected] and provide the name of the Agency, the approximate request timeframe and a contact name and phone number. If we experience issues finding the letter, we will contact you for more information. We also recommend checking your spam folders in case the email providing the letter is not received in your inbox. 

Click here to go to the step by step guide. 

Licenses are renewed every two years. Renewals can be filed electronically 60 days prior to expiration date.  

Review details and required forms on the Agency Renewals page. 

• No fee is required.
• You must provide your Georgia license number and designate the license type and lines to cancel.
• This form is sent electronically through our form portal.
• Complete the License Cancellation Form - State of Georgia.

Aside from renewals, you may need to change a name or address, request certification status letters, clearance letters or provide Affiliations forms.

• Manage Agency License details in the Georgia Licensing Portal.
• For Agency Name Changes, a Name Approval Letter is required to be filed with the Name Change Form if any of the following words are in the new name:
  • Acceptance: Assurance, Annuity, Benefit, Discount, Fidelity, Guaranty, Health, Insurance, Indemnity, Life, Medical, Manager, Pharmacy, Reciprocal, Reassurance, Reinsurance, Settlement, Syndicate, Surety, Sharing, and Viatical.
  • Please review our Name Approval Process.
• For all name changes, complete the Name Change Form - GID-390-AL and submit with payment to the address provided on the form. If the name change required approval through the Name Approval process, the name approval acceptance letter must be filed with the Name Change Form.
• To request a clearance letter, complete the Request for Clearance Letter form and include payment of $10 per letter requested plus a $5 processing fee.
• To update or add any Affiliations, complete the Affiliations form which is electronically sent.

 

Address and contact types can be updated in real time via a Sircon for States portal. This portal offers an efficient process for regulated entities to update address and contact information. This portal is to be used by Regulated Entities only and cannot be used by individual licensees or agencies. To access, an entity will enter their NAIC or license number and a PIN number to update the relevant information.

Licensed Agents and Agencies should access Sircon to update their contact information. 

Instructions for Regulated Entities (This service cannot be used by individual licensees or agencies.)

To update your company’s information, access the Company Address Change Portal:

1. Enter your NAIC or license number with the PIN to access the portal.
   1. If you do not know the PIN, click on “Need Pin?” under the PIN field in the portal. The current PIN contact for your company will be displayed.
   2. If the contact person is no longer with your company, please contact our office at the email addresses listed below.
2. Once in the portal, enter the updates needed.
3. Complete the authorized submitter section of the portal.
4. Click on “SAVE” and a confirmation page will appear. Once saved, the address change is made in real time.
   1. Only click “Cancel” if you do not want the change made.
5. After reviewing the page, scroll to the lower part of the page.
   1. If there are more updates to be made, click “Update Another,” which will take you to the address change page.
   2. If there are no more updates to be made, click “Finished” and you will be directed to the OCI website.

Address changes are applied at the individual company level and cannot be applied across related companies. If address changes are required for related companies, you will need to log in with each NAIC or license number and update each address accordingly.

If you are unable to edit any types of contacts or addresses, please contact the Georgia Department of Insurance at [email protected] for traditional insurance companies and [email protected] for non-traditional companies.

Excluded Address and Contact Information Changes

Please note that changes requiring statutory fees cannot be made through this portal process. Examples of changes requiring statutory fees can include, but are not limited to, changes in a regulated company’s designated service of process, statutory home address, and/or redomestication from one state to another state.