Insurance agents who hold a general licence from another Canadian province or territory, can apply for the same licence in Ontario without completing the full education program required for new Ontario applicants. You would still need to complete Ontario’s auto insurance exam.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) regulates and licenses all insurance agents in Ontario. The following instructions apply to agents who want to sell property and casualty insurance, including auto insurance.
If you are an Ontario-licensed insurance agent and want to apply for a licence in a different province or territory, go to Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators to access links to the different regulators.
- About the Ontario licence
- What are the requirements to apply from another province or territory?
- Ready to apply for a new licence?
About the Ontario licence
Sponsorship with an insurer is required
All general insurance agents in Ontario are required to be sponsored by a licensed insurer at all times.
- Your sponsoring insurer is responsible for confirming you meet all licensing requirements, and for managing the application process for your licence.
- As the agent, you are responsible for maintaining your licence.
Fee for a new application
The fee to apply for a new general licence is $150. This fee will cover your first two years as an Ontario-licensed insurance agent.
Depending on the arrangement you have with your sponsoring insurer, the insurer may pay the fee OR you may be responsible for paying this fee. Check with your sponsoring insurer for details.
What are the requirements to apply from another province or territory?
Auto insurance exam required for new applicants outside of Ontario
New general agents in Ontario must successfully complete the Other Than Life (OTL) Agent’s Exam from the Insurance Institute, which covers all aspects of the general insurance business in Ontario. However, if you hold an equivalent licence in good standing from a different province or territory, you are exempt from the OTL Agent's Exam.
Out-of-province applicants are required to take the auto insurance exam offered by the Insurance Institute.
- Visit the Insurance Institute’s website for more information on this exam, including a description, fees and registration details
Exception: If you hold a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) designation in good standing or you've passed the equivalent Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) exam, you can bypass the auto insurance exam. See below for documents you need to provide as proof.
What is an equivalent licence?
If you hold the following licences in your home province or territory, you can bypass the OTL Agent's Exam and go straight to taking the auto insurance exam.
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Province/territory |
Equivalent licence |
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Alberta |
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British Columbia |
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Manitoba |
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New Brunswick
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Newfoundland and Labrador |
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Northwest Territories |
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Nova Scotia
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Nunavut |
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Prince Edward Island |
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Québec |
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Saskatchewan |
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Yukon |
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You will need to meet all other eligibility requirements to get an Ontario licence.
Exemptions for taking the auto insurance exam
If you have a CIP designation in good standing or you’ve passed the RIBO exam, you can bypass the auto insurance exam. As proof, you will need to provide either:
- A screenshot of the CIP membership page showing the active status and expiry date; or
- An official Insurance Institute letter dated in the last 12 months with the expiry date of your CIP designation; or
- Proof of your RIBO exam completed within the last year; or
- The emailed confirmation of resignation from RIBO, which includes your RIBO registration number and the effective date of the resignation. The date of resignation must be within the last 2 years to be acceptable.
What if my current licence is inactive?
If you have an inactive licence in your home province or territory (e.g., you’ve either surrendered your licence or you’ve let it lapse), you may be able to apply for an Ontario licence without completing the the OTL Agent's Exam requirement for new general agents.
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If it has been less than two years since the inactive date |
You can apply for an Ontario licence without completing the OTL Agent's Exam.
You will still need to complete the auto insurance exam.
You will need to provide a letter of status from your home province or territory regulator as proof. Be sure to obtain this before you apply for an Ontario licence. |
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If it has been more than two years since the inactive date |
You can still apply for a licence in Ontario, but you will need to complete the OTL Agent's Exam.
Go to Apply for a new general insurance licence for details. |
Checklist for a new licence
Review this checklist to ensure you are ready to apply for a new licence in Ontario.
Requirements:
- Be sponsored by a licensed insurer.
- Complete the auto insurance exam through the Insurance Institute.
- Have an Ontario mailing address that can receive registered mail (e.g., no postal boxes).
- Have a personal email address that FSRA can use to contact you.
- Be suitable for a licence.
Once you have met all of these requirements, you are ready to begin the application process.
Ready to apply for a new licence?
1. Ask your sponsoring insurer to set up the new application on your behalf through Licensing Link.
- Your sponsoring insurer will be asked to verify that you are suitable to hold a licence and disclose any details that may be important for the regulator to know.
- Depending on the arrangement, they may pay the application fee.
2. Your sponsoring insurer will send you an email with two (2) links:
- The first link will lead you to Licensing Link, where you will need to complete the rest of the application.
- You will need to verify your suitability to have a licence by confirming:
- You are familiar with the laws of Ontario relating to the licensing of general agents.
- You will hold yourself out publicly, and carry out business in good faith as a general agent in the name in which you are licensed.
- You are not engaged in any other business or occupation that would jeopardize your integrity, independence or competence.
- You are of good character and reputation.
- You have provided information about bankruptcies, lawsuits, criminal records, decisions from other regulators or licensing bodies and other employment information.
- You successfully completed the OTL exam (you will need to provide the score on your confirmation email).
- You are a suitable person to receive a licence and meet all licensing requirements.
- The second link will take you complete a criminal background check through FSRA’s approved vendor Triton Canada (Triton).
New Criminal Record check process
FSRA is changing its licensing process for criminal background checks to ensure the processes remain up to date. Criminal record checks are part of FSRA’s rigorous licence qualification process to protect consumers by ensuring only suitable individuals sell or offer financial products and services in Ontario.
FSRA now requires new general insurance agent applicants to complete their criminal background checks through one of the two following options:
- Have your sponsoring insurer complete an independent Criminal Record and Judicial Matters check, and have them email a copy of the results to FSRA at [email protected]. This email must include your full legal name and application number
- You will continue to follow the Licensing Link application process above and skip the criminal record check portion, by confirming that your sponsoring company will submit the results of a valid Criminal Record and Judicial Matters check to FSRA directly.
- Note: The background check must be provided within 1 business day of the application being submitted to FSRA, and is valid for up to 90 days.
- Complete a background check through FSRA’s approved vendor, Triton.
- If you are using this option, you must use FSRA’s direct link to Triton’s website provided in the sponsoring insurer’s email to complete the criminal record check. After submitting the background check, you will continue to follow the Licensing Link application process above and provide the 8-digit confirmation number found in your Triton invoice, as well as the date the background check was completed.
- A fee of $19.15 applies for Triton’s service, and the background check is valid for 90 days.
If you have any further questions about the new background check process, please contact us.
Frequently asked questions – Background check process
3. You will then submit the application to FSRA through Licensing Link.
- If you need to pay the fee yourself, you can do so on Licensing Link with credit card (VISA, Mastercard) or debit cards (VISA Debit or Mastercard Debit).
What happens after the application is submitted:
FSRA will send you an email to confirm it has received your application.
Note: out-of-province applications often do require additional reviews so be aware that the process will likely take longer than 10 business days.
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For most applications |
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If the application requires additional review |
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