Insurance agents who have an inactive life and accident & sickness licence can apply to reinstate their licence, with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA). The process differs depending on how many years the licence has been inactive.

About licence reinstatements

If your licence has lapsed, or your insurance company terminated your licence, or you previously surrendered your licence, you can apply to have your licence reinstated. The process you must follow depends on how long your licence has been inactive.

Inactive date

Requirements for the licence

If the inactive date was less than two years ago and you were licensed for 2 years continuously

You can renew your licence as if your licence is still active.

 

For example:

  • You do not need to take the Life Licence Qualification Program (LLQP) again.
  • You can apply for a non-sponsored licence.

You will need to have completed 30 continuing education (CE) credits with certificates of completion as proof.

 

Review all requirements and fees on Renew my life and accident & sickness insurance licence.

 

If the inactive date was less than two years ago, but you were licensed for less than 2 years

 

 

You can renew your licence, with a sponsor, as if your licence is still active.

 

For example:

  • You do not need to take the Life Licence Qualification Program (LLQP) again.
  • You will need to be sponsored by a licensed insurer.
  • Contact your sponsoring company to submit your application

 

You will need to have completed 30 continuing education (CE) credits with certificates of completion as proof.

 

Review all requirements and fees on Renew my life and accident & sickness insurance licence

If the inactive date was more than two years ago

  • Your licence may not be listed on the Public registry.
  • You should also check the inactive date to confirm if it's been more than two years.

You will have to requalify as a new agent.

 

For example:

  • You will need to complete the LLQP again, including the courses and exams.
  • You will need to be sponsored by a licensed insurer.
  • You will need to complete a new criminal record check.
  • Contact your sponsoring company to submit your application.

 

Review all requirements and fees on Apply for a new life and accident & sickness insurance licence.

When is the inactive date?

The inactive date starts from whichever date comes first:

  • Expiry date – you did not renew your previous licence and you let it lapse.
  • Surrender date – when FSRA approved your surrender application. See Surrender my insurance licence for details.
  • Termination date (sponsored agents only) – the sponsoring insurer terminates your licence.

How to reinstate your licence

The process for reinstating your licence depends on whether it has expired.

If your licence was surrendered less than 2 years ago

1. Go to Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators to find the application and detailed instructions.

2. Print and fill out the application.

  • Complete pages 1 to 4 of the application, and page 9
  • If you will need to be sponsored, ask your sponsoring insurer to fill out page 5 (Sponsor’s Attestation: Notice of Appointment of Agent by Sponsoring Company)

3. Submit the form to FSRA through the Online Services Portal.

  • Include proof of your CE completion
  • Upload a copy of your E&O certificate

4. You can make the payment through the Online Services Portal with credit card (VISA, Mastercard) or select debit cards (RBC, TD, First Nations Bank of Canada, most credit unions).

If your licence expired less than 2 years ago, and was terminated by your previous insurance company:

1. Go to Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators to find the application and detailed instructions.

2. Print and fill out the application.

  • Complete pages 1 to 5 of the application, and page 9
  • You will need to be sponsored. Ask your sponsoring insurer to fill out page 5 of the application (Sponsor’s Attestation: Notice of Appointment of Agent by Sponsoring Company)

3. Submit the form to FSRA through the Online Services Portal.

  • Include proof of your CE completion
  • Upload a copy of your E&O certificate

4. You can make the payment through the Online Services Portal with credit card (VISA, Mastercard) or select debit cards (RBC, TD, First Nations Bank of Canada, most credit unions).

If your licence expired less than 2 years ago (not terminated or surrendered)

  • You can access Licensing Link to fill out and submit your renewal application.

If your licence expired over 2 years ago (requalify as a new agent)

If your licence expired more than two years ago, you will have to requalify as a new agent, and your licence may not be visible on FSRA’s public registry. Please review how to become a Life and Accident & Sickness Agent for more information.”

What happens after the application is submitted – for all agents

FSRA will send you an email to confirm it has received your application.

For most applications

  • It should take 10 business days for FSRA to issue your licence.
  • Keep checking Licensing Link to see if the licence has been approved.
  • If approved, you can view and print a PDF of your licence from Licensing Link.

If the application requires additional review

  • FSRA will send you a follow-up email to let you know your application requires additional review.
  • The email will include the name and contact information for the assigned Licensing and Registration Specialist.
  • The Specialist reviewing your application will contact you directly if additional information is required.
  • The Specialist may also ask you to complete a criminal record check
  • If approved, you can view and print a PDF of your licence from Licensing Link.

New Criminal Record check process

FSRA is changing its licensing processes for background criminal 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 licence applicants to complete their criminal record checks through our approved vendor, Triton Canada (Triton). If you have disclosed information about a criminal matter, or FSRA has received information that you may be involved in a criminal matter, you may be required to complete a background check after you have submitted your application.

If required, FSRA will notify you, and will send a link to Triton’s website to complete the background check. Once completed, you will need to provide the 8-digit confirmation number found in your Triton invoice to FSRA. A fee of $19.15 applies for Triton’s service, and the background check is valid for 90 days.

Please monitor your email frequently for any information requests from FSRA. If you have any further questions about the new background check process, please contact us.

Frequently asked questions – Background check process