It is expected that whoever is in the business of insurance should be someone who is licensed or certified. This goes for all insurance agencies, insurance companies, an agent or enrollment facilitator. If someone attempts to sell you insurance without proper certification or license, you should not entertain them as this is against the law. You should always try to verify that the individual or company you are dealing with is licensed or not. This article will help you on how to lookup an insurance license.

An insurance license by definition is a certification that is issued by a regulation body that allow an entity or someone to operate as an insurer or insurance agent after meeting certain standards or requirements. With an insurance lookup you can find information on a person.

Licenses help guarantee that the service or product the public is receiving from the provider is of the appropriate quality. There are individuals who might resort to using dubious, fake and at times expired licenses in an attempt to scam the public. There are regulation bodies who can help you avoid such incidents from happening. You can verify an insurance license online.

So if you are looking for a licensed insurance producer, public adjuster, solicitor, motor vehicle physical damage appraiser, you will obviously need one that is not only licensed by also comes highly recommended.

National Association of Insurance Commissioners

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is the regulator and standard setting organization established by the government and is governed by the chief insurance regulators in the United States.

The NAIC individually and collectively helps state insurance regulators by making sure that they serve public’s interest well. That’s how both are able to make it a point that the public is protected and also ensure that there are competitive, fair and healthy insurance markets.

The State Based System

The State Based System (SBS) is a back – office system that is most preferred by many NAIC affiliates than any other software solution out there. This system is the ideal tool to help you look up an insurance license online.

The SBS will help you look up and access non – confidential license, course and company information with ease in real time in one easy to view screen.

A licensee lookup will give you:

• The national producer number (NPN) or license number
• License status and expiration date
• License type and line of authority
• A business phone number and address

A course lookup will let you:

• Lookup courses using different methods including location and date offered
• View full course info such as number of credits and course add-ons
• Get provider information
• Find registration links for courses

A company lookup will help you:

• Validate license status and company demographics
• Find list of active company appointments
• Get company contacts and information such as phone, email and website
• Track company name changes and mergers

Licensee Lookup

A licensee lookup tool will help you find information like Name, License Number, NPN, License Type/ Status,                 Expiration Date, License Status Date, DBA Name, Lines of Authority, Business Address and Selected Home State.

To conduct your search:

• Go to naic.org.
• Choose your jurisdiction and licensee from the drop down menu from ‘Search Type’.
• Choose either Business or Individual from the ‘Entity Type’.
• Tick the “I agree to the NAIC’s Terms and Conditions” and click ‘Search’.

Please note that all fields are optional except for ‘Entity Type’. Even so, searching with more information might help get quick results.

Course Lookup

The course lookup tool will let users find the company information such as Course Name, Course Number, Provider Name, Number of Credits, Education Type, Method as well as Group.

To conduct a search:

• Go to naic.org.
• Choose your jurisdiction and course/ provider from the drop down menu from ‘Search Type’.
• Next, fill in all details you know concerning the course.
• Tick the “I agree to the NAIC’s Terms and Conditions” and click ‘Search’.

Again, entering as much information as possible can help you arrive at a result quicker.

Company Lookup

With the company search tool, you can find company license information such as Address, Demographics, Company Type, Contact Information (Phone, Website, Email), Line of Business, Appointments, Name Change History, and Merger History.

To perform a search:

• Go to naic.org.
• Choose your jurisdiction and company from the drop down menu from ‘Search Type’.
• Fill in all details you have on the company.
• Tick the “I agree to the NAIC’s Terms and Conditions” and click ‘Search’.

Remember, the more information you use on your search, the quicker you will be able to arrive at your results.

The National Insurance Producer Registry

The National Insurance Producer Registry is ideal for individuals who are looking to obtain, renew, find more details on managing producer and adjuster licenses.

There are links on the site on how to apply for a new license, renew an existing one, change contact information on a license, print your license and more. The NIPR’s products and services help insurance companies and state insurance departments to monitor and regulate insurance professionals.

Their services include Producer Database (PDB), resellers, account manager billing, download NIPR’s free mobile app, NIPR gateway, company appointment renewal invoices and plenty more.

These ways on how to lookup an insurance license can be just what you need to find more on that insurance license you seek. Choose the one that suites your needs and explore the possibilities.