Licensing reference
Non-resident licensing costs by state
What it costs an already-licensed agent to add a non-resident Life license in each state. No exam, no coursework — an application through NIPR, usually approved in days. Add the $5.60 NIPR transaction fee per application on top of every figure.
State fees verified against each state's NIPR licensing page on August 18, 2026.
$10–$55
Cheapest adds: MI, OH, VA, SC, NM, SD, KS
$380
Most Expensive: Illinois
~$94
Median across All States
5 States
Retaliatory — fee depends on your home state
Non-resident Licensing Costs by State
| Notes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $80 | |
| Alaska | $75 | $175 reinstatement if lapsed |
| Arizona | $120 | |
| Arkansas | $70 | |
| California | $188 | Fingerprints required (DOJ + FBI, separate vendor fee) |
| Colorado | $68 | Fee is per line of authority |
| Connecticut | $140 | |
| Delaware | $125 | $50 to add another line later |
| Florida | $55 | $50 + $5 per line. Fingerprints required (separate fee) |
| Georgia | $120 | $100 per line + $20 processing. Notarized citizenship affidavit required |
| Hawaii | $225 | |
| Idaho | $80 | |
| Illinois | $380 | Highest in the country. Prorated if license term is under 2 years |
| Indiana | $90 | Retaliatory $90 standard; may adjust to your home state's fee |
| Iowa | $50 | No fee to add lines later |
| Kansas | $40 | |
| Kentucky | $100 | $50 application + $50 per line |
| Louisiana | $75 | |
| Maine | $55 | |
| Maryland | $54 | |
| Massachusetts | $225 | No fee to add lines later |
| Michigan | $10 | Cheapest in the country (tied with Ohio) |
| Minnesota | $110 | $50 app + $50 per line + $10 technology fee |
| Mississippi | $100 | +$1 online session fee; non-refundable |
| Missouri | $100 | |
| Montana | $100 | |
| Nebraska | Varies | Retaliatory No flat fee — Nebraska charges what your home state would charge a Nebraska agent |
| Nevada | $185 | Covers all lines |
| New Hampshire | $210 | |
| New Jersey | $170 | Covers all major lines; $20 to add lines later |
| New Mexico | $30 | |
| New York | ~$80 | Taylored Legacy does not sell hereRetaliatory Fee equals your home state's fee ($80 for most states) |
| North Carolina | $94 | $44 application + $50 per line |
| North Dakota | $100 | |
| Ohio | $10 | $10 per line — cheapest in the country (tied with Michigan) |
| Oklahoma | $120 | $100 + $20 service-of-process fee; no charge to add lines later |
| Oregon | $75 | |
| Pennsylvania | $110 | $25 to add lines later |
| Rhode Island | $130 | 2-year term |
| South Carolina | $25 | |
| South Dakota | $30 | |
| Tennessee | $50 | Retaliatory $50 typical; may adjust to your home state's fee |
| Texas | $50 | |
| Utah | $75 | |
| Vermont | $60 | Retaliatory $30 application + $30 license; may adjust to your home state's fee |
| Virginia | $15 | $15 per line |
| Washington | $55 | Taylored Legacy does not sell here |
| West Virginia | $50 | |
| Wisconsin | $75 | $75 per line |
| Wyoming | $150 | |
| District of Columbia | $100 | Covers the Life grouping |
| Puerto Rico | $1,682 | Taylored Legacy does not sell here Also requires a $10,000 bond in favor of the Commonwealth |
Resident vs. non-resident, in one minute
You hold exactly one resident license — in the state where you live. That's where you took the exam and the only state where you do continuing education. Every other state is added as a non-resident license on top of it. You never "switch" your resident license to a state you work in more — it stays with where you live.
Adding a state requires no exam and no course: it's an application at nipr.com, approved in days, as long as your resident license is active with a matching Life line. A few states (Nebraska, New York, Tennessee, Vermont, Indiana) charge retaliatory fees — they charge an out-of-state agent whatever that agent's home state would charge one of theirs, so the exact amount can shift with your resident state.
More states means more leads you're allowed to work and more inbound calls you're eligible to take. A $50–$100 one-time fee opens a whole state's worth of lead flow — it typically pays for itself with a single sale.
Fees are for an individual producer adding one non-resident Life line and exclude the $5.60 NIPR transaction fee, fingerprint vendor fees (California, Florida), and carrier appointment fees. States can change fees at any time — confirm at nipr.com before quoting a figure in writing.