Original License Application – Entity

An entity license is issued to those corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and limited partnerships who wish to operate as insurance agents, brokers, consultants, independent adjusters, public adjusters, and others, as defined in New York Insurance Laws.

An entity must have at least one sublicensee who is an officer, director, partner, member or manager and who meets all qualifications required for the license for which it is applying.

All entities applying for an insurance license must apply online via the Department’s electronic licensing application.

Entity Name Approval

To avoid the use of duplicate or misleading names, an entity must obtain Department approval to use the business name prior to submitting the license application. Requests for name approval may be submitted to the Department of Financial Services by emailing [email protected] . In the request, include the applicant’s name, the entity name, a mailing address and the type of license for which you are applying. Approval or disapproval will be forwarded by return email.

Non-residents must be currently licensed in the corporate name and be in compliance in the declared home state. NOTE: The license information for your entity and for each of the individuals named as sublicensees on the licensing application MUST be included in the National Producer Database. If not, a currently dated Certification must be submitted from the declared home state where your principle place of business is located.

Every applicant must register with the NYS Department of State or the County Clerk’s office of the county where the business address is located.

• Resident and Non-resident corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and an entity seeking to use a trade name must file with the Department of State. A filing receipt from DOS must be submitted with the license application. Information on filing with the Department of State can be found on their website or by calling DOS at (518) 473-2492.
• Resident partnerships must file with the County Clerk’s Office in the county in which your business address is located. A copy of the Business Certificate from the County Clerk’s must be submitted with your license application.

Minimum License Requirements

To apply for a license, all sublicensees of the entity must:

• Be 18 years of age or older.
• Complete any prelicensing education requirements or hold a current license with the same lines of authority.
• Pass the applicable New York State examination within 2 years of applying for the license. Allow 1 to 3 business days after passing the exam before applying for the license.

Required Documents

An entity applicant must upload the following documents on the original license application:

• Department Name Approval letter
• Department of State filing receipt
• Business organization documents:
  • Applying as a corporation – submit a copy of the Charter or Certificate of Incorporation
  • Applying as a limited liability company – submit a copy of the Articles of Organization
  • Applying as a partnership – submit a copy of the Business Certificate from the County Clerk’s office where the business address is located

  Apply Online

  To access the original entity application and pay the licensing fee, sign in to NY LINX:

  Payment options include credit card, electronic funds transfer (e-check), or paper check.

  The Department will review the application, verify that there is nothing in the applicant’s background that should prevent the license from being issued, and then issue the appropriate license.

  Check Status/Print License

  The Department does not mail paper licenses. Log in to NY LINX to save and print the license as soon as it is issued.

  Browsers and Blockers:

  • Use a supported browser: The latest version plus one previous of Edge, FF, Chrome and Safari, are supported.
  • Disable “Pop-up Blockers” in your browser before using portal applications.
  • Application may be unavailable from 7:30am to 7:45am daily for scheduled maintenance.
  • Applications may not be compatible with cell phones, tablets or other mobile devices.

  Insurance Licensing Questions

  If you are unable to find the answer to your licensing question here, check our FAQs. If you have a question or need assistance, call (800) 342-3736 (M-F, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM). Local calls can be made to (212) 480-6400 or (518) 474-6600.