Texas Insurance Agency License: Fees and Renewal

Let's set the stage

Texas is one of the stricter agency states, and it is worth knowing why before you file. Insurance Code 4001.101 bars anyone from soliciting or receiving applications without a TDI license, and 4001.106 sets the rules for licensing a corporation or partnership. Section 4001.004 says LLCs are regulated under every provision that applies to a corporation, so an LLC follows the same path. If your entity is the name on the commission checks in Texas, plan on licensing it.

Texas agency license at a glance

Who must hold a Texas agency license

Resident entities and nonresident entities both can and do license in Texas. A nonresident agency needs "an active general lines ... license in good standing in your resident / home state," per TDI, and NIPR adds that the entity must hold an active equivalent license for each requested line in its home state. Section 4001.106(b)(2) also requires at least one officer or active partner, and every person performing agent acts for the entity in Texas, to hold an individual license.

The DRLP: an officer or partner, not just any agent

Here's the thing that trips people up. Many states let any licensed producer serve as the designated responsible licensed producer. Texas does not. TDI says the DRLP is "at least one officer or active partner" holding a Texas general lines license for the lines requested, and NIPR says the DRLP must also be an owner, partner, officer or director. If your top producer is not an officer, either make them one or name an officer who holds the license.

How to apply, step by step

1. Form the entity and register with the Texas Secretary of State. TDI lists Secretary of State registration for resident agencies, and NIPR says nonresident entities may need to register too.
2. Gather your charter, certificate of formation or registration, and certified articles or partnership agreement.
3. List every executive officer, director or partner who runs Texas operations, everyone who controls 10 percent or more of voting stock, and an ownership chart if another entity owns you.
4. Get your E&O policy or surety bond in the entity's exact legal name.
5. Apply online through Sircon or NIPR. General Lines Property and Casualty and General Lines Life, A&H and HMO cannot be filed together, so file separate applications.
6. Send fingerprints for officers and directors who are not licensed. NIPR waives the entity fingerprint step if the entity already holds an active similar resident license.
7. Upload supporting documents through NIPR's Attachments Warehouse. For an assumed name, file Form FIN528.

Texas agency license fees

The $250,000 E&O or $25,000 bond

Let's be real: this is the cost most new Texas agencies forget. TDI requires proof of financial responsibility under 4001.106(b)(3) and (c): a $250,000 errors and omissions policy with a deductible of no more than 10 percent of the policy amount, or a $25,000 surety bond payable to TDI. The name on the policy or bond must match the entity's full legal name in its Secretary of State registration. NIPR notes an exemption: an applicant holding a current resident license that can be verified on the Producer Database does not need to file it. See do agencies need E&O.

Renewal

Insurance Code 4003.001 says a license held by an entity expires on the second anniversary of the date it was issued or renewed. Renewal opens 90 days before expiration, late renewal runs up to 89 days after, and reinstatement begins on day 91, per NIPR. The state fee is $50 per line of authority plus NIPR's $5.60. Partial renewals are not accepted electronically. TDI says "CE obligations apply to the individual, not the license," so the agency itself has no continuing education.

Other Texas requirements

• Your articles or partnership agreement must authorize the entity to act as an agent (4001.106(b)(1)).
• Controlling persons must not have had a license suspended or revoked (4001.106(b)(6)).
• Report changes to DRLPs, owners, officers or directors on Form FIN531.

What we could not verify

NIPR's business renewal page lists a $75 late renewal fee, while TDI's general lines page lists $25, and that page is written for individuals. We also did not find published fees for FIN528, Sircon processing or fingerprinting. Confirm with TDI at 512-676-6500 before you budget.

After the license

A licensed Texas agency still needs carrier contracts before it can earn a dollar. We are a licensed agency in Draper, Utah, and we contract agencies across the country. Start at agency contracting with ESI, check what agency licenses cost in other states, or compare states on our agency license hub.

Updated October 13, 2026 by the Everything Senior Insurance Data Desk.