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South Dakota Life & Health Insurance Agent Exam: Fees, Registration & Licensing Steps

Official exam fees, registration links, fingerprinting, license types, and non-resident notes — all in one place.

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Become a licensed Life & Health insurance agent in

South Dakota

Verified Nov 8, 2026 · Source: Candidate Handbook, August 2026

Testing vendor
Pearson VUE
Testing format
Available — the official program links to OnVUE online testing. Confirm that your exam is eligible before booking.
Before registering
Review the resident-producer eligibility and any education or approval requirements on the official state licensing page before booking.

Exam options & fees

  • Life Producer$85License application basis: $25 · Source
  • Accident & Health or Sickness Producer$85License application basis: $25 · Source
  • Combined Life, Accident & Health or Sickness Producer$95License application basis: $25 · Source

The listed prices include the state administrative fee.

License application amounts are not a new charge for every exam component. Separate examinations, combined examinations and discounted sessions are labeled above.

Other licensing costs

  • License application — standard Life / Health route$25Official source
  • NIPR transaction — only if applying through NIPR$5.60 per applicationOfficial source
  • Other vendor / processing chargesCheck the official page for any additional processing chargesOfficial source
  • Fingerprinting / backgroundFingerprinting costs are listed below. Some states collect them with your application; any included charge is not an additional fee.

Go directly to the official source

Register / schedule your examFind test centers / locationsCandidate handbook / official exam guideOfficial examination fee sourceState insurance licensing authorityResident license application requirementsRemote testing information

Location and remote availability depend on examination eligibility, date and vendor rules.

Register for the South Dakota insurance agent exam

  1. Review the resident-producer eligibility and any education or approval requirements on the official state licensing page before booking.
  2. Open the official testing program; create an account using the legal name on your identification.
  3. Choose the correct examination and permitted testing format, select an appointment, and pay the official examination fee.
  4. Keep the confirmation. Review the handbook’s exact name-match, photo ID, certificate, check-in, cancellation and retake requirements.

After passing

Apply using the Division’s resident-producer instructions after passing.

Fingerprinting & background checks

Requirement
Not listed as required in reviewed official instructions; confirm with the state
State instructions
The standard Life/Health producer checklist lists no routine fingerprints. Bail licensing and NIPR’s expressly listed fingerprint-required classes have separate requirements. Confirm with the state if your situation needs additional review.
Vendor / contact
South Dakota Division of Insurance
Separate cost
See official page — amount not confirmed
Confirm with the state. The official resident-producer checklist lists no routine fingerprint step, but does not grant a blanket exemption. Confirm with the state if your background or circumstances require additional review.

When to fingerprint, fee details & official sources

When in the process
No routine fingerprint timing stated; answer all application background questions and follow individual DOI requests.
Fee / route notes
Not applicable to a routine fingerprint requirement; no separate fingerprint fee verified. This does not waive criminal-history disclosures or possible additional investigation.

Additional life-related, restricted & specialty license types (6)

These are not shortcuts to unrestricted Life & Health authority. Appointment, securities, employer, tenure and exemption conditions can apply.

  • Insurance Producer — Variable Life and Variable Annuity

    Examination
    No state insurance examination required for this authority
    Exam fee
    Not required — state insurance exam
    Application
    $25
    Official source 1Official source 2

  • Insurance Producer — Credit

    Examination
    No state insurance examination required for this authority
    Exam fee
    Not required — state insurance exam
    Application
    $25
    Official source 1Official source 2

  • Resident Attorney — Life

    Examination
    No state insurance examination required for this authority
    Exam fee
    Not required — state insurance exam
    Application
    Application $25
    Official source 1Official source 2

  • Resident Attorney — Accident & Health or Sickness

    Examination
    No state insurance examination required for this authority
    Exam fee
    Not required — state insurance exam
    Application
    Application $25
    Official source 1Official source 2

  • Resident Attorney — Variable Life and Variable Annuity

    Examination
    No state insurance examination required for this authority
    Exam fee
    Not required — state insurance exam
    Application
    Application $25
    Official source 1Official source 2

  • Resident Attorney — Credit

    Examination
    No state insurance examination required for this authority
    Exam fee
    Not required — state insurance exam
    Application
    Application $25
    Official source 1Official source 2

Non-resident licensing summary

Already licensed in another state? Qualifying matching Life / A&H authority usually does not require a new target-state exam. Home-state-dependent fees, fingerprint exemptions and other conditions differ from the resident path. Confirm your final eligibility and payment total on the official application.

Non-resident state fees

Life-only state application
$30
A&H-only state application
$30
Life + A&H in the same application
$30
NIPR transaction — separate, only for NIPR applications
$5.60 general initial-application transaction fee; confirm the final charge for your selected state and application with NIPR before paying.

Per application; no state fee to amend existing license.

Fingerprinting & background

Requirement
Not required on the qualifying reciprocal pathway — see official scope and exceptions
State instructions
No routine additional fingerprint submission on the qualifying reciprocal pathway. SDCL §58-30-163 expressly waives requirements except §58-30-159 for valid reciprocal home-state licensees. The enumerated nonresident conditions impose no routine fingerprint submission. This conclusion rests on the EXPRESS waiver, not merely silence in a checklist. Separate disciplinary/1033 consent review is outside this ordinary pathway.

Continuing education and other notes

Nonresident producers exempt from South Dakota CE; comply at home. SD verifies home-state license, lines, CE compliance and prior administrative actions through NIPR. Renewal biennial by birth month; first license period may be short.

Non-resident license types

  • Insurance Producer

    Lines
    Life
    Fee
    $30

  • Insurance Producer

    Lines
    Accident & Health (Health/Sickness)
    Fee
    $30

  • Insurance Producer

    Lines
    Life, Accident & Health (Health/Sickness)
    Fee
    $30

    Both authorities on one application, not necessarily a distinct combined license class.

General non-resident rules

  • Valid active resident home-state producer license in good standing; reciprocal home-state licensingSDCL §58-30-163 expressly waives requirements except §58-30-159 for valid reciprocal home-state licensees. Ordinary reciprocal licensing requires no additional target-state exam; maintain the matching home-state authority.

Official non-resident application links

NIPR online licensingNIPR target-state requirements and fees

Explore the interactive non-resident path for South Dakota