Section 3119.10  Purpose

The purpose of this Part is to establish pre-licensing education requirements for applicants for an insurance producer license, establish continuing education requirements for licensed insurance producers, and establish requirements for providers and instructors of pre-licensing and continuing education courses.  Additionally, this Part establishes disqualification and non-compliance penalty provisions for providers.

(Source:  Amended at 34 Ill. Reg. 5856, effective April 7, 2010)

Section 3119.20  Definitions

For the purposes of this Part, the following definitions shall apply:

"CER Agreement" means the NAIC Continuing Education Reciprocity (CER) Agreement – 2019 Version (no later amendments or editions) available on National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) website.

"Code" means the Illinois Insurance Code [215 ILCS 5].

"CER Course Filing Form" means the NAIC Uniform CER Course Filing Form, (Appendix A of the CER Agreement) or a substantially similar form, including an equivalent electronic submission method.  Whenever a CER Course Filing Form is required, providers must also provide the required course materials, a detailed course outline, instructor information, and the appropriate fee (see 215 ILCS 5/500-135(a)(6) or (7)).  

"Classroom" (or "synchronous" or "contact") means course activities or information occurring in real time at a specific time, date, and place, and delivered via Internet or in person, such as, but not limited to, seminar/workshop, webinar/virtual class. Student attendance is based on personally identifiable information (e.g., username, password, email, government-issued identification, and signature) and student participation or interaction with course activities. Classroom courses do not require an examination.

"Course" means any course of study certified to the Director that meets the requirements of this Part, including, but not limited to, classroom, and self-study formats.

"Date of Original Issue" means the date of the issuance of a producer's license.  Any lapse or suspension of 1 year or more shall establish a new date of original issue and subject the person to this Part.

"Department" means the Illinois Department of Insurance.

"Director" means the Director of the Illinois Department of Insurance or anyone to whom the Director's responsibilities and authority are lawfully delegated.

"Long Term Care" (LTC) training means prescribed training required by licensed producers prior to the producer being allowed to sell long term care insurance coverage.  This training is required pursuant to 50 Ill. Adm. Code 2012.121 and may satisfy a part of the continuing education requirement if the course is filed with the Department as a continuing education course.

"Provider" means any person who offers a course for which certification has been received by the Director.

"Self-study" (or "asynchronous" or "non-contact") means course activities or information delivered outside of real time (recorded or otherwise similarly accessible) and available at any time, such as, but not limited to, correspondence, online training, video, audio, CD, or DVD (see CER form). Student attendance is verified based on identity (e.g., username, password, email, signature) and successful completion of an examination. Self-study courses do not require interaction with instructors. Self-study credit hours require the successful completion of a final supervised examination covering the self-study material.

"Substantially different" means, when referencing examinations, 50% of questions on the successive exam after a failed attempt must be different from any previously taken exam.

"Successful Completion" means passing an examination with a score of 70% or above in accordance with criteria established by the provider.

"Supervised Examination" means a proctored, timed and closed book examination.

"Webinar/Virtual Class" means a type of classroom study that is instructor-led, delivered using the Internet to remote attendees, with a specific start time and end time, in which students enroll before gaining access to the instructor, information, and course activities. Student attendance is monitored and validated based on personally identifiable information (e.g., username, password, email) and student participation in interactive exercises is required. Credit for course is based on attendance and activity, not examination.

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)

Section 3119.25  NAIC Continuing Education Reciprocity Agreement

a)         The Department has agreed to review and approve continuing education courses in accordance with the CER Agreement. 

1)         The Department will accept the CER Course Filing Form and the required home state course approval document as the sole requirement for the approval of a reciprocal course submission, provided that the home state is also a signatory of the CER Agreement.

2)         The Department will conduct a substantive review of Illinois home state course submissions and other course submissions that do not meet the criteria in paragraph (a) and in accordance with the CER and the additional Illinois specific requirements of Sections 3119.30 and 3119.60 of this Part. 

b)         The Department will review and approve pre-licensing course submissions for compliance with the course guidelines in the CER Agreement and the requirements of Sections 3119.30 and 3119.50 of this Part.  All pre-licensing course submissions will be substantively reviewed by the Department, regardless of whether the course has been approved in any other state.

(Source:  Added at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)

Section 3119.30  Provider Responsibilities

a)         Each provider shall file for course approval using the CER Course Filing Form.

b)         Each provider shall submit a new CER Course Filing Form when there is a significant change in the course.  A significant change includes, but is not limited to:

1)         a change to course content/material done in response to new or revised statutes, regulation or case law;

2)         the replacement, removal or addition of a section/subsection/chapter/unit;

3)         a change that impacts run time; or

4)         a change to the instructor.

c)         No provider shall submit the same or substantially the same course content for more than one course.

d)         Each provider shall maintain a copy of all instructional materials for each course.  If the provider ceases to offer a course or makes a significant change in the course materials, the provider shall maintain the original material for 1 year from the date the course was terminated or significantly changed.

e)         Each provider shall maintain the following records for 3 years at a central location:

1)         Classroom or webinar – roster for each classroom course or webinar identifying the instructors, the student, the course, the location, the date and hours of attendance, the completion date, the examinations and the results of any examinations administered.

2)         Self-study – name of student, name of course, date of completion of the examinations, the results of examinations, and other applicable proof of completion.

f)         Each provider shall provide to the Director a list of students who have successfully completed a pre-licensing or continuing education course.  The list shall contain course number; credit hours; course title; reporting week being submitted; provider name; FEIN and/or Social Security number for the individual provider; and student data (including student name and Social Security number, date course completed and either class of insurance for pre-licensing or credit hours for continuing education).  The information shall be submitted by an electronic method of transfer prescribed by the Director and in the specifications established by the Director.  Each list shall be received by the Director within 10 days following the end of the week in which the course was completed.  The list shall be compiled pursuant to the criteria established in Section 3119.50(b) and (d).  The date of completion for a course with an examination shall be the date the examination is graded by the provider.  Other than the original course fee, no additional fee shall be charged to the student for reporting the student's successful completion to the Department.

g)         Instructors shall have either a Bachelor's degree or 3 years experience in the course subject matter and must not have had their license revoked by the Department.  Providers must maintain evidence of such qualifications while the instructor is actively engaged in instructing the course and for 1 year thereafter.

h)         Providers shall, upon the request of the Director, provide a copy of all course material, provider records, and evidence of instructor's qualifications to the Director.

i)          The Director may make arrangements, including contracting with an outside service administrator, for the purpose of administrating and collecting the educational data from the providers.  Under such an arrangement, all or a portion of the reporting requirements of the provider shall be made to the servicing administrator.

j)          Providers may not advertise a course as approved for pre-licensing or continuing education credit in this State until the course has been approved by the Department.

k)         Providers are prohibited from selling or distributing student information to any third party without prior written consent of the student.  Such consent shall be optional and documented by the provider on a separate consent form.  Providers may not require such consent as a condition of registration, participation or completion of the course.  Registration, participation, or completion of the course shall not constitute consent. Providers must include a statement on their registration form/page that student information will not be sold or distributed to any third party without prior written consent of the student.

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)

Section 3119.40  Responsibilities of Applicant for Insurance Producer Licenses and Licensed Insurance Producers Until 1/1/97 (Repealed)

(Source:  Repealed at 21 Ill. Reg. 13820, effective October 15, 1997; error in filed page corrected at 26 Ill. Reg. 16522, effective October 28, 2002)

Section 3119.45  Responsibilities of the Applicant for Insurance Producer Licenses and the Licensed Insurance Producers

a)         Applicants for Insurance Producer Licenses

1)         Prior to taking the licensing examination, each applicant shall complete the pre-licensing education requirements for each class of insurance for which an examination is being taken.  The pre-licensing education course must be used within 1 year after completion.

2)         Applicants who either have earned a college degree in insurance from an institution of higher education that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or hold any of the designations listed in this subsection (a)(2) will be exempt from the pre-licensing requirement of this Part.  A copy of the college degree or certification for the following designations must be provided to the Department at the time of licensure application.

3)         The following abbreviations and acronyms are used in subsection (a)(2):

b)         Licensed Insurance Producers

1)         Each resident producer shall complete continuing education requirements in accordance with paragraph (b) of Section 500-35 of the Code.

2)         The producer should complete the course no later than 1 month prior to the license extension date to allow time for the provider to submit proof of completion to the Director.  Each producer shall maintain a record of each course completed for 3 years from the date of completion.  The record shall include the name of the provider, the course title, and the date of completion.

3)         Pre-licensing courses cannot be used to meet continuing education course requirements and continuing education courses cannot be used to meet pre-licensing requirements.

4)         Continuing education courses completed prior to the original issue date of the license shall not be used to meet continuing education requirements.

5)         The producer may only carry over a maximum of 12 continuing education hours completed during the prior licensing period.  No ethics credit hours may be carried over.

6)         A producer shall not request credit for a course that was taken more than once in the same license continuation period.

7)         Each producer shall maintain a record of each course completed for 3 years from the date of completion. The record shall include the name of the provider, the course title, and the date of completion.

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)

Section 3119.50  Pre-Licensing – Course of Study Requirements

a)         The CER Course Filing Form must be received by the Director at least 30 days prior to any course being offered.

b)         A course filed by the Provider as a pre-licensing course of study shall meet the content requirements of Section 500-30(b) of the Code and time distribution requirements as set forth in Exhibit E, F, G or H of this Part, whichever is applicable.

c)         The minimum number of hours may be made up of any combination of classroom or self-study hours.

d)         Self-study courses, regardless of whether they are provided online, shall comply with the Continuing Education Recommended Guidelines for Online Course in Appendix B of the CER to the extend they can be applied to the course mode.  Self-study courses must comply with the following additional Illinois requirements:

1)         No credit shall be given for a self-study course if the student does not successfully complete the examination.  If the student fails the required examination and successive examinations are given, the successive examinations must be substantially different from each other;

2)         No students shall evaluate their own examination. The evaluation of the examination must be completed by the provider;

3)         No provider shall furnish the answers to an examination prior to the student completing the examination; and

4)         No true/false questions may be included on the exam.

5)         If the course is online, the course must provide at least 2 questions after each unit or chapter.  The questions must be answered prior to proceeding to the next unit or chapter.  The material may be reviewed while answering questions;

6)         The course must provide the ability to go back and review the course material at any time;

7)         If the course is online, the course must provide online viewing access to the Department at all times;

8)         If the course is online, the course must provide some type of encryption.  All personal information, including credit card number, name and address of the student must be encrypted so that the information cannot be read as it passes across the Internet; and

9)         Students must affirm that they, and only they, completed the course.

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)

Section 3119.60  Home State Continuing Education Requirements

a)         The CER Filing Form must be received by the Director at least 30 days prior to any course being offered.

b)         The Department will provide a substantive review of continuing education courses as provided in the CER Agreement. Self-study courses must comply with the following additional Illinois requirements: 

c)         Courses in excess of 12 hours will not be approved for continuing education credit.

d)         The minimum number of hours may be made up of any combination of classroom or self-study hours.

e)         All courses may renew for a period of five years after initial approval.

f)         Continuing education instructors may receive continuing education credit for courses they teach.  The credit earned shall be equal to the credit earned by the students. If an instructor teaches the same course multiple times, they may only receive credit for the course once. 

g)         Self-study courses, regardless of whether they are provided online, shall comply with the Continuing Education Recommended Guidelines for Online Course in Appendix B of the CER to the extend they can be applied to the course mode.  Self-study courses must comply with the following additional Illinois requirements:

1)         No credit shall be given for a self-study continuing education course if the student does not successfully complete the examination.  If the student fails an examination and successive examinations are given, the successive examinations must be substantially different from each other;

2)         No students shall evaluate their own examination.  The evaluation of the examination must be completed by the provider;

3)         No provider shall furnish the answers to an examination prior to the student completing the examination; and

4)         No true/false questions may be included on the exam.

5)         If the course is online, the course must provide at least 2 questions after each unit or chapter.  The questions must be answered correctly prior to proceeding to the next unit or chapter.  The material may be reviewed while answering questions;

6)         The course must provide the ability to go back and review any material at any time;

7)         If the course is online, the course must provide online viewing access to the Department at all times;

8)         If the course is online, the course must provide some type of encryption.  All personal information, including credit card number, name and address of the student must be encrypted so that the information cannot be read as it passes across the Internet; and

9)         Students must be required to affirm that they, and only they, completed the course.

h)         LTC Training Credit

1)         (Reserved)

2)         Training credit may be obtained after a failed examination if the provider gives, and the student successfully completes, a substantially different examination.

3)         If a student receives training credit only, the provider shall issue a proof of completion certificate to the student but the certificate shall be prominently stamped "NO CON-ED CREDIT".

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)

Section 3119.65  Course Credit (Repealed)

(Source:  Repealed at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)

Section 3119.70  Course and Provider Disqualification

a)         The Director may disqualify any provider and/or any provider's courses if the Director finds that:

1)         the provider or course has not met the requirements of this Part;

2)         the provider has made a material misstatement or intentional misrepresentation on a certification form filed with the Director; a misstatement will be considered material if the course would not have been certified in the absence of such statement;

3)         the provider has intentionally misrepresented itself or its course to students or prospective students;

4)         the provider has violated any commitment made in the request for certification and supplementary attachments to the certification, including failure to maintain the standards and method of operation set forth in the request for certification and any supplementary attachments;

5)         the provider has employed instructors who do not meet the requirements of Section 3119.30(g);

6)         the provider is deemed by the Director to have failed to act in good faith in providing a course.  A failure to act in good faith may be evidenced by the following:

A)        a student pass/fail ratio inconsistent with those of other providers for courses which are similar in content and difficulty;

B)        the number of complaints received by the Director that specifically relate to the provider's courses;

C)        provides to the student a proof of completion form that contains false or incomplete information;

D)        provides to the student a partially completed proof of completion form;

7)         the provider has failed to maintain the materials and records pursuant to Section 3119.30;

8)         the provider failed to furnish the Director with information and records required by Section 3119.30, or the provider supplied false or incomplete information or records;

9)         the provider fails to furnish the Director with an accurate student proof of completion list required by Section 3119.30(f) within 10 days following the end of the week in which the course was completed;

10)         The provider has, while conducting business as a provider, used fraudulent or dishonest practices, or has demonstrated incompetence or untrustworthiness.

11)         Otherwise violated the Code or this Part, or knowingly assisted another in violation of the Code or Department rules.

b)         Disqualification of a provider or course shall be by order of the Director and will be sent to the provider by certified or registered mail at the address specified in the Department's records.  The provider may request a hearing in writing in accordance with 50 Ill. Adm. Code 2402, within 30 days from the date of mailing.  If no written request is made, the order shall be final upon the expiration of 30 days.

c)         If the provider requests a hearing within 30 days, then the Director shall issue within 30 days after receipt of the request a written notice of hearing to the provider by certified or registered mail and it will be sent to the provider at the address specified in the Department's records.  The notice of hearing must state:

1)         The grounds, charges or conduct that justifies disqualification under this Section;

2)         A specific time for the hearing, which may not be less than 20 days nor more than 30 days after the mailing of the notice of hearing; and

3)         A specific place for the hearing.

d)         Upon disqualification, the provider shall immediately discontinue offering its courses as certified courses.  The Director shall publish all final disqualifications.

e)         In any order of disqualification, the Director shall give consideration for credit hours to present students.

f)         An education provider who has been disqualified will be ineligible to apply to the Department for 3 years after the date of the disqualification.  A provider whose certification has been disqualified may not be employed, contracted or engaged in any insurance education related capacity during the time the disqualification is in effect.

g)         In addition to, or instead of, disqualification, the Director may take any appropriate regulatory action authorized by the Code against a provider who fails to meet the requirements of this Part.

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)

Section 3119.75  Additional Penalties

In addition to, or instead of, course and provider disqualifications as set forth in Section 3119.70, the Director may take any appropriate regulatory action authorized by Article XXIV of the Code or any other provision of the Code or rule against a provider who fails to meet the requirements of this Part.

(Source:  Added at 34 Ill. Reg. 5856, effective April 7, 2010)

Section 3119.80  Severability

If any provision of this Part or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is for any reason held to be invalid, the remainder of the Part and the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

Section 3119.EXHIBIT A   REQUEST FOR CERTIFICATION OF A PRELICENSING COURSE (Repealed)

(Source:  Repealed at 25 Ill. Reg. 6480, effective May 3, 2001)

Section 3119.EXHIBIT B   REQUEST FOR CERTIFICATION OF A CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSE (Repealed)

(Source:  Repealed at 25 Ill. Reg. 6480, effective May 3, 2001)

Section 3119.EXHIBIT C   PROVIDER LIST - PROOF OF COMPLETION FOR PRE-LICENSING EDUCATION (Repealed)

(Source:  Repealed at 25 Ill. Reg. 6480, effective May 3, 2001)

Section 3119.EXHIBIT D  PROVIDER LIST – PROOF OF COMPLETION FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION (Repealed)

(Source:  Repealed at 25 Ill. Reg. 6480, effective May 3, 2001)

Section 3119.EXHIBIT E   Course of Study – Life

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)

Section 3119.EXHIBIT F   COURSE OF STUDY – ACCIDENT/HEALTH

(Source:  Amended at 20 Ill. Reg. 10340, effective July 19, 1996)

Section 3119.EXHIBIT G   COURSE OF STUDY – FIRE

(Source:  Amended at 25 Ill. Reg. 6480, effective May 3, 2001)

Section 3119.EXHIBIT H   Course of Study – Casualty/Motor Vehicle

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 753, effective December 30, 2025)