Insurance agents who have an inactive general licence can apply to reinstate their licence, with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA). The process differs depending on how many years the licence has been inactive.
Note: a general agent sells property and casualty insurance, including auto insurance, and is sometimes referred to as an Other Than Life (OTL) agent in Ontario.
About licence reinstatements
If your licence lapsed or you previously surrendered your licence, you can apply to have your licence reinstated. The process you must follow depends on how long your licence has been inactive:
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If the inactive date is less than two years ago
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You can renew your licence as if your licence is still active.
For example, you do not need to retake the OTL Agent’s Exam.
Review all requirements, fees and instructions on Renew my general insurance licence. |
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If the inactive date is more than two years ago
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You will have to requalify as a new agent.
For example, you will need to retake the OTL Agent’s Exam, and will need to complete a new criminal record check.
Review all requirements, fees and instructions on Apply for a new general insurance licence. |
When is the inactive date?
The inactive date starts from whichever date comes first:
- Expiry date – you did not renew your previous licence and you let it lapse
- Surrender date – when FSRA approved your surrender application. See Surrender my insurance licence for details
- Termination date (sponsored agents only) – the sponsoring insurer terminates your licence
How to reinstate your licence
The process for reinstating your licence depends on whether it has expired.
If your licence expired less than 3 months ago and you are applying with the same sponsoring company:
- Contact your sponsoring company to initiate your renewal application.
If your licence expired less than 3 months ago and you have a new sponsoring company:
1. Go to Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators to find the application and detailed instructions.
2. Print and fill out the application.
- Complete pages 1 to 5 and page 9
- Ask your sponsoring insurer to fill out page 5 (Sponsor’s Attestation: Notice of Appointment of Agent by Sponsoring Company)
3. Submit the form to FSRA through the Online Services Portal.
4. You can make the payment through the Online Services Portal with credit card (VISA, Mastercard) or select debit cards (RBC, TD, First Nations Bank of Canada, most credit unions).
If your licence expired over 3 months, but under 2 years ago:
1. Go to Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators to find the application and detailed instructions.
2. Print and fill out the application.
- Complete pages 1 to 5 and page 9
- Ask your sponsoring insurer to fill out page 5 (Sponsor’s Attestation: Notice of Appointment of Agent by Sponsoring Company)
3. Submit the form to FSRA through the Online Services Portal.
4. You can make the payment through the Online Services Portal with credit card (VISA, Mastercard) or select debit cards (RBC, TD, First Nations Bank of Canada, most credit unions).
If your licence was terminated, but has not expired:
- Contact your new sponsoring company to initiate a transfer application.
If your licence was terminated and has expired less than 2 years ago:
1. Go to Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators to find the application and detailed instructions.
2. Print and fill out the application.
- Complete pages 1 to 5 and page 9
- Ask your sponsoring insurer to fill out page 5 (Sponsor’s Attestation: Notice of Appointment of Agent by Sponsoring Company)
3. Submit the form to FSRA through the Online Services Portal.
4. You can make the payment through the Online Services Portal with credit card (VISA, Mastercard) or select debit cards (RBC, TD, First Nations Bank of Canada, most credit unions).
If your licence was surrendered less than 2 years ago:
1. Go to Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators to find the application and detailed instructions.
2. Print and fill out the application.
- Complete pages 1 to 5 and page 9
- Ask your sponsoring insurer to fill out page 5 (Sponsor’s Attestation: Notice of Appointment of Agent by Sponsoring Company)
3. Submit the form to FSRA through the Online Services Portal.
4. You can make the payment through the Online Services Portal with credit card (VISA, Mastercard) or select debit cards (RBC, TD, First Nations Bank of Canada, most credit unions).
If your licence expired over 2 years ago (requalify as a new agent)
If your licence expired more than two years ago, you will have to requalify as a new agent, and your licence may not be visible on FSRA’s public registry. Please review how to become a Accident & Sickness Agent for more information.
What happens after the application is submitted – for all agents
FSRA will send you an email to confirm it has received your application.
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For most applications |
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If the application requires additional review |
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New Criminal Record check process
FSRA is changing its licensing processes for background criminal checks to ensure the processes remain up to date. Criminal record checks are part of FSRA’s rigorous licence qualification process to protect consumers by ensuring only suitable individuals sell or offer financial products and services in Ontario.
If you have disclosed information about a criminal matter, or FSRA has received information that you may be involved in a criminal matter, you may be required to complete a background check after you have submitted your renewal application.
If required, FSRA will notify you, and will send a link to our approved vendor, Triton’s website to complete the background check. Once completed, you will need to provide the 8-digit confirmation number found in your Triton invoice to FSRA. A fee of $19.15 applies for Triton’s service, and the background check is valid for 90 days.
Please monitor your email frequently for any information requests from FSRA. If you have any further questions about the new background check process, please contact us.