Washington Administrative Code

Individuals holding only limited credit insurance, travel insurance, or surety licenses are exempt from the continuing insurance education requirements of this chapter.[Statutory Authority: RCW 48.02.060, 48.17.005, and 48.17.150. WSR 21-20-045 (Matter R 2021-03), § 284-17-222, f…

Timely completion of this state's continuing insurance education requirement is a prerequisite for renewal or reinstatement of a license. Before applying for renewal or reinstatement of a license, except as provided in WAC 284-17-222 or waived in accordance with WAC 284-17-254, a…

The insurance education provider must issue a certificate of completion to each licensee within ten days after completion of the course.The certificate of completion must be in the commissioner's designated format, completed in its entirety, and include all of the information pre…

A continuing insurance education course with the same course number may be completed for credit only once every license renewal period.[Statutory Authority: RCW 48.02.060, 48.17.005, 48.17.150(1), and 48.01.030. WSR 15-13-061 (Matter No. R 2014-02), § 284-17-250, filed 6/10/15, e…

Credit hours earned during any license continuation period in excess of the continuing insurance education requirement cannot be carried over to the next license renewal period.[Statutory Authority: RCW 48.02.060, 48.17.005. WSR 09-02-073 (Matter No. R 2008-06), § 284-17-252, fil…

Licensees may request a waiver of the continuing insurance education requirement. Requests must be sent to the commissioner prior to the time of renewal of the license and must specify in detail the reason why a waiver is merited.(1) Medical waiver. If the request for a waiver is…

Instructors who teach an entire approved continuing education course will receive the same number of approved credit hours as a licensee completing the course. If two or more instructors partially present the same course, they can receive credit if they attend the entire presenta…

Beginning January 1, 2009:(1) Each insurer that has long-term care insurance policies approved for sale in this state must certify annually that all of its insurance producers engaged in the sale, solicitation or negotiation of long-term care insurance coverage in this state have…

All insurance producers who sell, solicit, negotiate, or otherwise transact long-term care insurance are subject to the eight-hour, one-time long-term care training and the four-hour long-term care continuing education requirements of RCW 48.83.130.(1) Successful completion of tr…

(1) A person may not sell, solicit, or negotiate the sale of an annuity product unless he or she is licensed as a producer with the life insurance line of authority and has successfully completed the annuity suitability training, which includes the best interest standards, that m…

An individual, business entity, or organization that seeks to become a continuing education provider must meet the requirements of RCW 48.17.563 and submit the proper application for approval to act as a continuing insurance education provider.(1) At the time of submitting the pr…

(1) In addition to meeting the relevant requirements of this chapter and any other applicable law or rule, an approved continuing education provider must:(a) Provide the name and contact information of the continuing education program coordinator for the provider.(b) The provider…

A continuing education provider must use an attendance register in the format required by the commissioner to document attendance for a classroom or webinar course. The attendance register must include the following:(1) Continuing education provider's name and provider number;(2)…

A continuing insurance education provider will be assigned a provider number by the commissioner. That number must be included on all correspondence related to continuing insurance education and on all certificates of completion.[Statutory Authority: RCW 48.02.060, 48.17.005. WSR…

Insurance continuing education providers must maintain education records and make them available to the commissioner upon request. Records include:(1) Provider application, program director application, course application, and instructor or content developer resume that the conti…

(1) An application for approval of a continuing insurance education course or a new instruction method of a previously approved course must be submitted electronically or via email to the commissioner's education mailbox no fewer than twenty days prior to the first date the cours…

(1) The commissioner may deny, cancel or not renew courses if:(a) The commissioner determines that the course content is outdated or the facts and figures in the course are likely to mislead producers;(b) The commissioner determines that the course misrepresents insurance laws an…

(1) For classroom courses:(a) Attendance is based on personally identifiable information including government-issued photo identification and signature, with student participation and live interaction with the instructor;(b) The continuing education provider must use a monitor in…

The course number issued by the commissioner at the time of approval of the continuing education course must be included on all correspondence related to the course and must be included on all certificates of completion for that course.[Statutory Authority: RCW 48.02.060, 48.17.0…

(1) An approved continuing education provider can submit a request for course and credit approval of a designation program course if the course is directly and specifically related to insurance, or if part of the course is directly and specifically related to insurance. With the …

(1) The commissioner will determine the number of credit hours assigned to a continuing education course. The commissioner will consider:(a) The presentation minutes for a classroom course or webinar course;(b) The word count and course difficulty level of the study material for …

The form of certificate of course completion required by the commissioner is available to continuing education providers by contacting the commissioner's office. The certificate and signature may be in electronic format.(1) The certificate must indicate that it is a Washington ap…

(1) A continuing education provider's authority is continuous so long as the provider has one or more active courses that the commissioner has approved.(2) If the continuing education provider does not have an active course for twelve consecutive months, the commissioner will can…

(1) The commissioner will send a course renewal notice electronically to the continuing education provider's registered email address sixty days prior to the expiration date of the courses. The commissioner will send a second renewal notice to the continuing education provider's …

A course approval is no longer valid if the continuing education provider has made any change in the course curriculum, including the instruction method, after the commissioner approved the course. The provider must submit a new course per WAC 284-17-278. However, updates to fact…

(1) The insurance commissioner will notify a continuing education provider about a request for continuing education records by sending a written request to the provider's continuing education program coordinator at the email address on record for the provider.(2) If the commissio…

The following actions by a continuing education provider or any of its employees, designees, or instructors may result in a fine:(1) Advertising or offering a course for credit without the commissioner granting prior approval of the course, including advertising that indicates th…

(1) A continuing education provider cannot advertise a course submitted for continuing education credit prior to the commissioner approving the course. A provider may not advertise a course before obtaining the commissioner's approval for the course, even if the provider indicate…

(1) The commissioner's approval of a person, organization or business entity to act as a continuing education provider may be suspended or revoked or the provider may be placed on probation by the commissioner if:(a) The continuing education provider or any of its employees, inst…

(1) Approval of a continuing education course may be suspended or revoked if the commissioner concludes that any of the following has occurred:(a) The continuing education provider significantly changes the content of an approved course without notice to and prior approval from t…

Washington participates in the NAIC Uniform Continuing Education Reciprocity Agreement. Generally, a continuing insurance education course approved by a participating state will be accepted by this state by submitting the NAIC Uniform Continuing Education Reciprocity Course filin…

If an otherwise qualified applicant for a nonresident insurance producer's license holds a license in his or her home state that is not among the recognized lines of authority in this state, the commissioner will issue a nonresident license that is substantially equivalent to the…

(1) Initial and reinstated individual licenses are valid from their date of issuance until the end of the licensee's next birth month plus one year. Additional licenses issued to the same active licensee will be on the same renewal cycle as the first license issued to that licens…

(1) An insurance producer may be appointed or affiliated by submitting electronically the notice of appointment or affiliation through a third-party online licensing provider or the commissioner's online services, available at www.insurance.wa.gov.(2) Insurance producers upon ini…

The commissioner will confirm the licensee's appointment or affiliation by sending an electronic message to the insurer or business entity after the commissioner receives the notice from an insurer or business entity.[Statutory Authority: RCW 48.15.015 and 48.17.005. WSR 11-04-06…

A licensee is not eligible for an appointment or affiliation if the license is not valid or the person is not licensed for at least one line of authority within the authority of the appointing insurer or affiliating business entity. If a licensee is not eligible for an electronic…

(1) When the appointment or affiliation renewal is available online, the insurer or business entity may access and review the list of their appointments or affiliations, remove any licensees from their list, and complete the renewal process by remitting the finalized list and cor…

(1) An insurer may terminate an appointment of an insurance producer:(a) Through the commissioner's website; or(b) Through a third-party online licensing provider. (2) A business entity may terminate an affiliation of an insurance producer or surplus line broker through the commi…

If a business entity or its authorized representative terminates the affiliation of an insurance producer or surplus line broker for cause, the commissioner must receive notice of that termination by electronic submission within thirty days following the effective date of the ter…

If an insurance producer solicits insurance on behalf of an insurer, as authorized by RCW 48.17.160, but it is later determined that the insurance producer was not eligible for appointment by the insurer:(1) The insurance contract will be effective;(2) The insurance producer must…

Individual licensees that represent a business entity or act on its behalf must be affiliated with the licensed business entity. A business entity must have at least one affiliated individual licensee in order to transact insurance business. Each business entity must provide the …

If an individual insurance producer is affiliated with a business entity, the insurance producer is not required to be directly appointed by the insurer.(1) The individual insurance producer's authority to transact insurance is limited to those lines of authority for which the in…

(1) An insurance producer or surplus line broker may terminate its appointment or affiliation with an insurer or business entity by sending advance written notice to the insurer or business entity and send a copy via email to the commissioner.(2) The notice must state that the in…

If a request for renewal of a license is received by the commissioner after its due date, the licensee must not transact insurance under the license until the renewal or reinstatement is completed.(1) As a precondition to late renewal or reinstatement of a license, payment of the…

(1)(a) If an individual insurance producer transacts the business of insurance out of more than one place of business in this state, in addition to complying with the requirements of RCW 48.17.450, each place of business must be under the charge of an individual properly licensed…

The designated responsible licensed person (DRLP) must be given the necessary authority and information by the business entity that reasonably assures that the DRLP can cause or influence the entity's compliance with all applicable insurance laws or rules, or both of this state.[…

(1) The purpose of this section is to set forth standards to protect consumers from misleading and fraudulent marketing practices with respect to the use of senior-specific certifications and professional designations in the solicitation, sale or purchase of, or advice made in co…

(1) An individual insurance producer may claim only one state as the home state at a time.(a) Individual insurance producers that claim multiple states as their home state must choose one state to be their home state for all insurance licensing purposes. This will usually be the …

RCW 48.17.530 (1)(m) permits the commissioner to define certain reasonable arrangements where an insurance producer may obtain a loan from an insurance client. The commissioner finds that a reasonable arrangement exists when an insurance producer and an insurance client enter int…

RCW 48.17.270(5) provides that when insurance is purchased over the telephone or by electronic means for which written consent under RCW 48.17.270(3) cannot be reasonably obtained, consent documented by the insurance producer is acceptable in lieu of the signed written disclosure…