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How to get your life insurance licence in Ontario

In Ontario, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) licenses life and accident and sickness agents. The path has five stages: an approved LLQP course, the exams with Durham College in person, an insurer that agrees to sponsor you, errors and omissions coverage, and an application in Licensing Link. Then you keep the licence with continuing education every two years.

LLQP Exam · facts checked October 21, 2026 on fsrao.ca

Ontario at a glance

RegulatorFSRA
CourseAbout 100 hours with an FSRA-approved provider
Exam administratorDurham College, in person only
Exam feesPublished by Durham College, not on the FSRA page
SponsorshipA licensed insurer, for the first two years
E&O insuranceAt least $1 million per occurrence
Licence fee$170 for a two-year licence
Criminal record checkThrough Triton, $19.15, valid 90 days
Application deadline1 year from your first exam pass
Continuing education30 credits per two-year term

FSRA uses the French term PQAP for the same program on its French pages, and the course exists in both languages.

The LLQP course

You must complete the LLQP course before you can book the exams. FSRA describes it as about 100 hours, delivered in class, by correspondence or online, with fees set by each provider. FSRA lists these approved providers: Advocis; Business Career College; CSI; College for Financial Professions; iA Financial Group; Beneva; Learnedly; Oliver Publishing; Primerica; REMIC; SeeWhy Learning.

Your course certificate is valid for 12 months from completion. That year covers your first attempts and any rewrite, so do not leave a long gap between finishing the course and booking. LLQP Exam is not an approved course provider and does not replace the course: it is practice you add on top.

The exams with Durham College

Durham College administers the LLQP exams for Ontario, in person only. You write the same harmonized modules as in other common-law provinces:

  • Life Insurance: 30 scored questions plus 5 pilots, 75 minutes
  • Accident and Sickness Insurance: 30 plus 5, 75 minutes
  • Segregated Funds and Annuities: 30 plus 5, 75 minutes
  • Ethics and Professional Practice (common law): 20 plus 5, 75 minutes

You need 60% on each module. For the A&S-only licence, you write A&S and Ethics only. Booking, identification and fees are set by Durham College, so read its candidate information before you choose a date. The exam day guide explains how sittings differ from province to province.

On February 7, 2024, FSRA announced modernized LLQP exam procedures: stronger security, longer waits after a third or fourth failure, and penalties for cheating.

Rewrites in Ontario

Ontario applies the national CISRO policy: up to 3 rewrites per module while your course is valid, at least 24 hours between attempts, and after a fourth failure a one-year wait and a new course.

Transition rule

If your first pass date is before April 1, 2024, you may follow the previous rewrite rules. FSRA asks candidates in that situation to contact Durham College.

The comparison with other provinces is on the LLQP retake rules page.

Ontario does not license a new life agent on their own. A licensed insurer must sponsor you for your first two years. In practice, you need an insurer willing to sponsor you before your application can move, because the sponsor is the one who opens it.

You must also hold errors and omissions insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence, with extended coverage for fraudulent acts, and keep it in force for as long as you are licensed.

Timing trap

Candidates sometimes pass all four modules, then spend months looking for a sponsor. Your one-year application window starts with your first pass, not your last. Start the sponsorship conversation while you are still studying.

Applying in Licensing Link

  1. Your sponsoring insurer starts the application

    The application is opened in FSRA’s Licensing Link by the insurer that sponsors you.

  2. Criminal record check

    Through Triton, at $19.15. It is valid for 90 days, so order it close to submission.

  3. E&O proof

    Coverage of at least $1 million per occurrence, including fraudulent acts.

  4. Pay the fee

    $170 for a two-year licence.

  5. Within the deadline

    One year from your first LLQP exam pass.

Keeping the licence

Each two-year licence term requires 30 continuing-education credits. Track them from the first month: they are much easier to collect steadily than in the last weeks before renewal.

Preparing for the exam? 2,760 questions in the official format · $40

See the prep course

Questions

Can I write the LLQP exam online in Ontario?

No. FSRA states that Durham College administers the Ontario exams in person only.

How much does it cost to get licensed in Ontario?

FSRA publishes the $170 licence fee and the $19.15 criminal record check. Course fees are set by each provider, exam fees by Durham College, and E&O premiums by the insurer you choose.

Do I need a sponsor before I write the exams?

Not to write them. You need one to apply for the licence, and the application must be filed within one year of your first pass.

Does Ontario accept LLQP exams written in another province?

The modules are harmonized nationally. For a specific transfer, confirm with FSRA before you book, because licensing requirements are provincial.

Prepare the modules with the free LLQP practice test, then compare Ontario with British Columbia or Alberta if you might move.

Sources

Checked October 21, 2026.

Any questions?