Individual General Insurance Licence

A general insurance salesperson level 1 licence is an entry-level licence that:

• The licensee must only conduct general insurance business under the supervision of a general insurance agent (see Guidelines for Supervision of General Insurance Level 1 Salespersons for more information); 
• Restricts where the licensee can work. The licensee must not carry on general insurance business in any place other than on the premises of the insurance agency the licensee is authorized to represent, except where the licensee has completed the Council Rules Course;
• Prohibits the licensee from signing contracts of insurance;
• Requires the licensee to meet education prerequisites; and
• At least 60% of a salesperson licensee’s annual income from his or her employment at an insurance agency, must be comprised of a salary.

Successful completion of ONE of the four education options listed below. Results (including from courses granted under equivalency*) remain valid up to one year from successful course or exam completion date, after which the applicant is required to retake the course or exam.

Please note, the Insurance Council does not have any information about the course details, including costs, delivery methods, or scheduling:

• Fundamentals of Insurance — Insurance Brokers Association of BC (IBABC)
• Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) 1 — Insurance Brokers Association of BC (IBABC)
• Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) C11 and C130 — Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC)
• General Insurance Essentials Program (GIE) C81 and C82 — Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC)

*Equivalency: Level 1 General Insurance Licensing Program — ILS Learning Corporation (ILScorp), to qualify for a general insurance salesperson level 1 licence. The Insurance Council also accepts this program as part of the education prerequisites towards a general insurance agent level 2 or level 3 licence.

Exam results remain valid for 12 months from the date the Insurance Council receives the licence application. We will consider courses completed outside of the one-year-limit, if you have completed additional courses, which lead to a CAIB or CIP designation, within the last year of the application date, and all the courses leading to the designation were completed within one year of each other. Please submit exam results for each course along with your licence application for review.
 

CAIB new edition information 
Starting September 15, 2025, the Insurance Council will accept both the new edition and current edition of IBABC’s CAIB 1 course as qualifications for a General Insurance Salesperson Level 1 licence. After a transition period, only the CAIB 1 new edition course and successful completion of the qualifying examination will be accepted to qualify for a General Insurance Salesperson Level 1 licence. This impacts the following education option:  
 

Impacted CAIB options:

        Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) 1 — Insurance Brokers Association of BC (IBABC) 

• Note: This change applies only to CAIB courses. Other education options, such as Fundamentals of Insurance, remain unchanged.

   

Applicants and licensees who are already enrolled in the current edition of CAIB courses must complete the course and pass the qualifying examinations by December 31, 2026, to remain eligible. After January 1, 2027, only the new edition CAIB courses will be accepted to qualify for a General Insurance Salesperson Level 1 licence. 
  
For questions about the older version CAIB course and meeting education requirements for licensure, please contact our licensing team at licensing@insurancecouncilofbc.com.

The Insurance Council Rules Course must be completed by all individual applicants, including non-residents, to qualify for licensure, except those who qualify for licensure under the Reinstatement Provision in Council Rule 2(19).

• Complete the application yourself, following the instructions in the application package. 
• Answer all questions and attach all required documents, including the application fee, before submitting your application, as incomplete applications may take longer to process.
• If your application has been pending for more than our displayed processing times, please feel free to contact our Licensing Team.

Apply Online (See Instructions)
View and download the General Insurance Salesperson Level I Licence Application
View the General Insurance Salesperson Level I Licence Fee Schedule

• Have been licensed for 5 of the last 7 years.
• Have a minimum of 3 years as a level 2 general insurance agent.
• Must have met the educational prerequisites.

Successful completion of the mandatory:

• Insurance Council Supervision Course for General Insurance Agents

AND one of:

• Fundamentals of Insurance — Insurance Brokers Association of BC (IBABC) and Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) 2, 3, and 4 — Insurance Brokers Association of BC (IBABC)
• Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) 1, 2, 3, and 4 — Insurance Brokers Association of BC (IBABC)
• Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) C11, C130, C131, and C132 — Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC)
• General Insurance Essentials Program (GIE) C81 and C82, and Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) C130, C131, and C132 — Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC)

Please note, the Insurance Council does not have any information about the course details, including costs, delivery methods, or scheduling.

Important: The Insurance Council Supervision Course for General Insurance Agents has replaced the IBABC Duties & Responsibilities for Level 3 Agents and Nominees in British Columbia Seminar effective as of October 1, 2024. We will no longer accept the IBABC Level 3 seminar for applications received on or after that date.

Results (including from courses granted under equivalency*) remain valid up to one year from successful course or exam completion date, after which the applicant is required to retake the course or exam.

*Equivalency: Level 1 General Insurance Licensing Program — ILS Learning Corporation (ILScorp), as part of the education prerequisites towards a general insurance salesperson level 1 licence, or a general insurance agent level 2 or level 3 licence.

CAIB new edition information 
Starting September 15, 2025, the Insurance Council will accept both the new edition and current edition of IBABC’s CAIB 1, 2, 3, and 4 courses as qualifications for a General Insurance Agent Level 3 licence. After a transition period, only the CAIB 1, 2, 3, and 4 new edition courses and successful completion of the qualifying examinations will be accepted to qualify for a General Insurance Agent Level 3 licence. This impacts the following education options: 

Impacted CAIB options:

• Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) 1, 2, 3, and 4 — Insurance Brokers Association of BC (IBABC)

Applicants and licensees who are already enrolled in the current edition of CAIB courses must complete the course and pass the qualifying examinations by December 31, 2026, to remain eligible. After January 1, 2027, only the new edition CAIB courses will be accepted to qualify for a General Insurance Agent Level 3 licence. 
  
For questions about the older version CAIB courses and meeting education requirements for licensure, please contact our licensing team at licensing@insurancecouncilofbc.com.

The Insurance Council Rules Course must be completed by all individual applicants, including non-residents, to qualify for licensure, except those who qualify for licensure under the Reinstatement Provision in Council Rule 2(19).

• Complete the application yourself, along with the agent level 3 application supplement, following the instructions in the application package. 
• Answer all questions and attach all required documents, including the application fee, before submitting your application, as incomplete applications may take longer to process.
• If your application has been pending for more than our displayed processing times, please feel free to contact our Licensing Team.

General Insurance Trainee Registration: Requirements

• Must never have previously held a general insurance salesperson or agent licence.
• May only conduct ICBC transactions.
• Must be under the direct supervision of a general insurance agent who initials or signs all transactions.
• Must not conduct any form of insurance activities outside the premises of the employer under any circumstances.
• May only hold a trainee registration for a total of six months.
• Must have met the educational prerequisites. 

Successful completion of the course below. Results remain valid up to one year from successful course or exam completion date, after which the applicant is required to retake the course or exam.

Please note, the Insurance Council does not have any information about the course details, including costs, delivery methods, or scheduling:

• ICBC Autoplan Basics - Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC)

• Complete the application yourself, following the instructions in the application package. 
• Answer all questions and attach all required documents before submitting your application to Council, as incomplete applications may take longer to process.
• If your application has been pending for more than our displayed processing times, please feel free to contact Council's Licensing Department.