The California Department of Insurance uses different CDI forms for different jobs: a Request for Assistance for consumer complaints against an insurer, an Independent Medical Review application for disputed health coverage, a Consumer Insurance Fraud Reporting Form (or the eFD-1 system for industry employees) for suspected fraud, Sircon-based applications for producer licensing, and a set of admission and financial filings for insurance companies. Most are filed online. A few still require paper and an original signature, and those go to CDI’s Sacramento or Los Angeles office. If you’re not sure which form fits your situation, the consumer hotline at 800-927-4357 can point you to the right one before you start.1California Department of Insurance. Contact Us
Filing a Consumer Complaint Against an Insurer
The Request for Assistance, or RFA, is the form most individuals will ever use. Filing it triggers a regulatory investigation into your dispute with an insurance carrier under California Insurance Code Sections 12921 and 12921.1, which give CDI’s Consumer Services Division authority to investigate.2California Department of Insurance. Request for Assistance You can file online through CDI’s complaint portal or download the PDF from the department’s consumer help page.
The form asks for your name, daytime phone, address, and email; the policyholder’s name if that isn’t you; the type of insurance; the insurance company’s full name; your policy number and any claim number; and the date of loss. If a broker or agent is involved, you’ll need their name, license number, phone number, and address. It also asks whether you’ve contacted the company already, reported the issue to another agency, or retained an attorney.2California Department of Insurance. Request for Assistance
Write your description in chronological order. What happened, what the insurer said, where the disagreement lies, and what resolution you consider fair. Reference specific policy language where you can. Attach copies of correspondence with the insurer, the declarations page, any denial letter, and canceled checks. Send copies, never originals. Leave out Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and credit card information unless CDI specifically requests them.2California Department of Insurance. Request for Assistance
One boundary to know: if the matter is already in active litigation, CDI defers its regulatory investigation until the case ends. The department still asks you to file the form so a record exists, and it wants information about any insurance law violations once litigation concludes.2California Department of Insurance. Request for Assistance
Health Insurance Disputes and Independent Medical Review
Health coverage complaints take an extra step. Before you can request an Independent Medical Review through CDI, you have to file an appeal or grievance with your insurance company first. If the insurer’s response is unsatisfactory or 30 days pass without one, you can then complete the IMR application, attach the relevant documents, and mail it to CDI.3California Department of Insurance. California Department of Insurance – Create Complaint The form includes a signed consent authorizing CDI to obtain medical records from the insurer and from any providers you saw. Declining to participate in the IMR process may forfeit your right to sue the insurer over the disputed service, so read the consent before you sign it.
Reporting Suspected Insurance Fraud
CDI’s Enforcement Branch handles fraud, and the channel you use depends on who you are.4California Department of Insurance. Enforcement Branch Overview Members of the public, and licensed California agents or brokers, use the Consumer Insurance Fraud Reporting Form on CDI’s fraud reporting portal. Insurance industry employees reporting on behalf of a California-licensed company use the eFD-1 system instead.5California Department of Insurance. Consumer Insurance Fraud Reporting Form
Licensed agents and brokers cannot file anonymously. If you’re flagging concerns about a policy already placed with an insurer, you must also notify that insurer’s Special Investigations Unit under California Insurance Code Section 1872.41.5California Department of Insurance. Consumer Insurance Fraud Reporting Form Good-faith reports carry civil liability protection under California law. A knowingly false report is a crime under California Penal Code Section 148.5.
Producer License Applications and Renewals
New and renewal license filings for California insurance producers go through the Sircon platform, which CDI uses for both resident and non-resident applicants.6California Department of Insurance. Surplus Line Broker The application collects personal information, employment history, and background screening questions that must be answered truthfully and completely.
Before You Sit for the Exam
California eliminated the 20-hour pre-licensing study requirement for most producer licenses under AB 943. You still need 12 hours of ethics and insurance code instruction, including one hour of insurance fraud education, before you can sit for the exam.7National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. California Eliminates Pre-Licensing Education Requirement for Insurance Producers Separate exams cover life, accident and health, property, casualty, and personal lines.
Filing Fees
Most individual producer licenses carry a $188 filing fee and a $188 renewal fee. That applies to life agents, accident and health agents, property broker-agents, casualty broker-agents, personal lines broker-agents, and limited lines automobile insurance agents. Surplus line brokers pay more: $646 for brokers who transact only on behalf of a surplus line broker business entity, and $1,296 for all others. Credit insurance agent licenses cost $449 to file and $410 to renew. All filing fees are nonrefundable under California Insurance Code Section 1751.5, whether or not CDI acts on the application and whether or not the exam is taken.8California Department of Insurance. Licensing Fees
Continuing Education for Renewal
Licenses renew on a two-year cycle. Life agents, accident and health agents, property broker-agents, casualty broker-agents, and personal lines broker-agents must complete 24 hours of continuing education per term, including three hours of ethics. Limited lines automobile insurance agents need 20 hours per term, also including three hours of ethics.9California Department of Insurance. Continuing Education Program Requirements You can verify your completed hours through the NIPR portal by selecting California and reviewing your CE transcript.10NIPR. Continuing Education Transcripts Check well before the deadline. If a course provider is slow to report your completion, you’ll need time to get the transcript corrected before renewal.
Insurer and Corporate Filings
Insurance companies use a separate set of CDI forms for market entry, financial reporting, and ongoing compliance.
Certificate of Authority
Every insurer must hold a Certificate of Authority before doing business in California. The application involves a full legal and financial review and requires an admission form, a sample plan of operation, individual and organizational affidavits, a delegation of insurer functions checklist, a questionnaire, and an appointment of agent for service of process.11California Department of Insurance. Certificate of Authority Application Forms CDI’s published instructions walk through each item.12California Department of Insurance. Certificate of Authority Instructions
Surplus Line Broker Filings
Placing coverage with non-admitted insurers carries extra paperwork. Individual surplus line brokers file a Surplus Line and/or Special Lines’ Surplus Line Certification (form LIC-050). Most surplus line brokers also post a $50,000 bond using form LIC 447-31, executed by a California-admitted surety with an accompanying power of attorney. Brokers who transact only on behalf of a licensed surplus line broker business entity are exempt from the bond requirement, but the business entity must file a Business Entity Endorsement (form LIC 411-8A) on their behalf.6California Department of Insurance. Surplus Line Broker
Financial Statements and Rate Filings
Insurers file annual and quarterly financial statements using NAIC-standardized formats, completed with software from an NAIC-approved vendor and transmitted electronically.13National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Industry Financial Filing Rate and form filings run through SERFF, the NAIC’s electronic filing platform for submissions to state regulators.14National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Systems for Electronic Rates and Forms Filing (SERFF)
Requesting Public Records from CDI
The California Public Records Act lets you request records from CDI, including enforcement actions, market conduct examination reports, and annual financial reports. Requests go to CDI’s Legal Division.
Under California Government Code Section 7922.535, CDI has 10 days from receipt of your request to determine whether the records are disclosable and to notify you. The agency can extend that deadline by up to 14 additional days when it needs to search separate facilities, handle a large volume of records, or consult with another agency.15California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 7922.535 Once records are determined disclosable, CDI provides an estimated availability date. Electronic copies are often provided at no cost; confirm the per-page fee schedule for paper copies when you submit.
One boundary: federal FOIA does not reach state agencies like CDI. For California state records, the Public Records Act is the mechanism.
Where to Send Paper Forms
Most CDI filings are electronic. Consumer complaints go through the online portal at cdiapps.insurance.ca.gov. Producer license applications and renewals go through Sircon. Fraud reports go through the fraud reporting portal or eFD-1. CDI recommends electronic filing where available and notes that paper submissions may delay processing.16California Department of Insurance. Getting Help
For forms that require an original signature or must go on paper, mail to one of the two CDI offices:
- Sacramento Office: 300 Capitol Mall, 17th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814
- Los Angeles Office: 300 South Spring Street, 14th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Certified mail with a return receipt gives you a verifiable delivery record. After CDI receives your filing, the department issues a confirmation with a tracking or file number. Reference that number in every follow-up.1California Department of Insurance. Contact Us
Avoiding Common Filing Mistakes
Most CDI filings go wrong before they’re submitted, not after. A few checks help.
Verify agent and broker license numbers on CDI’s online license lookup before you enter them. A mistyped number can send a complaint into a dead end. On license applications, make sure your full legal name matches your state-issued identification exactly. Discrepancies trigger extra background screening and slow the process.
For an RFA, pull your documents together before you open the form: the declarations page, denial letter, correspondence with the insurer. Hunting for them mid-filing is how fields end up blank and packages end up incomplete. Attach copies, not originals.