Virginia only issues one kind of insurance adjuster license, and it is the public adjuster license. Company adjusters and independent adjusters working for insurers do not need any Virginia adjuster license to operate in the state. If you plan to represent policyholders and charge a fee for handling their first-party property claims, you will need to pass the Prometric public adjuster exam, get fingerprinted, post a $50,000 surety bond, and submit your application through the National Insurance Producer Registry.
Who Actually Needs a License in Virginia
Virginia draws a sharp line between the two sides of a claim. Adjusters employed by insurance companies and independent adjusters hired by insurers do not need a Virginia-specific license. The only adjusters the Bureau of Insurance licenses are public adjusters: individuals or firms paid to investigate, negotiate, or settle first-party property claims on behalf of the insured.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1845.2 – License Required of Resident Public Adjusters
That means the moment compensation enters the picture and you are working the policyholder’s side of the claim, you fall under the licensing rules below. If you plan to adjust for an insurer, Virginia has no license for you to apply for, and the workaround at the bottom of this article is likely what you need instead.
Eligibility Basics
To qualify for a resident public adjuster license, you must be at least 18 years old, show good character and a reputation for honesty, and have no disqualifying history under the grounds listed in Virginia Code ยง 38.2-1845.10.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1845.2 – License Required of Resident Public Adjusters Disqualifying history includes felony convictions, crimes involving dishonesty or breach of trust, and adjuster license revocations in other states.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1845.10 – Grounds for Placing on Probation, Refusal to Issue or Renew
Pass the Public Adjuster Exam
Virginia requires you to pass the public adjuster examination administered by Prometric. The test covers Virginia insurance law and general claims-handling material. Virginia does not require any pre-licensing education, so you can self-study, but many candidates use a commercial prep course. Scheduling and content details are in Prometric’s Virginia Licensing Information Bulletin.3Prometric. Virginia Bureau of Insurance Licensing Information Bulletin
Timing matters. Your passing score has to be no more than 183 calendar days old when you submit your license application. A result older than that will not be accepted.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1845.2 – License Required of Resident Public Adjusters
If you fail, you can reschedule after 24 hours. After three failed attempts, you have to wait 30 calendar days before trying again, and each attempt costs another exam fee of roughly $35.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1817 – Examination for License; Fee Required
Get Fingerprinted
Every resident applicant has to submit fingerprints for a state and federal background check. Appointments are scheduled through Fieldprint using the code FPVABOIPubAdj, which is specific to public adjuster applicants. If you book under the wrong code, you will have to be fingerprinted again, so confirm the code before you schedule. Fieldprint has about 93 locations.5Virginia State Corporation Commission. Apply for an Individual Virginia Insurance License
Bring your appointment number and two valid IDs. The fee is $34.95 and covers both Virginia State Police and FBI processing; results go directly to the Bureau of Insurance. Your prints must be less than 90 days old when the Bureau receives your application.5Virginia State Corporation Commission. Apply for an Individual Virginia Insurance License
Post a $50,000 Surety Bond
Before the Bureau will issue the license, you must attest that a $50,000 surety bond in favor of the Commonwealth is in place, written by a corporate surety licensed in Virginia. The bond has to stay in effect for as long as your license is active. Cancellation requires 60 days’ advance written notice to the Commission, and if the bond lapses without a replacement already in effect, your license terminates automatically and you have to start the whole prelicensing process over.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1845.2 – License Required of Resident Public Adjusters
Annual premiums depend on your credit and experience. Applicants with clean backgrounds commonly pay a few hundred dollars a year for a $50,000 bond.
Submit Your Application Through NIPR
With a passing exam score, completed fingerprints, and the bond in place, you file your application on the National Insurance Producer Registry. NIPR does not verify your exam results at the point of submission, but the Bureau checks them before approving the license.6NIPR. Virginia Resident Licensing Individual
Have the following ready when you start the application:
- Your Social Security number, a residential address, and a business address. Neither address can be a P.O. Box.
- Disclosures of any criminal convictions, pending charges, or administrative actions from other regulators.
- Your attestation that the $50,000 surety bond is in effect.
The state application fee is $15, non-refundable, due at submission.7Virginia State Corporation Commission. Lines of Authority and Application Fees NIPR adds a small transaction fee on top. You can track status through the Sircon portal, and once approved, your license is available to print electronically rather than mailed.8Sircon. Virginia Producer Portal
Total Costs
Hard costs for the licensing process itself:
- Fingerprinting: $34.95
- Exam: about $35 per attempt
- State application fee: $15
- NIPR transaction fee: a small processing charge
- Surety bond premium: varies; commonly a few hundred dollars per year
Budget at least $100 to $150 in fixed costs before the bond premium and any exam prep materials.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Licensed public adjusters have to complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years, including at least three hours of insurance ethics.9Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1866 – Continuing Education Requirements The renewal cycle follows your birthday: if you were born in an even-numbered year, the license expires at the end of your birth month in even-numbered years; odd birth year means odd renewal years.10Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1825.1 – Renewal Application and Fee
If your initial license was issued during the last 13 months of a biennium, you are exempt from CE for that first period.11Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1871 – Licensees Not Subject to the Continuing Education Requirements of This Article Pearson VUE administers the CE program under contract with the Virginia Insurance Continuing Education Board, and Sircon tracks your completed credits.12Virginia State Corporation Commission. Continuing Education Requirements
Renewal costs $10 on time, $30 late. Letting the license lapse entirely can send you back through prelicensing.
If You Are Already Licensed in Another State
Virginia will issue a nonresident public adjuster license without requiring the Virginia exam if you meet four conditions: you hold a current active license in your home state, your home state grants reciprocal treatment to Virginia residents, you pay the $15 application fee, and you post the same $50,000 surety bond required of residents.13Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1845.5 – Licensing Nonresidents; Reciprocal Provisions
If your home state does not grant reciprocity, the Commission may negotiate a separate agreement with your home regulator, but nothing guarantees it will. Business entity applicants (corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships) must also get the appropriate certificate from the Clerk of the Commission before applying.13Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1845.5 – Licensing Nonresidents; Reciprocal Provisions Nonresident public adjusters who have satisfied their home state’s CE get Virginia credit as long as the home state extends the same courtesy to Virginia licensees.11Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 38.2-1871 – Licensees Not Subject to the Continuing Education Requirements of This Article
If You Want to Adjust Claims for Insurers
Because Virginia does not license independent or company adjusters, Virginia residents who want to work insurer-side claims in states that do require a license face a gap: there is no Virginia resident adjuster license to show those states, so you cannot get a nonresident license from them in the usual way.
The common workaround is a Designated Home State (DHS) license, typically obtained through Florida, which issues a nonresident DHS adjuster license to people living in states that do not offer a resident adjuster license. You take Florida’s all-lines adjuster exam (or qualify through certain professional designations), complete fingerprinting, and run through Florida’s application. Once you hold the Florida DHS license, you can use it to apply for nonresident adjuster licenses in other states. Florida also requires 24 hours of CE every two years, so you are effectively maintaining a Florida license as your home base for reciprocity while living in Virginia.