Arizona Surplus Lines

Typically licensed property and casualty producers, agency owners, and wholesale or brokerage staff who place business with non-admitted insurers. Most candidates already hold an Arizona producer license and want to add surplus lines authority, so the exam assumes working knowledge of standard P&C coverage and terminology.

Expect three broad areas: Arizona insurance law and regulation, general insurance concepts, and surplus lines principles and practices. The surplus lines portion is where most candidates need the most work, because diligent search, eligibility, and placement documentation differ from admitted-market rules.

It rewards precision over trivia. Candidates with P&C experience usually find general concepts manageable but lose points on Arizona-specific rules and surplus lines procedures. The common failure mode is studying generic insurance material and skipping the state regulation and surplus lines sections entirely.

It depends on your background. If you already hold an active P&C license, a focused few weeks of structured review is often enough. Candidates new to the industry should allow substantially more time. Build a schedule around the three content areas and take practice questions under timed conditions.

Start with general insurance concepts to rebuild fundamentals, then move to Arizona law and regulation, then finish with surplus lines principles and practices. Ending with surplus lines keeps the state-specific placement rules fresh, and it is the section most likely to distinguish a passing score from a near miss.

Retake rules, waiting periods, and fees are set by the Department and its testing vendor, and they can change. Check DIFI's licensing pages or contact the testing provider directly for the current policy rather than relying on secondhand information or older study guides.

DIFI's website lists insurance professional license types, a documents and forms library, and links to Thentia and NIPR for online transactions. Start there to confirm the application path, required documents, and any fingerprint or background check steps before scheduling the exam.

Yes. DIFI has announced a new exam waiver process for Arizona staff adjusters effective September 12, 2026, referencing Senate Bill 1415. That change concerns adjusters rather than surplus lines producers, but it shows why candidates should review the Department's bulletins and announcements before testing.

Use DIFI's license search to verify producers and insurers, and its licensing pages for application and renewal information. Because fees, question counts, and passing scores are not published in the material summarized here, confirm those specifics directly with DIFI or the testing vendor.