Hawaii Division of Insurance
Comment: This website has detailed information about everything you would ever want to know about insurance regulation in Hawaii. Unfortunately, most of this information will be of much more interest AFTER you pass the exam and begin your career in insurance.
This website is useful for getting information necessary to reach specific individuals you may need to contact within the Division of Insurance before obtaining your license. For example, if you have previously held an insurance license in another state or in Hawaii, you should contact the department’s licensing personnel to see if any particular rules apply to you. Also, if you have a significant criminal record such as a felony, a prior bankruptcy, or child support payment issues, you may have a delay in obtaining your insurance license. On this website, you can find the people who know the answers to those kinds of questions. At 180 Licensing, we have found the staff members at the Hawaii Division of Insurance to be very friendly and helpful.
When in doubt about any technical licensing or regulatory issue, the Hawaii Division of Insurance is the authoritative administrative agency to contact. Their phone number is 808-586-2788.
Hawaii Statutes and Regulations
Comment: These are exact copies of Hawaii’s state statutes and regulations. The detail is overwhelming. Our recommendation is to not visit these two state sites unless you have a very specific issue you want to research.
Pearson VUE Testing Service
Comment: Working with the state of Hawaii, Pearson VUE has the contract to write and administer the insurance exams in Hawaii.
There are a lot of useful resources on this site, including:
- Test Registration Services. To register you may call the testing company at 800-274-2608 or register online here.
- Test Content Outlines. There are Test Content Outlines for each insurance exam administered by the testing company. But, the outlines are very broad and do not supply adequate detail. It is critical that any materials you use in your studies not only cover the key points in the Test Content Outlines, but also expand on them to provide the comprehensive information needed to pass the exam. That’s where 180 Licensing comes in with solid exam prep materials.
- Candidate Licensing Handbook. Pearson VUE’s website does have detailed information in the Candidate Handbook section that will be very useful if you have unique issues. For example, the Candidate Handbook covers I.D. problems, such as if you are in the process of changing your name and your I.D. does not match the name you are currently using. You will also find all of the helpful details regarding getting a refund of your test fee, rescheduling your exam date, making special arrangements if you have a testing disability issue, or determining whether the exam is offered in a language other than English. Dig into this handbook to get most of your questions answered.
- Online Practice Questions. The testing company has online practice exams available. While these exams will give you a feel for how a test question is structured, the testing company cannot ethically sell you test questions. 180 Licensing has one of the largest practice test banks that we know of included as part of our exam prep packages.
Fingerprinting Services (Fieldprint)
Comment: According to the Hawaii Department of Insurance, “If you are submitting applications for two licenses simultaneously (e.g., producer and surplus lines broker), you will need to be fingerprinted once. However, if you submit your producer application now and apply for a surplus lines broker license at a later date, you will need to be fingerprinted again. Fees collected by Fieldprint include state and federal submission fees. Effective September 1, 2018, all applicants must enter “HI-DCCA-INS”, the code that identifies the Insurance Division as the intended recipient of your fingerprint result, when scheduling an online appointment with Fieldprint. Submit your completed license application and applicable licensing fee within 60 days of the date of fingerprinting.”
Online Licensing Services (NIPR)
Comment: The state of Hawaii has contracted with the National Insurance Producers Registry (NIPR) to provide you with an online license application portal. In most states for most major insurance licenses, the online licensing process has largely replaced the old paper application system. Check with the Hawaii Insurance Department if you have the need to apply by paper.
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
Comment: All of the state insurance regulators belong to this organization. The government regulators use NAIC to share information and create model legislation as guidance for the individual states.
Since this Web site is primarily oriented toward insurance regulators, we have not found the site to be as beneficial for someone preparing for the exam. But, a visit to this site can be instructive in a few. First, you will gain an appreciation for how complex the insurance industry is. Second, you will see the vast array of issues facing the insurance industry on any given day. And, last, you will find a number of the NAIC Consumer Guides very informative (such as the Shopper’s Guide for Buying Life Insurance, the guide on Deferred Annuities with Equity Index Features, etc.).
Disclaimer: 180 Licensing Exam Prep, Inc. makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, information is subject to change. The final authority for the latest insurance licensing information is your state’s department of insurance.
Must Read: Our National online, self-paced, exam prep courses offered in Hawaii contain national insurance and general state law rules, but do not contain your exam’s specific state law content (about 15-20% of your exam). You must supplement our materials with your state’s specific state law rules. You may have access to such materials from your recruiter or another source. If not, we may be able to assist you in finding such materials. Our National courses are designed by award winning Professor Jerry Furniss and are excellent for getting you over the exam finish line the fastest and easiest way possible. Go here for more information.