How to keep the Hong Kong insurance intermediary license continuously valid?

Will individual insurance licenses issued by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority expire? What is the validity period?

In Hong Kong, once insurance intermediaries (including insurance agents and brokers) have successfully obtained a license, it remains valid as long as the license is not terminated or revoked.

However, maintaining the license’s validity is not a one-time effort; the following requirements must be met:

1.Renewal

Licenses issued by the Insurance Authority to licensed insurance intermediaries under the Insurance Ordinance (Chapter 41) have a validity period of 3 years (except in special circumstances), so they need to be renewed every 3 years.

Licensed insurance intermediaries must apply to the Insurance Authority for renewal no less than 45 days before the expiration date of their current license.

Individual licensees (i.e., licensed individual insurance agents, licensed business representatives (agents), and licensed business representatives (brokers)) can submit license renewal applications electronically through the Insurance Intermediaries Portal.

For details on the Insurance Intermediaries Portal license renewal process, please refer to:

2.Renewal fees

The Hong Kong Insurance Authority took over the regulatory duties of the insurance industry on September 23, 2019. Under the new insurance intermediary regulatory system, license application fees have been waived for the first five years (i.e., from September 23, 2019, to September 22, 2024). The fees for subsequent licenses have not yet been announced.

3.Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The “Guidelines on Continuing Professional Development for Licensed Insurance Intermediaries” stipulate the following requirements for the continuing professional development of licensed insurance intermediaries:

“Individual licensed insurance intermediaries should engage in continuing professional development to ensure their professional and regulatory knowledge, as well as understanding of ethical standards, are kept up-to-date, ensuring they possess the professional competence to conduct regulated activities.” Therefore, individual licensees (i.e., licensed individual insurance agents, licensed business representatives (agents), and licensed business representatives (brokers)) must participate in qualified continuing professional development activities during each assessment period (usually from August 1 of the previous year to July 31 of the current year) to obtain a minimum of 15 continuing professional development hours, including at least 3 hours related to “ethics or regulations”, and submit a “Continuing Professional Development Declaration”.

Travel insurance agents, on the other hand, must obtain a minimum of 3 continuing professional development hours each year. There is no mandatory requirement to participate in continuing professional development hours related to “ethics or regulations”.

4.Continuously meeting the “fit and proper person” criteria

The “Guidelines on Fit and Proper Criteria for Licensed Insurance Intermediaries” stipulate:

Licensed insurance intermediaries should continue to maintain their status as fit and proper persons.

Therefore, licensed insurance intermediaries must meet the requirements of the guidelines not only before applying for a license but also after obtaining a license, such as possessing appropriate abilities and a reliable reputation.

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