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The Insurance RecordAn independent record of insurance agents and brokers — licensing, appointment, and conduct, checked against real regulation

Last reviewed: 3 November 2026

Home › Agent guides › How to check an agent's license in Washington

How to check an insurance agent's license in Washington state

The short answer: use the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner's (OIC's) agent and company lookup tool. The OIC says you can use the tool to verify if an agent or company is licensed in Washington, find WAOIC, NPN and NAIC numbers, and review disciplinary actions and complaints against companies and agents.[1] This page covers only the Washington tools, and what the OIC's own pages say each one does. Our general licensing guide covers what applies in every state.

Why it matters

Washington law says a person "shall not sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance in this state for any line or lines of insurance unless the person is licensed for that line of authority in accordance with this chapter."[6] The OIC's consumer page on choosing an agent says checking an agent or broker before you decide to buy is "your right," and that the OIC can tell you how many complaints consumers have filed against an agent or broker and whether they have faced disciplinary action in the past.[4] This page is about Washington only, and only about United States insurance regulators.

Sources

This guide draws on the OIC's lookup tool page, its search form, its order search, its consumer page on choosing an agent, its licensing pages and its complaint page, plus section 48.17.060 of the Revised Code of Washington. All were read on 3 November 2026. The search form showed a release date of Wednesday, August 19, 2026.[2] This guide describes the search forms and what the OIC says about them. It does not report any person's or company's record.

Step 1: get the name or a license number

Ask the agent for their full name as licensed and their Washington license number. The search form takes a first name, a last name, a Washington state license number (WAOIC), a national producer number (NPN), a city or a "doing business as" (DBA) name.[2] The OIC sends licensees to the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) Licensing Center to get and manage a license.[9]

Step 2: run the agent search

The search is at fortress.wa.gov/oic/consumertoolkit.[1] The form lets you search all agents with a two-year history, or agents with active licenses only.[2] Its license type list includes insurance producer, independent adjuster, public adjuster, crop adjuster, surplus line broker, title, life settlements broker, rental car, portable electronics and self-service storage, among others. Its insurance type list includes auto and home, life, health and disability, commercial, travel, surety and bail bonds, and variable/annuities.[2] Our lines of authority guide explains why the type of insurance matters as much as the status.

Step 3: read the result for what it is

If you get no result, check the spelling, try the license number or NPN, and ask the agent for the exact name on their license. Do not assume either that the person is licensed or that they are not. The OIC says licensees can print their own license certificate from its online licensing portal, and only while logged in to their account.[8] If an agent shows you a printed license, compare it with the search result.

The OIC says producer and adjuster licenses can be renewed up to 90 days before they expire and up to 60 days after, with a late fee, and can be reinstated within 365 days of expiry.[7]

Step 4: search the commissioner's orders

The OIC says the same lookup can search orders issued by the commissioner, and that orders "can be disciplinary, such as issuing a fine, or may be made for certain regulatory actions."[1] The order search covers orders issued since 2010. It searches by name or order number, by year and by order type. The order types listed include cease and desist, fine, probationary, revocation and suspension.[3] This guide relies on the OIC's description, not on individual orders. Our guide to reading a state disciplinary record explains what to look for inside an order. A name that does not turn up is not proof of a clean record.

Who needs a Washington license

The OIC says you need a license if you are involved in transacting insurance, including soliciting, selling or negotiating insurance contracts.[5] Its examples of negotiating include describing the coverages or terms of a proposed contract, advising what coverages to buy, and giving advice about policy provisions or coverage.[5] It also says company staff whose work is executive, administrative, managerial or clerical, who get no commission and are only indirectly involved in sales, do not need a license.[5] The same statute says no one may act as, or present themselves as, an adjuster or crop adjuster in Washington unless licensed or otherwise authorized.[6]

The Washington routes at a glance

RouteWhat the OIC's page says it gives youWhat the page does not say
Agent and company lookupWhether an agent or company is licensed, contact details, WAOIC, NPN and NAIC numbers, and the types of coverage they can offer[1]What the results screen shows for each person
Order searchOrders issued since 2010, searchable by name, order number, year and order type[3]Whether every action against a licensee appears there
Complaint pageA way to file a complaint against an agent or company, or check a complaint's status[10]A deadline or a response time

What a clean result does not tell you

A current license on its own does not show that the person is authorized for the specific product being pitched (check the lines listed with it; see lines of authority), is appointed by the specific insurer named (see why appointment matters), has no orders against them (the order search in step 4 is a separate search), or is the right person to advise you. It also says nothing about how an insurer treats its customers. For that, see how to use the NAIC Consumer Insurance Search.

If something looks wrong

The OIC's complaint page says you can file a complaint against your insurance agent or insurance company, or check the status of an existing complaint.[10] It lists a consumer advocacy line, 800-562-6900, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.[10] Our complaint guide covers what a useful complaint contains.

If your agent is not licensed in Washington

Another state has its own tool and its own rules. We also have guides for Texas, New York, Florida, California and Pennsylvania. For an out-of-state agent selling into Washington, see non-resident licensing. For Canada, see the Canadian guide. This site covers United States agents and law only.

Questions people ask

What is the Washington insurance producer license lookup?

It is the OIC's agent and company lookup tool. The search form takes a name, a WAOIC license number, an NPN, a city or a DBA name, and lets you limit results to active licenses.[2]

Can I look someone up by NPN?

Yes. The form has a separate box for the national producer number.[2]

Does the lookup show discipline?

The OIC says the tool can be used to review disciplinary actions and complaints against companies and agents, and to search orders issued by the commissioner.[1]

Can I search public adjusters too?

Yes. Public adjuster and independent adjuster are both on the form's license type list.[2]

When we will update this page

We re-read this page when the OIC changes its lookup tool, its order search or its complaint pages. If something here is out of date, tell us. Corrections are dated on the page.

References

  1. [1] Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "Agent and company lookup tool", read 3 November 2026 — www.insurance.wa.gov/agent-and-company-lookup-tool
  2. [2] Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "Look up an agent, agency or company" (Consumer Tools search form), read 3 November 2026 — fortress.wa.gov/oic/consumertoolkit/Search.aspx
  3. [3] Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "Look up an order", read 3 November 2026 — fortress.wa.gov/oic/consumertoolkit/search.aspx?searchtype=ord
  4. [4] Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "Choosing an insurance agent or broker", read 3 November 2026 — www.insurance.wa.gov/insurance-resources/choosing-insurance-agent-or-broker
  5. [5] Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "Do you need a license?", read 3 November 2026 — www.insurance.wa.gov/producers-adjusters/licensing/do-you-need-license
  6. [6] Revised Code of Washington, RCW 48.17.060, "License required", read 3 November 2026 — app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=48.17.060
  7. [7] Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "Renew or reinstate your license", read 3 November 2026 — www.insurance.wa.gov/producers-adjusters/licensing/renew-or-reinstate-your-license
  8. [8] Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "Print your license", read 3 November 2026 — www.insurance.wa.gov/producers-adjusters/licensing/print-your-license
  9. [9] Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "Licensing", read 3 November 2026 — www.insurance.wa.gov/producers-adjusters/licensing
  10. [10] Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, "File a complaint or check your complaint status", read 3 November 2026 — www.insurance.wa.gov/file-complaint-or-check-your-complaint-status

What you can do next

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