An insurance agent shall not act as an agent of an insurer unless the insurance agent is appointed as an agent of the insurer. An insurance agent acts as an agent of an insurer when the insurance agent sells, solicits, or negotiates any product of the insurer and is compensated by the insurer. An insurer shall file a notice of appointment, with the Department, not later than thirty days after the date of the agency contract is executed or the first insurance application is submitted, whichever is earlier.
An insurer that terminates the appointment, employment, contract, or other insurance business relationship with an insurance agent shall notify the Department within thirty days after the effective date of the termination. If the termination of an insurance agent is for any of the reasons set forth in division (B) of section 3905.14 of the Ohio Revised Code, the insurer shall promptly notify the Department by completing a Agent Termination For Cause Form.
Companies are billed on a monthly basis, $20 per new appointment and $5 per appointment termination. Appointments are automatically renewed annually on July 1st.
Electronic
The Department will only accept insurance agent and agency appointments and terminations electronically. Any paper appointments or terminations received by the Department, will be returned unless an exception has been approved. Electronic processing of appointments and terminations is mandated by Ohio Administrative Code 3901-5-09(K).
Exception: Any insurer that annually appoints or terminates 25 or fewer agents or agencies will be exempt from filing electronically. However, the Department strongly encourages electronic filing. Agent appointments and terminations must be processed through NIPR or any one of its authorized business partners. You can contact NIPR at (816) 783-8468 or http://www.nipr.com.
Paper
You may submit a paper entry as instructed below only if your company qualifies for exemption or if an electronic entry has been rejected. If you are submitting a paper request because of a rejected transaction, documentation of the rejected transaction must be included with the request.
Instructions for Appointment/Cancellation Procedure
Sample of Appointment Form
Sample of Cancellation Form