You're licensed — congratulations. But a license alone doesn't let you sell a carrier's products. You also need to be contracted and appointed with each carrier. Here's how that works and how to do it quickly.
What "contracting" actually means
Contracting is the carrier's onboarding: they verify your license, review your background, and assign you a commission level and writing number. Once approved, you're appointed and can submit business. No appointment, no commissions.
What you'll need ready
Gather these once and reuse them for every carrier:
- Active insurance license number(s) and states.
- National Producer Number (NPN) from the NIPR.
- E&O insurance (errors & omissions) — most carriers require proof.
- Background details for the carrier's review (and consent to a check).
- Banking info for direct deposit of commissions, and a W-9.
- For Medicare: current AHIP and any carrier product certifications.
The slow way vs the fast way
The slow way is contracting with carriers one at a time, re-entering the same information into each carrier's portal and waiting days for each approval. Most new agents burn weeks here.
The fast way is contracting through an IMO/FMO that submits you to its entire carrier hierarchy from a single application. You fill out your information once; they handle the submissions and chase the approvals. That's the difference between selling this month and selling next quarter.
How long does it take?
Individual appointments often clear in a few business days to two weeks, depending on the carrier and background review. Doing several in parallel through an IMO means you're cleared across multiple carriers at roughly the same time.
Common holdups to avoid
- No E&O — get a policy before you start; it blocks most contracts.
- Background disclosures — disclose proactively; surprises cause delays.
- Incomplete banking/W-9 — missing payment info stalls activation.
At Bridgepoint, contracting is done for you: one application puts you in front of our carrier hierarchy, and our team verifies your licenses and shepherds the approvals so you're appointed and selling fast.