Individuals selling cemetery merchandise, funeral merchandise or funeral services must, with some specific exceptions, be licensed by the Iowa Insurance Division as stated in Iowa Code 523A. The Iowa Insurance Division’s Regulated Industries Unit utilizes an online filing portal system for both licensing and annual reporting.
New Applicants
If you are applying for a new preneed seller license or a preneed sales agent license please complete the next steps in the following order:
- Create an Account: Contact the Iowa Insurance Division by sending an email to riu@iid.iowa.gov to request an account. In the email for your request provide your legal name, home address, phone number, and personal email address. Once your request has been processed an email will be sent to your personal email address, confirming an account has been created and containing instructions for accessing your account in the RIU Filing Portal.
- Complete a License Application: After accessing your account in the RIU Filing Portal you may begin applying for a license. Preneed seller and sales agent license applications are completed entirely online through the RIU Filing Portal. A part of the application process requires the Iowa Insurance Division obtain a criminal history on each applicant, so you must complete a Criminal History Record Check Request Form and upload the completed form on the submissions page of your application. DO NOT SEND THE FORM TO THE DCI.
License Renewal
License renewal is now part of filing the annual report each year.
Continuing Education Resources
If you are a preneed sales agent requiring continuing education credits, you may find opportunities at the following:
- Community Educators
- Cremation Society of North America
- eInsurance Training
- Funeral Continuing Education
- Homesteaders Life Company
- Iowa Funeral Directors Association
- National Funeral Directors Association
- Noble Insurance
- Sircon
- WebCE (through IAFDA)
- WilbertEDU
The Iowa Insurance Division does not specifically recommend or endorse any of these organizations but you might find the list helpful as you are searching for educational opportunities.
Annual Reporting
Annual reporting is done through the filing portal system. It is important that the CSV file used is formatted precisely as required and that it have all the required data. If you have a large amount of sales to report, your annual report may require multiple CSV files. Contact the Iowa Insurance Division if you need an extension for filing your annual report.
Annual Reporting Instructions
- Preneed Seller Annual Report Instructions
- Preneed Sales Agent Annual Report Instructions
- Financial Institution Annual Report Instructions
- Insurance Company Annual Report Instructions
- Perpetual Care Cemetery Annual Report Instructions
Annual Reporting Checklists
- Preneed Seller Annual Report Checklist
- Sales Agent Annual Report Checklist
- Insurance Company Annual Report Checklist
- Financial Institution Annual Report Checklist
- Perpetual Care Cemetery Annual Report Checklist
Annual Reporting Excel Templates and Information
- Excel Templates
- Sample Excel Templates
- Codes Used within the Templates
- License, Company and Routing Numbers
Annual Reporting Online Tutorials
Perpetual Care Cemeteries
Preneed Sellers
Preneed Sales Agents
- Financial Institutions and Insurance Companies
Notice of Transfer of Preneed Business
A preneed seller changing ownership of the business, selling all or part of the business, or ceasing business, must notify the Insurance Division of the change at least 90 days prior to the sale or transfer. Notification can be made by contacting the Regulated Industries Bureau at 515-654-6600, extension 5, or riu@iid.iowa.gov. In addition, the Notice of Transfer of Preneed Business must be completed and submitted to the Insurance Division per Iowa Administrative Code 191-100.