Sales Agents for Prearranged Funeral Services & Merchandise

Sales Agents

Sales agents are individuals, including employees of preneed sellers, who are authorized by the preneed seller to advertise, sell, promote, or furnish cemetery merchandise, funeral merchandise, funeral services, or any combination of these when performance or delivery may be more than one hundred twenty days following the initial payment under the purchase agreement.

Licensing

To be considered for licensure as a sales agent in the State of Iowa pursuant to Iowa Code § 523A.502, a person must file a completed application through the Online Filing Portal, pay an application fee in the amount of $10.00, upload the Criminal History Background Check Request form to the application in the online filing portal, and pay $15.00 for the criminal history request.

Account

To access the online filing portal a person must have an account.  To request an account:

• Send an email to riu@iid.iowa.gov requesting a sales agent account along with the following information:
  • Legal Name
  • Date of Birth
  • Home Address
  • Phone Number
  • Personal Email Address
  • Name of the Preneed Seller you will be selling, negotiating, and soliciting on behalf of

After an account has been created, an email with instructions for accessing the account will be sent to the provided email address.

Criminal History Background Check Request Form

The Division must obtain criminal history on each applicant. Please complete "The Subject of Request Information" section on the Criminal History Record Check Request Form and upload the completed form on the submissions page of the online application.  DO NOT SEND THE FORM TO THE DCI.

BEGINNING FEBRUARY 13, 2026:

Licensing

To be considered for licensure as a sales agent in the State of Iowa pursuant to Iowa Code § 523A.502, a person must:

• File a completed application through the NIPR LicenseHub,
• Pay an application fee in the amount of $10.00, and
• Upload the results of a Criminal History Background Check to the NIPR Attachment Warehouse. Information and questions on how to obtain a Criminal History Background Check can be found at Iowa.gov. A Criminal History Background Check must be submitted for each legal name you have used.

Sales agents must be employed or associated with a preneed seller at the time of applying for a sales agent license. A sales agent applicant will not be able to submit an application without identifying the preneed seller they are selling, negotiating, or soliciting on behalf of.

The license of a sales agent is not effective at any time during which the sales agent is NOT employed by or associated with a preneed seller.

License Renewal

Sales agent licenses expire on April 30th of each year following issuance.  A courtesy renewal reminder will be sent to the email address the Division has on file for the license holder approximately 60 days before the license expires.  Sales agents who wish to renew their license should complete the renewal application through the NIPR LicenseHub, pay a renewal application fee in the amount of $10.00, and upload proof of continuing education to the NIPR Attachment Warehouse, if required (refer to the Continuing Education section).

Continuing Education

To be eligible for license renewal each year, sales agents need to complete three credits of continuing education (CE), with one credit on business ethics (see 191 Iowa Administrative Code § 100.14).

Exceptions: Licensed funeral directors, licensed insurance producers, and persons who have served full time in the U.S. armed forces on active duty during a substantial part of the continuing education term are exempt from the CE requirement.

Where can I find continuing education opportunities?

The Iowa Insurance Division does not specifically recommend or endorse any organization or training, but provides the following as a resource for educational opportunities:

• 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 IFDA)
• WilbertEDU

What do I submit as my proof of continuing education?

Proof of completion of a continuing education course must include all the following:

• The date of the course, the location of the course, the course title, the course subject, and the identity and qualifications of the presenters.
• The number of course credits.
• Proof of successful completion of the course provided by the person conducting or sponsoring the course.

License Status

Sales agent applicants can check the status of their license and sales agents licensed to do business in Iowa can verify their expiration date.  Sales agents can also print their license.

How long does it take for a pending application to be reviewed?

Allow up to 10 business days after the Division has received all requested documents for the application to be reviewed and processed.

When will my license expire?

A sales agent license expires on April 30th of the year following issuance.

Questions: If further information is needed regarding licensing, you may contact: riu@iid.iowa.govor call 515-654-6472.