BrokerExamThe Level 1 exam is the first of six steps on RIBO’s Level 1 licensing page, and the page is explicit that a pass is not enough: “Passing the exam does not guarantee licence eligibility, as additional background checks (including, but not limited to, criminal records and conflicts of interest with other licensing bodies) will be conducted during the formal licensing application process.” What comes next is a job at a registered brokerage, an application with three dated documents in it, and a fee. Each document has its own time limit, and the one RIBO’s newsletter has had to remind licensees about is the employment letter.
The six steps, in RIBO’s order
The licensing page lists them as general steps to becoming a Level 1 licensee:
- Pass the required exam.
- Secure a job with a RIBO-registered brokerage.
- Meet eligibility and suitability requirements for licensees, including completing a criminal background check.
- Apply for your RIBO Level 1 licence.
- Pay your licence registration fee.
- Maintain your licence by renewing it each year.
The job comes after the exam in that list, and RIBO’s individual licences page gives the reason in one line: “Employment is required for registration but not for taking the exam.” The requirement is in the regulation. O. Reg. 991, s. 5 (1) (c) qualifies an individual who carries on the business “as a sole proprietor, as a partner of a partnership or as an employee of a member”, and By-Law No. 3, s. 3.3 (a), defines a Level 1 Licensee as someone who “is employed or sponsored by an Active Firm Licensee” and “acts under the supervision of a Principal Broker”.
Three documents with a clock on them
RIBO’s registration checklist, which the licensing page recommends reading before you even write the exam, names three documents whose absence delays an application: “current employment confirmation form, criminal record verification and official results letter”. Each one is judged against a date.
| Document | The time rule | Where RIBO states it |
|---|---|---|
| Exam results | Insurance Institute results less than two weeks old mean the application is “automatically rejected” | Registration checklist |
| Criminal record check | “current (less than 60 days old)” | Level 1 licensing page |
| Employment confirmation letter | “dated within 10 days of submitting your application” | Registration checklist; RIBO Review, March 2026 |
Results. The checklist’s warning names only the Insurance Institute: “Individuals with Insurance Institute exam results will have their applications automatically rejected if their results are less than two weeks old”. It says nothing either way about results from the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO), the other provider.
Criminal record check. The checklist accepts a check from your local police department or “through Sterlingbackcheck”, and says “we do not accept third party checks”. Residents of the United States are pointed to an FBI check. The check has to include “all current and previous names (including any maiden names or aliases), otherwise a new Criminal Record will be required”.
Employment confirmation letter. The checklist links the form, the Employee Confirmation Letter, which is to be “signed by Principal Broker or Deputy Principal broker at the brokerage you are employed with”, with your legal name on it. The March 2026 issue of the RIBO Review opened a new “Licensing Corner” series with it:
We have noticed an increase in employment confirmation letters being issued well before individuals submit their applications.
Please remember that these letters must be dated within 10 days of the application submission to meet RIBO’s requirements.
In practice that means asking the Principal Broker to date and sign the letter last, once the rest of the application is ready to go.
What else the application may need
The licensing page and the checklist list the rest. Everyone supplies government-issued ID. The others apply only to some applicants:
- a copy of any insurance broker licence held in another jurisdiction;
- the correct address of the brokerage, and of the branch where you will work;
- a Secondary Business Exemption Form, plus support from your Principal Broker, if you will have employment in addition to broking (the licensing page adds that this includes volunteer activities);
- after a bankruptcy: a brief explanation of why you were in a position to claim it, the consumer proposal or plan of arrangement, your most recent Statement of Affairs, and the discharge;
- if you are or were subject to legal proceedings, a court order or a judgment: copies of the court documents, judgment or order.
The same issue of the RIBO Review added a second tip. “Each applicant must complete their own registration application,” it said, and a brokerage or its employees should never complete one on someone else’s behalf. The brokerage may answer questions, guide you through the form and help make sure the documents are current, but “the individual is responsible for completing and submitting the application.”
What RIBO checks
The personal conditions for registration are in O. Reg. 991, s. 5 (1) (a), among them that you have attained the age of majority, are “of good character”, and have not been convicted of an offence “the nature of which renders him or her unfit to act as a broker”. The conflicts the licensing page warns about are other licences. It says a life and health or accident and sickness agent licence may be held alongside a RIBO licence, and that “holding an adjuster, Other-Than-Life licence, real estate or mortgage broker licence will not be allowed”. The boundary between those licences is set out in RIBO or LLQP: which licence do you need?
By-Law No. 3, s. 2.3 (b) requires RIBO’s CEO to refer to the Qualification and Registration Committee every application the CEO proposes to refuse or to issue with conditions or limitations, and the Committee may direct the CEO to issue, refuse, or impose conditions.
The fee
The fee is paid online by credit card. RIBO’s fees page lists the individual licence at $265 for the licensing year October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, up from $240 the year before. All RIBO licences run October 1 to September 30, and an application filed between July 1 and September 30 pays more; what the exam and the licence cost works through that window.
Once the licence issues
By-Law No. 3, s. 3.3 (b) bars a Level 1 Licensee from acting as Principal Broker, Deputy Principal Broker or Supervising Broker, and s. 3.3 (a) makes supervision by a Principal Broker part of the definition of a Level 1 Licensee.
The licence also depends on the job. RIBO’s individual licences page says any period of unemployment at an Active Firm must be reported to RIBO, and that during it “your license will become in-active and you will not be eligible to work as a broker until you obtain new employment at an Active Firm”. By-Law No. 3 sets the timing: s. 2.7 (a) (v) gives you ten calendar days to notify RIBO when your employment or sponsorship is withdrawn or changed, and s. 8.1 (c) provides for an inactive registration to be returned to active status within 12 months of becoming inactive, by filing written confirmation, with supporting documentation, that you are employed or sponsored by an Active Firm again.
The licensing page’s last step repeats every year and needs continuing education (CE) credits as well as a fee: renewal “requires completing the renewal form, submitting CE credits and the payment of renewal fees”.