Glossary
NPN (National Producer Number)
An NPN, or National Producer Number, is the unique identifier assigned to every licensed insurance producer by the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR). It stays with you for your entire career, across states and license renewals. Carriers key appointments and commissions off it, and anyone can look one up on NIPR's public site.
NPN vs license number
State license numbers are issued per state, so a producer licensed in eight states has eight of them. The NPN is one number nationwide, and it never changes. That stability is why carrier paperwork, appointment forms, E&O applications, and commission systems ask for the NPN instead of a stack of state numbers.
Where it shows up in agency life
Onboarding a new producer means collecting their NPN for appointment paperwork and carrier portal access. Agencies have NPNs too: a business entity licensed as an agency gets its own NPN, separate from the individual producers inside it. Carrier contracts often reference both.
If a producer cannot find their NPN, the lookup on NIPR's website is free and takes a minute. There is no card or certificate to lose; the registry is the record.
Common questions
How do I find my NPN?
Use the free NPN lookup on NIPR's website. You can search with your name and license information.
Is my NPN the same as my license number?
No. License numbers are issued by each state and vary state to state. The NPN is a single national number assigned by NIPR that follows you everywhere.
Do agencies have their own NPN?
Yes. A licensed business entity gets its own NPN, separate from the NPNs of the individual producers who work there.
Related terms
Part of the Relay insurance operations glossary. Updated 2026-07-11. See how we source content.
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