To become a licensed, professional bondsman in Pennsylvania, you must complete a number of steps:
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s Office of Market Regulation is responsible for testing and licensing over 133,000 insurance agents, brokers and professional bondsmen in the Commonwealth.
A professional bondsman in Pennsylvania is defined as any person who engages in the business of giving bail, or has become a surety or has indemnified a surety for the release of a person who posted bail.
Step 1. Complete the Required Education in Pennsylvania
Bail bondsman in Pennsylvania must complete at least 24 hours of pre-licensing education credits. Approved courses can be found on Vertafore’s Pennsylvania Producer Portal.
Many individuals interested in learning how to become a bail bondsman in Pennsylvania also pursue formal education through an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or similar program, as the job of a bail bondsman is often a stepping stone to other jobs in the field of law enforcement.
Note: After completing the required pre-licensing education course, you will receive a certificate of completion from the education provider. You will need to provide this to Prometric on the day of your examination.
Step 2. Take the Pennsylvania Bail Bondsman Examination
All bail bondsman examinations are handled through Prometric. To schedule to take the bail bondsman examination, you must register online using Prometric’s Internet Registration Service.
You may also schedule your exam by contacting Prometric at 1-800-715-2418.
When scheduling your exam, you will be asked to schedule a day, time and location of the exam. Within Pennsylvania you may take the exam at any of the following Prometric testing centers:
- Pittsburgh
- York
- Allentown
- Clarks Summit
- Harrisburg
- North Wales
- Philadelphia
- Monroeville
- King of Prussia
- Erie
- Lancaster
On the day of the exam, you must bring two forms of identification with you, one of which must be a photo ID. You must also bring your certificate of completion from your pre-licensing education.
Step 3. Apply for Pennsylvania State Licensure as a Bail Bondsman
You may complete the application for a bail bondsman license at the Prometric testing center immediately upon passing your exam. You will be able to submit an electronic application at the testing center. You may also complete and submit a paper application:
Complete an Application for Professional Bondsman License and provide the Department of Insurance with the following documents:
- A credit report dated within 30 days of the application
- A letter from the district attorney’s office in the county for which you are residing showing no outstanding forfeitures or judgments.
- A Pennsylvania State Police criminal record report dates within 30 days of the application
- A $100 application fee (payable to the Commonwealth of PA)
Mail the completed and signed application, along with the above documents, to:
PA Insurance Department
Bureau of Licensing and Enforcement
1209 Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Step 4. Complete a County Affiliation Form
If you are applying for a license as a Professional Bondsman (not for individuals licensed as an insurance producer soliciting surety bonds on behalf of an insurance company), you must also complete a Professional Bondsman County Affiliation form and send it, along with a $25 fee (payable to Commonwealth of PA), to:
Office of Market Regulation
Licensing Services Division
1209 Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Step 5. Get to Work in Pennsylvania and Maintain your Bail Bondsman License
You can find more information on the bail bond industry and licensed bail bond companies in Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s website.
To maintain your bail bondsman license in Pennsylvania, you must provide proof of at least 24 hours of continuing education during every two-year licensing cycle.
You can renew your license and find information of approved continuing education through Vertafore’s Pennsylvania Producer Portal. The renewal fee for bail bondsman is $100.
Sources:
http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol29/29-45/1864.html
https://www.aiasurety.com/UserFiles/file/PennsylvaniaLaw.pdf
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/licensed_producers/11393/professional_bondsman/601479