Canada · Licensing examHow do you use the RIBO licence search?
- Open RIBO’s Broker Search for a person, or its Brokerage Search for a firm.
- Pick a search type. Brokerage Search has two: name and licence number.
- Enter the details and submit. A status search can take up to 30 seconds, RIBO says.
- Read the licence status and level in the result.
What the result tells you
You should see the name, licence number, employer or employers, licence status and level. RIBO’s form also has a field for conditions and restrictions, though it says the registry doesn’t give the full licensing history or details of conditions and restrictions.
A licence runs from October 1 to September 30, so a result only tells you where things stood when you looked. For discipline, RIBO keeps a separate enforcement page. Its list of firm additions and deletions shows changes among brokerages.
If the name doesn’t come up
Email licensing@ribo.com and ask them to confirm. Don’t assume the person is licensed because they say so: RIBO runs this search partly so that people can avoid what it calls ghost brokers and scammers, and acting as a broker without registration breaks the Registered Insurance Brokers Act.
Also bear in mind that the person may hold a different licence. RIBO describes other-than-life insurance agents as licensed with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), and its own searches cover brokers and brokerages.
Finding your own licence number
If you’re a broker, sign in to IRIS, RIBO’s broker portal, where you can email yourself a copy of your licence from the Broker tile. A brokerage can do the same from the Brokerage tile.
Sources: RIBO and 5 more. Checked November 2026.
- RIBO: Licensee Directory and Status ↗
- RIBO: Broker Search ↗
- RIBO: Brokerage Search ↗
- RIBO: Firm additions and deletions ↗
- RIBO: Frequently Asked Questions ↗
- RIBO: Level 1 Licensing ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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