The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has notified the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Insurance Intermediaries) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, effective from their publication in the Official Gazette. The amendments aim to align the regulatory framework governing insurance intermediaries with the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act, 2025 and the Indian Insurance Companies (Foreign Investment) Amendment Rules, 2025, while enhancing accountability, transparency and protection of policyholders’ interests. The notification extensively amends the IRDAI (Registration of Corporate Agents) Regulations, 2015 by revising provisions relating to registration, validity, fresh certificates, annual fees, reporting, branch operations, record maintenance, training, enrolment of Specified Persons and Authorised Verifiers, disclosures, professional indemnity insurance, financial reporting, suspension and cancellation of registration, fee structure, and regulatory returns. It also introduces Schedule VI prescribing application and annual fees, payment timelines, additional fees for delayed payment, and related consequences, revises provisions concerning telemarketers and authorised verifiers, omits certain existing provisions and annexures, and replaces the certificate for Specified Persons with a Letter of Enrollment.
INSURANCE REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF INDIA
NOTIFICATION
Hyderabad, the 30th July, 2026
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Insurance Intermediaries) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026
F. No. IRDAI/Reg/ 8/222/2026.—In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 114A read with sections 42D and 42E, sub sections (5) and (6) of section 2C of the Insurance Act, 1938 (4 of 1938) and sections 14 and 26 of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999 (41 of 1999), the Authority, in consultation with the Insurance Advisory Committee, hereby makes the following regulations, namely:-
1. Short Title and commencement:
1.1. These Regulations may be called the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Insurance Intermediaries) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026.
1.2. These Regulations shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Objective:
2.1 The objective of these regulations is to align the regulatory framework governing insurance intermediaries with the provisions of the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act, 2025 and the Indian Insurance Companies (Foreign Investment) Amendment Rules, 2025.
2.2 To enhance accountability and transparency in the conduct of insurance intermediaries and safeguarding policyholder’s interests.
CHAPTER I
Amendment to IRDAI (Registration of Corporate Agents) Regulations, 2015
(1) In regulation 4, sub-regulation (3) shall be substituted, namely:-
“The application under sub-regulation (2) shall be accompanied by application fees as specified in Schedule VI.”
(2) In regulation 7, sub-regulation (3),
a. clause (c) shall be omitted.
b. clause (d) shall be omitted.
c. clause (e) shall be omitted.
(3) In regulation 9, sub-regulation (3) shall be substituted, namely:-
“In the event that a Certificate of Registration issued under these Regulations, or under the regulations in force prior to the notification of these Regulations, is cancelled or surrendered, or where an application for registration under these Regulations, or an application for issuance of a fresh Certificate of Registration by an existing Corporate Agent, is rejected for the reasons specified therein, the applicant may submit a fresh application only after the expiry of one year from the effective date of such cancellation, surrender, or rejection, as the case may be.
The Authority may consider such fresh application on its merits in accordance with Regulation 7.
Provided that where the registration has been cancelled under sub-clause (2) of Clause III of Schedule V, the requirement of a one-year waiting period under this regulation shall not apply.”
4. Regulation 10, shall be substituted, namely:-
“Validity of registration— A registration once issued shall remain in force subject to payment of nonrefundable annual fee as specified in Schedule VI until it is suspended, or cancelled by the Authority or surrendered by the Corporate Agent.”
5. Regulation 11, shall be substituted, namely:-
“Procedure for issuance of fresh certificate to the existing Corporate Agents A Corporate Agent granted registration prior to the commencement of these amendment regulations with a validity period of three years shall, at any time prior to 31st January 2027, apply to the Authority in Form A for issuance of Certificate of Registration under these regulations, along with payment of annual fee as specified in Schedule VI.
Provided that the Certificate of Registration so issued shall take effect from the date on which registration is granted under this regulation, and any Certificate of Registration issued prior thereto shall be deemed invalid.
Provided that where a Corporate Agent fails to submit the application before 31st January 2027, it may submit the application by 31st March 2027 along with reasons for such delay and payment of the applicable annual fee and an additional fee of seven hundred and fifty rupees, and the Authority may, if satisfied that undue hardship would be caused otherwise, consider such application.
Provided further that where the application is not submitted by the Corporate Agent by 31st March 2027, it shall cease to act as a Corporate Agent on and from the expiry of the aforementioned period and thereafter, the Corporate Agent shall apply afresh for registration in accordance with regulation 4.
2. An application under sub-regulation (1) shall be processed in the manner specified under regulation 6 and regulation 7.
3. The Authority, upon being satisfied that the applicant complies with the requirements under these regulations, may issue a Certificate of Registration in Form B.”
(6) In Regulation 12,
a. sub-regulation (1), the words “renewal thereof” and “or renew” shall be omitted.
b. sub-regulation (2), the words “or renew” shall be omitted.
(7) In Regulation 13, sub-regulation (1), the words “of a renewal thereof” shall be omitted.
(8) In Regulation 14,
a. opening line, the words “the renewal” shall be omitted.
b. clause (v), shall be substituted, namely:-
“Every Corporate Agent shall ensure that no insurance solicitation shall be carried out from a branch office unless a Specified Person, who is assigned exclusively to that branch, has been appointed and each of its branch offices employs adequate number of Specified Persons commensurate with the volume of its business, including the number of members enrolled under group policies.”
c. clause (vi), shall be substituted, namely:-
“The Corporate Agent shall maintain records of all insurance policies solicited through it, including the name and functional identity of the Specified Person/ Point of Sales Person/ Designated Person/ Authorised Verifier or any other authorised salesperson who sold the policy. The functional identity of such persons shall be assigned by the Corporate Agent based on a unique identity issued by the Central Government. The Corporate Agent shall ensure that such records are maintained in a manner that enables the Authority to access them remotely.
The proposal form, insurance policy and Certificate of Insurance shall record the name and functional identity of Specified Person/ Point of Sales Person/ Designated Person/ Authorised Verifier or any other authorised salesperson who sold the policy along with the mobile number and email address of the branch or office through which the policy was solicited.
Provided that, where a policy is solicited directly through the digital platform of the Corporate Agent, without the involvement of a Specified Person, Point of Sales Person, Designated Person, Authorised Verifier, or any other authorised salesperson, the proposal form, insurance policy document, and certificate of insurance shall disclose the telephone number and email address of the Principal Officer of Corporate Agent.
Provided further that the requirements relating to tagging under this clause shall be applicable with effect from 1st January, 2027.
Explanation: ‘Point of Sales Person‘ or ‘Designated Person‘ or ‘other Authorised Salesperson‘ shall have the same meaning as assigned to it by the Authority in the concerned regulatory instructions.”
d) after clause (ix), following clause shall be inserted, namely:-
“(x) Principal Officer and Specified Persons shall complete, at least twenty-five hours of theoretical and practical training, from an approved institution every three years.”
e) after clause (x), following clause shall be inserted, namely:-
“(xi) The Specified Persons engaged by Corporate Agent to solicit and procure insurance business shall have a valid Letter of Enrollment issued by the Authority as specified in these regulations.”
f) after clause (xi), following clause shall be inserted, namely:-
“(xii) A Specified Person of a Corporate Agent who desires to switch over to any other Corporate Agent, shall obtain a no objection certificate from the current Corporate Agent. In case, the current Corporate Agent does not issue a no objection certificate within 30 days or does not raise any objection explicitly, it shall be deemed that the said Corporate Agent has no objection to the switching over of the Specified Person.”
g) after clause (xii), following clause shall be inserted, namely:-
“(xiii) The Corporate Agent shall furnish accurate and complete regulatory returns, reports, and any other information sought by the Authority, in such form and manner as may be specified by the Authority from time to time. Any Corporate Agent that fails to comply with this requirement shall be liable to a penalty in accordance with the provisions of Section 102 of the Act.”
h) after clause (xiii), following clause shall be inserted, namely:-
“(xiv) The Authority may, in the interest of policyholders, orderly growth of the insurance business, impose such conditions on the business of a Corporate Agent as may be deemed necessary at the time or after the grant of Certificate of Registration under these regulations.”
(9) Regulation 17 shall be substituted, namely:-
“Nomenclature of Corporate Agent and Associations
i. An Applicant whose principal business is to exclusively carry on insurance intermediation as
Corporate Agent shall have the word ‘“insurance” or “assurance”, in the name of the Corporate Agent.
ii. Any association/body of Corporate Agents may use the word “insurance” or “assurance”, to indicate the nature of its organization, purposes and services.”
(10) In Regulation 19, sub-regulation (1) shall be substituted, namely:-
“Every Corporate Agent, where the revenues from their insurance intermediation activities is more than fifty per cent of their total revenue from all the activities, shall take out and maintain at all times a professional indemnity insurance cover while the Certificate of Registration remains in force.”
(11) In Regulation 22, sub-regulation (5), the words “certificate number ” shall be substituted with “enrollment number”.
(12) In Regulation 25
a. clause (iii) of sub-regulation (2), shall be substituted, namely:-
“Further, the Corporate Agent shall file with the Authority the complete details of Authorised Verifiers engaged/ proposed to be engaged in the format as specified by the Authority from time to time. The Authority on verification of the same issue a Letter of Enrollment to the Authorised Verifier as specified in these Regulations.”
b. Clause (iv) of sub-regulation (2), shall be substituted, namely:-
“In case an Authorised Verifier intends to switch to another telemarketer who is also dealing with insurance intermediation, they shall obtain a No Objection Certificate from the erstwhile telemarketer and submit the same to the Authority for issuing a fresh Letter of Enrollment. In case, the present telemarketer does not issue a no objection certificate within 30 days from the date of application for the same, it shall be deemed that the telemarketer has no objection to his switching over;”
c. Clause (v) of sub-regulation (2), shall be omitted.
d. Clause (vi) to (xii) shall be renumbered as clause (v) to (xi)
e. the following sub-regulation shall be inserted after sub-regulation (3), namely:
“(4) Authorised Verifiers shall pass in the pre-recruitment test conducted by the examination body nominated by the Authority, and complete practical training from a training institution approved by the Authority.”
(13) In Regulation 26, sub-regulation (2) the words “which may extend to one crore rupees” shall be omitted.
(14) In Regulation 31, sub-Regulation (2), shall be substituted, namely:-
“In the case of Corporate Agents whose principal business is other than insurance intermediation, there shall be a schedule to their financial statements, of revenues received for insurance intermediation and other income/receipts from insurers. A copy of the audited financial statements along with the auditor’s report thereon shall be submitted to the Authority before 30th September every year.”
(15) In Regulation 31, after sub-Regulation (3), following shall be inserted:-
“(4) A Corporate Agent having majority shareholding of foreign investors or earning commission in a financial year exceeding rupees ten crore, shall disclose and continue to disclose on an annual basis to the Authority, details of commission earned, related party transactions, profits and dividend declared and paid in the form and manner as specified by the Authority from time to time. The Corporate Agent shall also publish these disclosures on its website in the form and manner as specified by the Authority.”
(16) In Schedule I, Form A,
a. In the Note to Sl. No.7, the words “Regulation 17” shall be substituted with “Schedule VI”
b. the Declaration (e), shall be substituted, namely:-
“(e) I/We undertake to service the run-off business on the books at the time of cancellation or suspension or surrender of registration.”
(17) In sub clause (b) of clause A of Annexure 2, the words “Regulation 17” shall be substituted by “Schedule VI”
(18) In Schedule III, the sub clause (a) of the clause 3 (i) of clause II. Pre-sale Code of Conduct, shall be substituted, namely:-
“(a) identify himself and disclose his Registration/ Certificate / Letter of Enrollment issued by the Authority or Approved Institution as the case may be, to the prospect on demand;”
(19) In Schedule V, clause III, shall be substituted, namely:-
“III. Suspension or Cancellation of Certificate of Registration of a Corporate Agent without notice
1. The Registration of a Corporate Agent may be cancelled or suspended without notice, provided the Authority has communicated to the Corporate Agent the reasons for the cancellation in writing:
i. if it is found guilty of fraud, or is convicted of a criminal offence;
ii. commits such defaults, which require immediate action in the opinion of the Authority;
2. The Certificate of Registration of a Corporate Agent shall stand suspended under clause (v) of sub-section (6) of Section 42D of the Act with effect from 1st April of the financial year for which the annual fee is payable, where the Corporate Agent fails to pay the annual fee within the time period specified in Schedule VI. The Authority shall communicate the reasons for such suspension in writing to the Corporate Agent.
The Authority may revoke the suspension if the Corporate Agent pays the annual fee specified in Schedule VI, together with an additional fee equal to twenty per cent of the annual fee, within three months from the date of suspension.
Where the Corporate Agent fails to pay such annual fee and additional fee within three months from the date of suspension, the Certificate of Registration shall stand cancelled in accordance with clause (v) of sub-section (6) of Section 42D of the Act.
The procedure to be followed while initiation of Action against the Corporate Agent under this regulation is as specified in clauses (4) and (5) of Part II above.”
(20) After Schedule V, Schedule VI shall be inserted namely:-
Schedule VI
[See regulation 4 & 11]
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Registration of Corporate Agents) Regulations, 2015
Instruction for Payment of fees and the consequences of failure to pay fees —
(1) Every applicant shall at the time of application of registration under regulation 4 pay non-refundable application fee of Rs. 10,000/- plus applicable taxes. The fees shall be payable by recognized electronic funds transfer to Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, as specified. No application shall be processed without the application fee.
2. Upon receipt of communication for grant of registration under Regulation 4 or Regulation 11, the applicant shall pay the annual fee of Rs. 10,000/- plus applicable taxes for ongoing financial year within 15 days of receipt.
3. Upon receipt of the annual fee inter-alia, the Authority shall grant registration to act or continue to act as a Corporate Agent under the category for which the application has been made.
4. A Corporate Agent granted a Certificate of Registration under Regulation 4 or Regulation 11 shall thereafter pay an annual fee plus applicable taxes, for every financial year to the Authority before the 31st day of January of the preceding financial year, as specified in (5) below.
5. The annual fee shall be higher of:
a. Rupees ten thousand; or
b. One-twenty fifth of one per cent of the commission and other receipts from Insurers during the financial year preceding the year in which the annual fee is payable, rounded off to the next thousand.
(6) If the Corporate Agent fails to pay the annual fee before the specified date the Competent Authority may accept the payment of annual fee along with an additional fee plus applicable taxes of –
a. Two percent of the annual fee if the fee is paid within 30 days after the expiry of the last date of payment of annual fee; or
b. Ten percent of the annual fee if the fee is paid after 30 days after the last date of payment of annual fee but before the end of financial year in which the annual fee was required to be paid. Where the Corporate Agent has failed to pay the fee before the end of the financial year in which it is due to be paid, Certificate of Registration may be suspended or cancelled as specified under these regulations.
The annual fee plus applicable taxes shall be remitted in the electronic mode as specified by the Authority.
Explanation: Commission means any compensation including remuneration, or reward or any incentive, by whatever name called, paid by an insurer to the Corporate Agent as applicable, for soliciting or procuring or transacting insurance business. For the purpose of calculating the annual fee, the commission received by the Corporate Agent shall be as stated in its audited financial statements.
Other receipts include any receipts towards services provided for branding, marketing, advertising, publicity and promotional activities, including web branding, branch branding, display fees, logo fees and similar brand visibility initiatives, as well as business support and shared service costs.
7. Applicants granted a Certificate of Registration (CoR) under Regulation 4, where the validity of such CoR commences during the period from 31st January to 31st March of any financial year, shall, in addition to the annual fee payable at the time of grant of CoR for the ongoing financial year, also pay the annual fee as specified in (5) for the immediately succeeding financial year.
8. Applicants granted a Certificate of Registration (CoR) under Regulation 11, where the registration is obtained during the period from 31st January 2027 to 31st March 2027, shall, in addition to the annual fee of Rs.10,000/-, and an additional fee of seven hundred and fifty rupees payable, plus applicable taxes at the time of grant of CoR for the ongoing financial year, also pay the annual fee as specified in (5) for the immediately succeeding financial year.
(21) In Schedule VII,
a) Sub-clause (ii) of Clause 5 of Part I, shall be substituted, namely:-
“The Authorized Verifiers shall be employees of the Telemarketer and they shall be assigned to the Corporate Agent for the purpose of sale of insurance products.”
b) Sub-clause (iv) of Clause 5 of I, shall be omitted.
22. Annexure 3 shall be omitted.
23. After Annexure 3, ‘Certificate to act as a Specified Person for a Corporate Agent’ shall be substituted with ‘Letter of Enrollment of Specified Person or Authorised Verifier’, namely:-
