The Pennsylvania Insurance Department’s plan to move agent and broker license renewals to the applicant’s birth month is scheduled to begin with January 2010 renewals, according to the department.

The PID said in the summer it would eliminate the current system, where agents and brokers renew their licenses on the two-year anniversary.

The shift has been undergoing internal testing at the department, and things “are going as planned,” according to Melissa Fox, a PID spokeswoman. The Licensing and Enforcement Bureau has been preparing for the change since spring.

The transition to all birth-month renewals for Pennsylvania insurance licensees is expected to be completed next year.

No interruptions to licensing system or online services are expected during the conversion process, which should begin about Nov. 17, Fox said.

Notices for producers detailing more information about the changes should be posted on the PID website.

The shift to birth-month renewals will put Pennsylvania in line with  licensing standards created by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which represents all state regulators.

This story originally appeared in the November 2009 print edition of Insurance & Financial Advisor.