California Bail Fugitive Recovery Agent
Licensing Requirements
RICARDO LARA CALIFORNIA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER
NOTICE – Updated
TO: All Bail Agents, Bail Business Entities and Other Interested Parties
FROM: Licensing Services Division, Producer Licensing Bureau
DATE: May 18, 2023
SUBJECT: Bail Fugitive Recovery Persons Act Takes Effect July 1, 2023
and New Online Services for All Bail Licenses Now Available
New Law Effective 7/1/2023 Requires License
The Bail Fugitive Recovery Persons Act will take effect July 1, 2023 (Assembly Bill 2043, Jones-Sawyer, Chapter 768, Statutes of 2022).
This Act requires all individuals who are currently or would like to be a Bail Fugitive Recovery Person to be licensed by the California Department of Insurance (Department).
Education and Training Compliance
The Department will ensure appropriate education and training requirements are met prior to issuing any licenses to individuals or business entities applying for a Bail Fugitive Recovery Agent (BFRA), Bail Agent, or Bail permittee license.
To ensure the requirements for the new BFRA license as well as the requirements for existing bail agents, solicitors, permittees (Bail) licenses are met, the Department is launching online services for applications and other services through Sircon, powered by Vertafore.
Requirements to Obtain a License
Individuals applying for a BFRA license must complete the following requirements, pursuant to California Insurance Code sections 1652, 1802, 1802.1 and 1810.7:
• Complete 20-hour Bail prelicensing education with Bailspeak*
• Complete the 40-hour Power of Arrest Course (certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, pursuant to California Penal Code section 832)
• Submit fingerprints for a background check
• Submit Bail Agent or Surety Insurer Appointment
• Submit $1,000 bond*
• Submit $1 million liability insurance policy – Individual or Business Entity
*Applicants holding an active Bail Agent or Bail Permittee license are exempt from this requirement.
May 18, 2023 Liability Insurance Policy Requirement
California Insurance Code section 1802(b)(2)(B) states that the Commissioner shall delay the implementation of the one million dollar liability policy, “if there is either a reasonable lack of availability or affordability, or both, of liability insurance for bail fugitive recovery agents.” The Commissioner has determined that there is not a reasonable lack of availability or affordability of liability insurance for bail fugitive recovery agents.
Therefore, pursuant to California Insurance Code section 1802(b)(2)(A), all bail fugitive recovery agents shall file with the Department a policy of liability insurance that provides minimum limits of insurance of one million dollars ($1,000,000) for any one loss or occurrence due to either bodily injury or death, or property damage, or both.
Requirement to File Applications Online
All BFRA and Bail applications (for individuals or business entities) must be submitted to the Department electronically through the online services of Sircon.
Individuals and business entities can begin submitting BFRA and Bail applications through Sircon starting April 17, 2023.
The Department will no longer accept paper applications for Bail or BFRA licenses after May 31, 2023.
Applicants can request a “for good cause shown” exemption from this electronic filing requirement, pursuant to California Insurance Code section 1655.
How to Submit Online Applications
To submit an application for a BFRA or any other Bail license:
• Go to www.sircon.com
• Select Apply for a License
• Select New Insurance License
• Select Resident
• Select Individual or Firm
• Select Continue
Follow the Sircon prompts to complete the submission to the Department.
Submit Business Associations
Business entities must submit associations (e.g., endorsements) to the Department through Sircon’s online services.
Steps to submit:
• Go to www.sircon.com/california
• Select Maintain Agency Associations
• Select Sign In or Create an Agency Account
Follow the Sircon prompts to complete the submission to the Department.
Sircon Subscription Required
Subscriptions are required to use Sircon’s online services to submit the following to the Department:
• address changes
• appointments
• endorsements
• terminations
Existing Sircon subscribers will automatically have access to California services.
Online Submissions Benefits
Using Sircon’s online services to submit applications has many benefits:
• Applications and support documents are uploaded and submitted electronically to the Department, which removes some of the processing delays associated with the requirement to mail these documents.
• Photographs, digitally signed bonds, county clerk filings, newspaper postings, etc., can be attached directly to license applications.
• Additional required items can be attached at any time to an application after the application is submitted
.
• 24/7 Online access to:
· Look up courses and transcripts
· Submit applications and renewals
Create Sircon Account
To create a new Sircon account, go to:
Individuals – www.sircon.com/individuals
Business Entities – www.sircon.com/agencies
Service Fees
Schedule of Service Fees for Sircon’s online services (effective 4/17/2023):
Description Fee
Submit application ..................................................................... No Fee
Submit appointments, endorsements, terminations .................... $ 3.50
Submit online renewals .............................................................. $ 5.00
Submit letters of certification ...................................................... $ 6.00
May 18, 2023
Issue Date for BFRA Licenses
The BFRA licenses will not be issued until July 1, 2023, which is the effective date of the Act.
Early submissions of the BFRA license applications will allow time for the Department to review, approve, and then issue the new BFRA licenses on or soon after July 1, 2023, but not before.
Contact Information
For Sircon account/subscription set-up or other Sircon service-related questions, please contact Sircon support by phone at (517) 381-3860.
For all other questions, please contact the Producer Licensing Bureau – Bail Unit by email at sac.bail@insurance.ca.gov or by phone at (916) 492-3035 (Note: this is a voicemail only line).
Please allow up to three business days for a response.
Rex Venator is a Real Bounty Hunter, and below are examples of how he is viewed by the Bail and Bounty Hunting Community.
“The information and the knowledge.”
“Extremely thorough & highly organized. Great examples used by instructor to help process the information. I will be better off, having taken this class.”
“Material was discussed and Rex kept it interesting. Not only did I enjoy it, I will recommend it!”
“Really enjoyed the up to date factual information, the multi teaching tools had great success. The instructor [Rex] was very knowledgeable on the topics. By the class being small it allowed us to learn more efficiently.”
“Quality instruction, great examples of case history. Great job and instructor likes to teach!”
“[I liked] how interactive the course was and how everything I was interested in or questioned was covered. Very knowledgeable and helpful and made the course fun!”
“Everything! Rex is the shit walking dictionary, best instructor! Give him a raise or let me tase him!”
“The instructor was very animated, and took pride in his work. Cared about students and really took his job seriously.”
“Very informative. Glad I picked Bailspeak. [I liked] that everything is explained clearly. I had questions and Rex answered them within the course of the class. It was great, as expected.”
“Great relational stories and examples, positive experiences. I look forward to learning more about the subjects due to Rex’s teachings. I know what to concentrate on.”
“Hey Rex, This is Chuck from the Salida—Modesto class earlier this month.
I just wanted to let you know that I was contracted to hunt a $50,000 skip that fled to my island from Washington State.
The recovery agent called me, and, after we talked for a couple minutes, I told him I just returned from California where I took your course.
Mentioning you and Bailspeak earned me instant recognition as a working, knowledgeable professional, and we talked for approximately 45 minutes.
Your name travels wide and is well respected. I'm sure you already know that, but I just thought that I'd pass this on.
Have a good day Rex and thank you again, Sir.”
Email from Hawaii Bail Agent and Bounty Hunter ~ March 29, 2014
