Guide
No-exam life insurance
Who qualifies for instant underwriting, how the process works, and what happens if you don't qualify.
Many carriers now offer instant underwriting: for applicants in certain age and amount brackets, they make the decision using the application, pharmacy records, driving history and other data instead of a paramedical exam. Approvals can come back within hours. This site shows which products need an exam, might need one, or don't require one.
What it changes
Skipping an exam isn't skipping underwriting. Your statements get checked, and a policy issued on bad information can be reversed in the first two years. If the carrier's checks surface questions, they might ask for an exam or labs anyway; you decide at that point.
Who tends to qualify
Usually applicants under ~60 asking for amounts at or below the carrier's fast-track ceiling, with a clean health background and no tobacco in the past year or longer. Some carriers accept recent medical records from your doctor instead of an exam.
If an exam is needed, you'll typically have a 20–40 minute visit from a paramedic at your home or workplace in the South Bay, at no cost. For healthy applicants, good exam results can improve your rate class, so it's not always a drawback.