Canadian · Professional Licensing
RIBO insurance broker licence lookup.
Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario licenses the people and firms that arrange general insurance, such as car and home cover. Its directory lets you check a broker or a brokerage before you pay a premium. This page explains where to look and how to read what you find.
RIBO calls checking whether a broker or brokerage is RIBO-licensed a crucial first step, and ties verification to avoiding unqualified or potentially fraudulent ghost brokers. It provides one tool for individuals and a separate one for firms.
Broker Search and Brokerage Search
RIBO’s Licensee Directory & Status page links to two tools. Broker Search is for checking an individual. Brokerage Search is for checking a firm. It also lists recent firm additions and deletions, which helps when a company you are dealing with has changed its name or closed. Use both, because a genuine broker working at a firm you cannot find is as much of a warning as the reverse.
The directory page does not describe a licence-number format, so none is given here. Use the broker’s name and the brokerage’s name from your quote, and check that both appear and match. RIBO notes that some Managing General Agents (MGAs) have voluntarily chosen to be licensed, although licensing is not mandatory for them, so an MGA missing from the directory is not by itself a red flag.
Open RIBO’s licensee directory
The directory page is the entry point. From there choose Broker Search or Brokerage Search.
What RIBO regulates
RIBO describes itself as Ontario’s regulator of general insurance brokers. Its directory page says licensed property and casualty insurance brokers are regulated by RIBO and held to the highest professional standards. In everyday terms that covers the people and brokerages that place car, home, tenant and business insurance. RIBO says the search tools are there to give you confidence that the broker you are working with is trained, ethical and legally authorized to offer insurance.
Insurance is sold through more than one channel in Ontario, and not every seller is a RIBO licensee. Life and health agents, for example, are covered by a different regulatory regime; the related tool below leads to that lookup. If you are unsure which applies, start with the regulator directory page linked in this page’s related tools.
Ghost brokers
RIBO uses the term ghost brokers for people who are not qualified or licensed but sell insurance anyway. A RIBO public service announcement posted in May 2021 warned consumers about a website that was not a RIBO-registered brokerage and was not authorized to sell auto, property or casualty insurance in Ontario, and said the insurer logos on its site appeared fraudulent and used without permission. The announcement is headed “Always check you are dealing with a RIBO registered broker”, and that is the habit this page is built to encourage.
A logo on a website proves nothing, because logos can be copied. The directory search is a check against RIBO’s own record, which is why it matters that you search the directory yourself instead of following a link supplied by the seller.
Questions RIBO invites
RIBO’s site publishes a toll-free line, 1-800-265-3097, in its header. If a result is unclear, or you cannot find a broker you believe is licensed, contact RIBO instead of guessing. Keep in mind that the directory shows licensing status, not whether a quote is good value, and that a licensed broker can still make mistakes; RIBO has a complaints process of its own.
A worked example (hypothetical)
A social media account called “Example Cheap Auto Cover”, a made-up name, offers you car insurance at half the usual price and asks you to pay by wire transfer today. Nothing here is a real business.
Open the RIBO licensee directory page and choose Brokerage Search. Enter the firm name from the quote. If no brokerage comes up, try variations of the spelling, and then check the recent firm additions and deletions list in case the firm was recently removed. Next use Broker Search for the individual who contacted you. If neither the brokerage nor the broker is licensed, do not pay and do not hand over your licence or vehicle details. If both are listed, compare the name and any contact details the directory shows with those on your quote, and contact the firm through RIBO’s published line or the firm’s own listed details rather than the ones in the message. A genuine listing that does not match your quote is a mismatch to resolve before you pay.
What this page does not cover
- It does not run the RIBO search or store any detail you type; there is no form here.
- It does not cover life, health or travel insurance sellers, or insurers themselves.
- It does not rate brokers, compare premiums or comment on coverage.
- It does not describe the format of a RIBO licence number, because the directory page does not.
- It does not replace RIBO’s own complaints process if something has already gone wrong.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if my insurance broker is licensed in Ontario?
Use RIBO’s Broker Search for the individual and Brokerage Search for the firm, both reached from the Licensee Directory & Status page. Check that the names match what is on your quote or policy.
What is a ghost broker?
RIBO uses the term for someone who is not qualified or licensed but sells insurance anyway, and links verifying a licence to avoiding such unqualified or potentially fraudulent sellers.
What is the difference between a broker and a brokerage?
RIBO provides separate tools: Broker Search for an individual and Brokerage Search for a firm. Checking both gives a fuller picture.
Is every insurance seller regulated by RIBO?
No. RIBO regulates general insurance brokers. Some sellers, such as life and health agents, fall under a different regulator. Managing General Agents may choose to be RIBO licensed but are not required to be.
Why would a firm not appear in the directory?
It might not be licensed, it might have changed its name or closed, or you might be searching a variation of the name. RIBO lists recent firm additions and deletions, which can help explain a change.
Can a logo on a website show a broker is legitimate?
No. RIBO’s 2021 announcement warned about a site using insurer logos apparently without permission. Check the directory yourself.
Who do I contact if I am unsure?
RIBO publishes a toll-free number, 1-800-265-3097, on its site. Use the number on RIBO’s own site, not one supplied by the seller.
Does TNAADO check licences for me?
No. This page explains the official directory and links to it. It does not look anyone up and it collects nothing.
Sources
Retrieved
- RIBO: Licensee Directory & Status (Broker Search, Brokerage Search, MGAs, ghost brokers)
- RIBO: Public Service Announcement, May 2021 (“Always Deal with a Registered Broker”)
Official register and regulator pages only. Each link was opened on the retrieval date and the facts above were read from it. The register itself is the authority.
Guide only — not a verification tool
This page explains a public register and links to it. TNAADO does not check anyone’s licence or registration, does not copy or proxy the register, and collects nothing you might look up. Nothing here is an official verification or professional advice. Details above were read from the regulator’s own website on 19 October 2026 and can change; always rely on the official register.