How to Start a Bonding Company
- 1). Complete an education in criminal justice from a college or university. Research your state's criminal procedures through state websites, contacting your local courthouse or checking out books at a local law library. A background in law enforcement is beneficial to starting your own bonding company.
- 2). Contact your state's professional licensing board to find out which courses and exams are required for you to obtain your bail bondsman license.
- 3). Complete any required exams for the bail bond license. Pass all of the qualifications as provided by your state. Most states require that a person be at least 18 years old and have no felonies or criminal convictions for a set number of years to become a bail bondsman.
- 4). Submit your application for a license, also referred to as an Initial Producer Application. Visit the National Insurance Producer Registry website for an application. The NIPR recognizes bail bonds as insurance notes or a promise that the defendant will return to court to face pending charges.
- 5). Purchase insurance for yourself and your company. If a bonded fugitive skips town and doesn't show up for his court date, you may be required to pay the the bond yourself if a co-signer is not provided or available.
- 6). Establish a working relationship with a surety company. Most large insurance companies have surety departments. This company is the one that pays the actual bail bond amount. Working with them allows you to have more clients and to commission other types of bonds such as civil and immigration bonds.
- 7). Open your office. Promote your services in the newspaper and in the phone book. Build a website that advertises your services. Billboards, buses and benches are places that bail bondsman can advertise their company's services. Network with people inside the jail system, criminal defense attorneys and bounty hunters to acquire new clients.