North Dakota collection agency bonds.
$250.
North Dakota licenses collection agencies through the Department of Financial Institutions, and NDCC 13-05-04.1 requires each licensee to maintain a surety bond in the amount of $50,000 on the form the commissioner prescribes. The premium is 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, so $250 at the fixed statutory amount.
Trusted by industry leaders
How much does a North Dakota collection agency bond cost?
$250 for the $50,000 bond: 0.5% of the bond amount.
Three steps. One sitting.
The collection agency bond is a straightforward statutory filing — no quote round-trip. Here is the entire process:
Apply online
Business details, your NMLS record, an effective date, and a term. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
This bond is checkout-priced at 0.5% of the fixed $50,000 amount — $250 — so it issues the moment you pay. Your executed bond and power of attorney generate on the spot.
Upload to NMLS
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to attach to your NMLS company record for the Department of Financial Institutions. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
North Dakota requires a collection agency license for anyone engaged in debt collection where the debtor resides in the state — NDCC 13-05-02 — and the Department of Financial Institutions administers the chapter and issues the license through NMLS. NDCC 13-05-04.1 requires each licensee to maintain a $50,000 surety bond in a form prescribed by the commissioner.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of North Dakota through the commissioner (the obligee). The bond stands behind your compliance with Chapter 13-05 — the trust-account, recordkeeping, and conduct rules that protect the consumers and creditors whose accounts you collect. Licensees also maintain a $25,000 minimum net worth under NDCC 13-05-04.2.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety, and NDCC 13-05-04.1 requires you to file a new bond immediately upon any recovery against it. Licenses expire December 31 each year, so the bond has to stay continuously on file; we track the term and send renewal notices 60 and 30 days out.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $50,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
Upload to NMLS. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to attach to your NMLS company record for the Department of Financial Institutions. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — business details, an effective date, and a term. That is the entire application.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other North Dakota bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Finish your collection agency license today.
0.5% of the bond amount — $250 for the fixed $50,000 bond, issued the moment you pay. Free until issued.