What information do I need to apply?

One of the biggest barriers to getting life insurance isn't the cost or even making the decision—it's simply not knowing what information you'll need to provide. Nobody wants to start an application only to realize they need to hunt down documents, remember medical details from years ago, or answer questions they're not prepared for.

The good news? Applying for life insurance, especially through instant-issue platforms, is much simpler than most people expect. Let's walk through exactly what information you'll need so you can complete your application smoothly and quickly.

Basic personal information

This is the straightforward stuff—information you already know and can provide from memory.

You'll need:

• Full legal name (as it appears on government ID)
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Current address (and how long you've lived there)
• Email address and phone number
• Gender assigned at birth

Think of this section as similar to opening a bank account. It's standard identifying information that takes just a couple of minutes to enter.

Marcus completed this section in about two minutes while waiting for his coffee to brew. Nothing complicated, no documents required—just basic facts about who you are.

Physical and lifestyle information

Insurers need to understand your current health and lifestyle to assess risk accurately. Don't worry—this isn't a medical exam. It's just straightforward questions about your current state.

You'll provide:

Height and weight: Your current measurements. Be honest—the data will be verified, and accurate information ensures you get the right rate.

Tobacco and nicotine use: Whether you've used any tobacco or nicotine products (including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, or vaping) in the past 12 months. Nicotine users pay higher premiums, but being truthful is critical. If you claim to be a non-smoker and later file a claim, the insurer can investigate and potentially deny the claim for misrepresentation.

Alcohol consumption: How many drinks you typically have per week. Moderate consumption isn't an issue, but excessive drinking can affect your rates or eligibility.

Occupation: Your job title and employer. Certain high-risk occupations (like commercial fishing, logging, or roofing) may require additional underwriting or affect pricing.

Dangerous hobbies: Whether you participate in high-risk activities like skydiving, rock climbing, scuba diving, racing, or aviation. Occasional participation may be fine, but frequent engagement in extremely dangerous activities can affect your rates.

When Jessica applied, she mentioned that she occasionally goes rock climbing at an indoor gym. This was considered low-risk. Her friend Tom, who climbs El Capitan and other major formations regularly, needed to provide additional details and faced slightly higher rates due to the genuine risk.

Health history and medical information

This is often the section that makes people nervous, but it's more straightforward than you might think. You'll answer questions about your medical history—and in most cases, you can answer "no" to most of them.

You'll be asked about:

Current medications: List all prescription medications you're currently taking, including dosage. This includes medications for chronic conditions (like blood pressure or cholesterol meds), mental health (antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications), and any other ongoing treatments.

Why this matters: Prescription databases can verify this information, so accuracy is important. Also, certain medications indicate well-managed health conditions that may affect your rates but don't disqualify you from coverage.

Past and current medical conditions: Whether you've ever been diagnosed with or treated for conditions such as:

• Heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol
• Cancer or tumors
• Diabetes or pre-diabetes
• Mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder)
• Respiratory conditions (asthma, COPD, sleep apnea)
• Neurological conditions
• Autoimmune diseases
• Any other significant diagnoses

Surgeries and hospitalizations: Any surgeries you've had in the past 10 years and any hospitalizations in the past 5 years, including the reason and date.

Recent doctor visits: Whether you've seen a doctor recently and the reason for those visits. Routine checkups and preventive care are fine—insurers actually view regular medical care positively.

Family medical history: Whether your immediate family members (parents, siblings) have had serious conditions like heart disease, cancer, or diabetes, especially at young ages.

Emma, a healthy 28-year-old, answered "no" to almost every medical condition question. She listed her birth control as her only medication and mentioned a knee surgery from college. Her application took less than 10 minutes.

David, 34 with well-controlled high blood pressure, answered "yes" to one condition, listed his blood pressure medication, and still received coverage—though his premium was slightly higher than Emma's.

Financial information

Life insurance is designed to replace your income and cover your financial obligations, so insurers need to verify that the coverage amount you're requesting makes sense relative to your income and needs.

You'll provide:

Annual income: Your gross annual income from employment or self-employment. If you're self-employed, you may need to provide your most recent tax return.

Existing life insurance: Details about any other life insurance policies you currently have, including coverage amounts. Insurers want to ensure your total coverage is appropriate for your income level.

Coverage amount you're requesting: How much coverage you want and for how long (10, 20, or 30 years). As a general rule, insurers typically approve coverage up to 20-30 times your annual income.

Sophie, who earns $75,000 annually, requested $1 million in coverage—about 13 times her income. This was well within normal parameters and approved instantly.

If Sophie had requested $5 million in coverage, the insurer would have questioned whether she has financial obligations that justify that amount and likely required additional documentation.

Beneficiary information

You'll need to designate who receives the death benefit if you pass away. You can name multiple beneficiaries and specify what percentage each receives.

You'll provide for each beneficiary:

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Relationship to you
• Percentage of benefit they'll receive (must total 100%)
• Contact information

You can also name contingent beneficiaries—people who would receive the benefit if your primary beneficiaries predecease you.

Many people name their spouse as primary beneficiary and their children (or a trust for their children) as contingent beneficiaries. You can update beneficiary information later if your situation changes.

Payment information

To activate your policy, you'll need to provide payment details for your first premium and set up ongoing payments.

You'll need:

• Bank account information (for ACH withdrawal), or
• Credit/debit card information
• Preferred payment schedule (monthly, quarterly, or annual)

Most people choose monthly payments to spread the cost throughout the year, though annual payments sometimes come with a small discount.

What you DON'T need

Here's what might surprise you: for instant-issue life insurance, you typically don't need to gather documents or provide extensive proof. You won't need:

• Medical records (the insurer will access these with your permission if needed)
• Tax returns (unless requesting extremely high coverage amounts)
• Proof of income (your stated income is typically verified through databases)
• Physical documents of any kind

The entire application is completed online, and data verification happens automatically in the background.

How long does the application take?

If you have all the information above at your fingertips, most people complete the application in 10-20 minutes. Breaking it down:

• Personal information: 2-3 minutes
• Physical and lifestyle questions: 3-4 minutes
• Health history: 5-8 minutes (longer if you have multiple conditions to detail)
• Financial information: 2-3 minutes
• Beneficiary information: 3-5 minutes
• Payment setup: 2-3 minutes

That's it. In the time it takes to watch a YouTube video, you can complete an application that provides potentially decades of financial protection for your family.

Tips for a smooth application

Be honest: Misrepresenting information can lead to denied claims later. Insurers verify information through multiple databases, so inaccuracies will likely be caught.

Have your medication list handy: If you take multiple medications, having the names and dosages written down will speed up the application.

Know your health timeline: If you've had surgeries or hospitalizations, having approximate dates ready is helpful.

Be precise about measurements: Your height and weight will be verified if you need a medical exam, so provide accurate numbers.

Don't self-disqualify: Answer the questions honestly, but don't over-volunteer information that isn't asked for. If a question asks about the past 5 years, you don't need to mention something from 8 years ago.

The Evoro Life difference

At Evoro Life, our application is designed to be as streamlined as possible. We've eliminated unnecessary questions and use smart forms that only ask relevant follow-up questions based on your answers.

If you're a healthy 28-year-old with no medical conditions and no prescriptions, you'll skip dozens of questions that don't apply to you. Our system is intelligent enough to tailor the application to your specific situation.

We also save your progress automatically, so if you need to step away and find information, you can resume right where you left off. And if you're not sure how to answer a question, our support team is available to help—though you'll never be pressured or pushed by a sales agent.

The application process shouldn't be a barrier to protecting your family. With the right information prepared, you can complete everything in less time than it takes to order lunch.

Get your quote in 18 minutes