Overview

The Identity step is the first of three screens you complete after signing up for Turris directly (without an MGA invite). It is where you tell Turris which agency is registering, so we can pull your registered legal name and FEIN straight from the public NIPR record and pre-fill the rest of onboarding.

What is the Identity Step?

Identifying your agency by its NPN lets Turris match you to the correct record in our system and carry your registered name, FEIN, and license footprint into every downstream workflow without you re-typing them. It is also where Turris catches the case where your agency already exists under another administrator, before you create a duplicate.

Who uses it. Whoever signed up the agency at turrisfi.com, typically the agency owner, principal, or licensing manager. It runs once per agency at sign-up; you will not see it again after it is complete.

What this step lets you do:

Confirm your agency by entering its NPN (National Producer Number) and have Turris auto-fill your registered legal name and FEIN from NIPR.
Look up your agency by a state license number plus state if you do not have the NPN handy.
Continue without an NPN and type your legal name manually if your agency has not been issued an NPN yet (rare).
Get stopped early, with a clear message, if the NPN you entered already belongs to an agency in Turris, so you do not waste time finishing onboarding on a duplicate record.

Accessing the Identity Step

You do not navigate here from a menu; Turris brings you here automatically. After you create your account and sign in, every signed-in agency user is redirected to onboarding until all three steps are complete. If you sign out partway through and sign back in, you resume on whichever step is still incomplete. There is no left-sidebar entry point and no back button on this first step.

The screen is split into two panels.

Left panel (progress rail):

Element	Description
Onboarding card	A card showing your agency's legal name, the words `is onboarding with`, and `Turris` stacked underneath. Your agency name defaults to `Agency` until the lookup fills in the registered name.
Step list	A vertical list of the three onboarding steps: Identity, Additional `<Category>` Details, and Privacy Policy. The connector line turns blue as each step is completed.
Sign Out	A link at the bottom of the panel. Use it if you need to leave and come back later.

Right panel (the form):

Element	Description
Step header	A circular building icon, the label `Onboarding`, the title `Identity`, and the sub-heading `Uniquely identify yourself and your <Category>`. `<Category>` reflects your organization's category (typically `Agency`).
Form heading	Reads `Identify your <Category>`.
Use NPN? toggle	A toggle near the top of the form, with a help icon beside it. On by default. When on, the NPN/license lookup is shown; when off, only the Legal Name field is editable.
Find-by selector	A two-button switch labeled `Find <Category> by` with options NPN and License number. Defaults to NPN.
Lookup field(s)	Either a single `<Category>` NPN input (when NPN is selected) or a License State dropdown plus a License Number input (when License number is selected).
Legal Name field	Read-only when Use NPN? is on (auto-filled from the lookup). Editable when the toggle is off.
Next button	At the top-right of the right panel. Disabled until the form passes validation.

Completing the Identity Step

When you'd do this. You just created your Turris account, you have your agency's NPN (or a state license number) handy, and you want Turris to confirm it has the right record so the rest of onboarding can pre-fill.

Path 1: Identify by NPN (default)

Leave the Use NPN? toggle on.
Confirm the find-by selector shows NPN highlighted.
Enter your agency's National Producer Number in the <Category> NPN field (placeholder: 123456789). Digits only; any non-digit fails validation with NPN should have digits only.
Pause for about half a second after you stop typing. Turris debounces the input and then queries NIPR.
Watch the Legal Name field auto-fill with the registered name on file at NIPR. Your FEIN is captured silently at the same time and used in the next step.
Click Next. The Identity step is marked complete and the second step (Additional <Category> Details) unlocks.

Note: If NIPR has no record for the NPN, the Legal Name field is set to not found, the NPN field shows an Invalid NPN error, and Next stays disabled. Double-check the NPN. Insurance NPNs are typically 6 to 9 digits and contain no letters; you can confirm yours at the NIPR website.

Path 2: Identify by License number

Use this when you do not have the agency NPN at hand but you do have at least one state license number.

Leave the Use NPN? toggle on.
Click License number in the find-by selector. The NPN field is replaced by License State and License Number.
Select the state that issued the license from the License State dropdown.
Type the license number in the License Number field (placeholder: 123456).
Turris queries NIPR by state plus license number and, on a match, fills Legal Name and silently records the NPN and FEIN.
Click Next.

Path 3: Continue without an NPN

Use this only if your agency genuinely has not been issued an NPN yet. Most operating agencies have one.

Click the Use NPN? toggle off. The lookup section collapses and the Legal Name field becomes editable.
Type the agency's legal name exactly as it appears on your formation documents (example: Acme Insurance Services LLC).
Click Next.

Field	Required	Description
Use NPN?	Yes	Toggle. When on, Turris looks your agency up at NIPR; when off, it accepts a manually-typed legal name.
`<Category>` NPN	Yes (when find-by is NPN)	Your agency's National Producer Number. Digits only, typically 6 to 9 characters. Example: `123456789`.
License State	Yes (when find-by is License number)	The state that issued the license. Select from the dropdown of US states and territories.
License Number	Yes (when find-by is License number)	The state-issued license number for your agency in that state. Example: `123456`.
Legal Name	Yes	Your agency's registered legal name. Auto-filled from the NIPR lookup when Use NPN? is on; typed manually when the toggle is off. The error `Registered name is required` appears if it is left blank.

Tip: Prefer the NPN (or license) lookup over manual entry whenever you can. The auto-fill guarantees your legal name and FEIN match what regulators have on file, which avoids appointment-rejection problems later when a carrier validates your agency.

What Happens After You Click Next

Turris submits the identity details to the server, which:

Saves your agency's NPN (if any), FEIN, and legal name to your agency record.
Marks the Identity step complete.
Refreshes your session so the progress rail advances and the next step opens.

If Turris detects that the NPN you entered already belongs to an agency in our system, onboarding is halted and a warning modal opens with the heading Agency NPN already exists. You will see one of two messages depending on where the conflict is caught:

"The agency NPN you entered is already associated with an agency. We have informed that agency's admins and the Turris support team of your attempt to be associated with this agency. Please close your browser tab or enter a different NPN." This means the existing agency's admins and Turris support are notified automatically.
"The agency NPN you entered is already associated with an agency. Please contact support@turrisfi.com for assistance." Clicking OK returns you to the sign-in screen.

In either case, do not retry with other NPNs. Your options:

Close the browser tab and ask your agency's existing Turris administrator to invite you as a member.
Email support@turrisfi.com if you believe the conflict is a mistake (for example, a former administrator left and you need ownership transferred).

Visual and Status Elements

State	Where it appears	Meaning	What to do
Loading indicator on Legal Name	While an NPN or license lookup is in flight	Turris is querying NIPR for your registered details	Wait. Lookups typically resolve in 1 to 3 seconds.
Legal Name fills with a value	Below the find-by selector after a successful lookup	NIPR returned a match; your FEIN was captured silently	Confirm the name looks right, then click Next.
Legal Name shows `not found`	After a lookup that returned no match	NIPR has no record for the value you entered	Re-check the NPN or license number for typos. If you are sure it is correct, contact support@turrisfi.com.
`NPN should have digits only` under the NPN field	While typing in the NPN field	You typed a non-digit character (space, dash, letter)	Remove the non-digit character.
`Invalid NPN` under the NPN field	After an NPN lookup returns no match	The entered NPN could not be verified at NIPR	Correct the NPN, or switch to License number mode.
`License number is required` / `License state is required`	Under the license fields	You are in License number mode but left a field blank	Fill in both the License State dropdown and the License Number.
Next greyed out	Top-right of the right panel	The form has not passed validation, or a lookup is still in flight	Resolve any inline errors, then wait for any pending lookup to finish.
Agency NPN already exists modal	After clicking Next	The NPN you entered already belongs to an agency in Turris	Follow the on-screen instructions: close the tab and contact your agency's existing admin, or email support. Do not retry other NPNs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Legal Name field locked when Use NPN? is on? Turris auto-fills it from NIPR so the value matches what regulators have on file. Editing it by hand risks mismatches that block carrier appointments later. If you must override it, toggle Use NPN? off, but only if your agency truly has no NPN.

What if my agency NPN really is not at NIPR? The most common cause is a typo. Insurance NPNs are digits only, with no letters. If you have triple-checked and the lookup still returns not found, switch to License number mode and try a state license number instead. If both fail, email support@turrisfi.com with your agency name, FEIN, and any state license numbers you have.

Can I change my NPN later if I entered it wrong? The NPN is locked once onboarding completes. If you submitted the wrong NPN, contact support immediately so the record can be reset before you finish the remaining steps.

I see "Agency NPN already exists." What now? Another administrator at your agency already started a Turris account with the same NPN. Ask them to invite you as a member from inside Turris. If you do not know who that is, email support and we will help connect you with them.

Can I skip this step and come back later? No. The Identity step must be submitted before the rest of onboarding unlocks. You can sign out and resume later (use the Sign Out link at the bottom of the left panel), but you will land on this same step the next time you sign in.

Does Turris store my FEIN even though I never typed it? Yes. When you identify by NPN or license, NIPR returns the FEIN along with the legal name, and Turris saves it to your agency record so it is available to carriers during appointment requests. You can review and update it on the next step (Additional <Category> Details).

Best Practices

Identify by NPN whenever possible. The NIPR lookup is the single most reliable way to make sure your agency's legal name, FEIN, and license footprint flow correctly into every downstream Turris workflow.
Have your NPN ready before you start. Look it up in advance at nipr.com so you do not have to context-switch mid-onboarding.
Only toggle Use NPN? off after confirming no NPN exists. A surprising number of agencies have an NPN they are unaware of. Search NIPR by FEIN first if you are unsure.
Treat the duplicate-NPN modal as a signal to coordinate, not to retry. If you see Agency NPN already exists, stop and contact the existing administrator or support. Inventing or trying other NPNs will only cause records to collide later in compliance workflows.

Additional Agency Details (Onboarding with Turris) - Step two of the same flow, where you confirm who you are, classify your organization, and provide your registered mailing address.
Privacy Policy Step (Onboarding with Turris) - Step three of the same flow, where you read and accept the Turris Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.