Article 3 1.

Insurance, reinsurance, and ancillary insurance intermediaries shall be registered with a competent authority in their home Member State.

Insurance and reinsurance undertakings and their employees shall not be required to register under this Directive.

Without prejudice to the first subparagraph, Member States may stipulate that insurance and reinsurance undertakings and intermediaries and other bodies may cooperate with the competent authorities in registering insurance and reinsurance and ancillary insurance intermediaries and in the application of the requirements laid down in Article 10.

In particular, insurance, reinsurance and ancillary insurance intermediaries may be registered by an insurance or reinsurance undertaking, insurance or reinsurance intermediary, or by an association of insurance or reinsurance undertakings, or insurance or reinsurance intermediaries, under the supervision of a competent authority.

An insurance or reinsurance intermediary or an ancillary insurance intermediary may act under the responsibility of an insurance or reinsurance undertaking or another intermediary. In such a case, Member States may stipulate that the insurance or reinsurance undertaking or other intermediary shall be responsible for ensuring that the insurance or reinsurance intermediary or ancillary insurance intermediary meets the conditions for registration, including the conditions set out in point (c) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 6.

Member States may also stipulate that the insurance or reinsurance undertaking or other intermediary which takes responsibility for the insurance or reinsurance intermediary or ancillary insurance intermediary registers that intermediary or ancillary intermediary.

Member States need not apply the requirement referred to in the first subparagraph to all the natural persons who work in an insurance or reinsurance intermediary or ancillary insurance intermediary and who pursue the activity of insurance or reinsurance distribution.

Member States shall ensure that the registers specify the names of the natural persons within the management of the insurance or reinsurance distributor who are responsible for the insurance or reinsurance distribution.

The registers shall further indicate the Member States in which the intermediary conducts business under the rules on the freedom of establishment or on the freedom to provide services.