Represents the period of payment of dividends that can be declared or paid without approval of regulatory agency.

No definition available.

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- Definition

Represents the amount of dividends that can be declared or paid without approval of regulatory agency, as a percentage of the previous fiscal year end statutory policyholders' surplus.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	esnt_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

This element represents disclosure of the aggregate cash dividends paid to the entity by consolidated subsidiaries.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (SX 210.12-04.(b))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e24072-122690

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 235
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-06)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6882215&loc=d3e537971-122884

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 04
-Paragraph b
-Article 12

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 06
-Article 9

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of statutory capital and surplus computed using prescribed or permitted statutory accounting practice.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 505
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486098&loc=d3e24708-158529

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Period Type:	duration

- Details

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- Details

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- Details

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Dividends Restrictions (Details) - USD ($)		12 Months Ended
Dividends Restrictions (Details) - USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Essent PA
Dividends Restrictions
Dividend payment ability, period of payment of dividends		12 months
Dividend payment ability, as a percentage of preceding year-end statutory policyholders' surplus		10.00%
Unassigned surplus		$ 8,100,000
Dividends paid to parent company		$ 0	$ 200,000	$ 5,000
Essent Guaranty And Essent PA
Dividends Restrictions
Dividend payment ability, period of payment of dividends		12 months
Dividend payment ability, as a percentage of preceding year-end statutory policyholders' surplus		10.00%
Essent Guaranty
Dividends Restrictions
Unassigned surplus		$ (43,100,000)
Dividends paid to parent company		$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Subsequent event \| Essent PA
Dividends Restrictions
Dividends paid to parent company	$ 3,750,000