Washington licenses registered nurses through the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON), housed at the Department of Health. Washington renews nursing licenses every year, not every two. Everything below comes from WABON's licensure requirements, RN license, fee, renewal and continuing competency pages, checked October 18, 2026.
Study aid, not legal advice. Your state board of nursing has the final word on your license, and its rules and fees change. Built by an RN. Headed In LLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), Pearson VUE or any board of nursing; their names appear here only to point you to the real thing. NCLEX and NCLEX-RN are registered trademarks of NCSBN.
Single-state or multistate: a single-state license covers Washington only; a multistate license (MSL) covers Washington and the other compact states. The MSL needs Washington as your primary state of residence, an FBI fingerprint check, a U.S. Social Security number, no felony conviction and no alternative-to-discipline program, plus the compact's uniform requirements.
Application: apply by exam in the online portal. The initial fee is $138 single-state or $203 multistate, non-refundable. WABON asks you to apply only when you are ready to test; if you will test right after your program, apply about two weeks before you finish. Applications inactive for 30 days get a closure warning.
Education: Washington programs send an electronic certificate of completion; you request official transcripts once your degree is posted. Out-of-state graduates send official transcripts, which WABON must have before it grants your eligibility to test in Pearson VUE.
Background check: WABON runs a criminal background check on every application. Applicants with an out-of-state address or applying for a multistate license are emailed FBI fingerprint instructions.
NCLEX-RN: register and pay with Pearson VUE. A complete application takes about 7 business days to process; missing documents or waiting on the NCLEX make it longer. A temporary practice permit can issue while the FBI check is pending, once everything else is met. Fail the NCLEX four times and you must finish a board-approved NCLEX prep course before you are made eligible again.
Renewal:every year, due on your birthday; you can renew 85 to 90 days early. The RN fee is $138 single-state or $158 multistate; late renewal is allowed up to a year.
Continuing competency:8 hours of CE and 96 hours of active practice every year, done within the renewal period. Two hours of health equity CE (including implicit bias) count toward the 8; new licensees have until their second renewal to complete them.
Washington is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. If Washington is your primary state of residence and you meet the compact's uniform licensure requirements (they include a fingerprint-based state and federal background check), the board issues a multistate license that also lets you practice in every other compact state. If you live in another state, or do not meet those requirements, you get a single-state license good in Washington only. Move your primary residence to another compact state and you must apply there for a new multistate license within 60 days.
An associate degree, bachelor's degree, diploma or entry-level master's program approved by a board of nursing, with an NCLEX program code. Your school confirms you graduated.
Apply to the board
The license comes from the state board, not the exam. Apply, pay the board fee and do the background check the board asks for.
Register with Pearson VUE
The NCLEX-RN registration fee is $200 to Pearson VUE ($350 for registrations completed on or after February 1, 2027), non-refundable. Your registration stays open 365 days while the board decides your eligibility.
Get your Authorization to Test and sit the exam
When the board makes you eligible, Pearson emails your Authorization to Test (ATT). Test within its dates: they cannot be extended. The NCLEX-RN runs 85 to 150 questions in up to five hours, and it stops when the computer is 95% sure you are above or below the passing standard.