The official board
Washington nursing licensure is regulated by the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON). That is where applications, renewals, endorsement, and official forms live. Requirements and fees are board-set and change, so we point you to the official site rather than list figures that could go stale.
Official Washington licensure resources
- Verify a license: Nursys QuickConfirm (national) or the board — see our Washington verification guide.
- Apply by endorsement: through the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) — see the Washington endorsement guide.
- Renew a license: through the board — see the Washington renewal guide.
- Compact status: is Washington a compact state? See the Washington compact status page.
The law that governs this in Washington
Licensing a nurse in Washington happens under Washington’s own nurse practice act — the same act that defines what practice means here — administered by the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON). That act is RCW ch. 18.79 (Nursing Care).
The compact itself is separate law. Washington adopted it at Substitute Senate Bill 5499 (2023), which is what allows a multistate license issued elsewhere to reach Washington at all — the practice act still decides what you may do once it does.
What Washington runs itself
Beyond the national systems, Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) publishes its own primary-source lookup — Washington DOH Provider Credential Search. Where a board runs its own, that is the record the board itself works from, which can matter when a national system and a board disagree or lag. How Washington’s route actually behaves, including what an empty result means there, is on verifying a Washington license.
Official vs independent
The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) and Nursys are the authorities — they make decisions and hold the records. CompactStates.com explains how Washington licensure works and gets you to those sources quickly. We never charge for or monetize official board or Nursys links.
What the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) controls
Because Washington is in the compact, this board does two jobs at once: it licenses Washington residents — including issuing multistate licenses, which it has done since January 31, 2024 — and it regulates every nurse practicing in Washington on another state’s multistate license. A visiting compact nurse answers to this board while working here, even though it never issued them anything.
Its authority comes from RCW ch. 18.79 (Nursing Care), and its compact role from Substitute Senate Bill 5499 (2023). You can read the law rather than take our word for it.
The board runs its own license lookup — Washington DOH Provider Credential Search — separate from Nursys. Where the two disagree, the board’s record controls.