Washington Motorcycle Endorsement: Permit, Tests, and Costs

To get a Washington motorcycle endorsement, you add it to an existing Washington driver’s license by getting an instruction permit, passing a knowledge test and a skills evaluation (or completing an approved safety course that waives them), and paying a fee at the Department of Licensing.¹ Riding without one is a traffic infraction that carries at least $250 on top of the base fine.²

Who Qualifies

You need a valid Washington driver’s license first. The endorsement is not a standalone credential; it’s added to the license you already hold.

The minimum age to start the process is 16, which is old enough for an instruction permit. Anyone under 18 has two extra requirements: a parent or guardian must sign a consent form at a licensing office, and the rider must complete an approved motorcycle safety course before the full endorsement will be issued.³ For minors, the safety course is not optional, no matter how well they test.⁴

Pick the Right Endorsement for Your Bike

Washington issues separate endorsements for two-wheel and three-wheel motorcycles. State law defines “motorcycle” broadly to cover any motor vehicle designed to travel on up to three wheels where the rider straddles the motor unit and steers with handlebars, which spans sport bikes, trikes, and sidecar rigs.⁵

A two-wheel endorsement does not authorize you to ride a three-wheel motorcycle, and the reverse is also true. The skills exams are entirely separate, built around how each type actually handles.⁶ If you ride both, you’ll test for each one separately. Start with the configuration you own or plan to buy.

Step 1: Get the Instruction Permit

Before you can practice on public roads, you need a motorcycle instruction permit. It requires passing a basic knowledge test and a basic skills evaluation. The permit costs $35 and is valid for 180 days, and you can renew it once for $15 if you do so before it expires.⁷

Permit restrictions catch some riders off guard. You cannot carry passengers, you cannot ride during the hours of darkness, and you must have both the permit and your driver’s license on you whenever you ride.⁴ Breaking any of these puts you in the same bucket as riding with no authorization at all.

Step 2: Pass the Tests or Complete a Safety Course

The endorsement itself requires more than the permit-level basics. The skills exam emphasizes real-world maneuvers such as emergency braking and collision-avoidance turns, the situations where riders actually get hurt.⁶

Most riders go through the Washington Motorcycle Safety Program (WMSP). The Department of Licensing can waive all or part of the endorsement exam for riders who pass an approved WMSP course.⁶ The course handles training and testing together: you learn the skills and demonstrate them in the same program. Fees vary by provider but generally run $150 to $300. Approved schools are listed on the DOL website.

Adults who are confident riders can skip the course and take the DOL tests directly. Minors cannot; the course is mandatory regardless of test performance.³

Step 3: Add the Endorsement to Your License

Your test results or course completion stay valid for 365 days.³ Apply within that year or you’ll have to start over.

Most training providers upload scores to DOL electronically; it’s worth confirming your results are in the system before you apply. You can add the endorsement online through License Express or in person at a licensing office.³

The endorsement fee runs from $27 to $41. It’s calculated as a $25 base plus $2 for each year remaining on your current license, so a license near expiration sits at the low end and one you just renewed for a full cycle sits at the high end.⁷

Moving to Washington With an Out-of-State Endorsement

If you already hold a motorcycle endorsement from another state, you can transfer it to your Washington license without retesting. Bring proof of your current credential and payment when you apply for your Washington driver’s license. Washington accepts transfers from all U.S. states and territories, the District of Columbia, British Columbia, and Japan.³

Timing matters. You have to transfer the endorsement at the same time you get your Washington license. If you take a standard license first and come back for the endorsement later, the transfer option is gone, and you’ll have to complete an approved safety course or pass the full knowledge and riding skills tests as a new rider.³

What It Costs to Ride Without One

Operating a motorcycle without the proper endorsement is a traffic infraction. The penalty is the base infraction fine plus an added $250 that goes to the state motorcycle safety education account.²

The insurance side is often worse than the fine. If you crash on a motorcycle you’re not legally authorized to ride, your insurer has grounds to deny the claim. The whole endorsement process costs under $50 in state fees and a weekend of your time, which is a fraction of what one citation and a denied claim would run.

1
Washington State Department of Licensing. Motorcycle Endorsements
2
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.20.500 – Special Endorsement, Penalties, Exceptions
3
Washington State Department of Licensing. Get a 2-Wheel Motorcycle Permit or Endorsement
4
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.20.510 – Motorcycle Endorsement, Requirements
5
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.04.330 – Motorcycle
6
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 46.20.515 – Examination, Emphasis, Administration, Waiver
7
Washington State Department of Licensing. Driver Licensing Fees