Washington · guide
Nurse practitioner licensing in Washington
Read from Washington State Department of Health. Last verified 2026-09-15.
The sequence
| Step | What it involves |
|---|---|
| RN license | Held by compact privilege where the nurse compact reaches the state, otherwise filed separately. |
| APRN license or recognition | Filed with the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, including national certification evidence. |
| Prescriptive authority | Separate grant in most states, with its own application and its own renewal date. |
| Controlled substance registration | State registration where required, then the DEA registration tied to the practice address. |
What the numbers say
- Washington grants full practice authority, so no collaborative agreement is required.
- Washington is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so the RN license is filed separately.
Source: Washington State Department of Health. Last verified 2026-09-15. Where a national summary and a board disagree, we publish the board.