District of Columbia money transmitter bonds.
From $100.
Every application for a District money transmitter license must carry a surety bond under D.C. Code § 26-1007: $50,000, plus $10,000 for each additional location or authorized delegate, capped at $250,000. DISB administers the license through NMLS. Ours is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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How much does a District of Columbia money transmitter bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
The bond is the easy part of a money transmitter application. Here is the entire process:
Apply online
Business details, your bond amount, an effective date, and a term. That is the application. No credit check up to $25,000.
Pay & e-sign
This bond is checkout-priced at 1% of the bond amount ($100 minimum), so it issues the moment you pay — your executed bond and power of attorney generate on the spot.
File through NMLS
DC money transmitter licensing runs through NMLS. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to associate with your license record for DISB.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The District's Money Transmitters Act, D.C. Code § 26-1001 et seq., requires a license from the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking before you transmit money for DC customers — wires, remittances, payment processing, stored value, and virtual-currency transmission under DISB's interpretation. Section 26-1007 requires each application to be accompanied by a surety bond or similar security device.
The statute sets the math: $50,000, increased by $10,000 per additional location or authorized delegate through which business is conducted, to a maximum of $250,000. It's a three-party arrangement — you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the District as obligee — securing your faithful performance of the money transmission obligations the Act imposes.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The bond has to stay continuously on file with your NMLS record; we track the term and send renewal notices 60 and 30 days out.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File through NMLS. DC money transmitter licensing runs through NMLS. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to associate with your license record for DISB.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $25,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — business details, your bond amount, an effective date, and a term. That is the application.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other District of Columbia bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get licensed to move money in DC.
1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum, issued the moment you pay. Free until issued.