WA motor vehicle dealer bonds.
$300 flat.
Also known as the Washington auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Washington requires every licensed motor vehicle dealer to file a $30,000 bond with the Department of Licensing for each business location. Ours is $300 flat — the checkout price, identical for every dealer. A soft credit pull may run as part of underwriting; it never affects your score, and e-signed delivery follows in 1–2 business days.
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Three steps to licensed.
Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit check.
Reviewed & approved
Most of these clear quickly; if underwriting needs anything, you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
E-sign & file with the DOL
Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Washington licenses motor vehicle dealers through the Department of Licensing, and conditions the license on a $30,000 surety bond filed before the license issues. The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind your compliance with Washington's dealer law and the taxes and fees you owe the state.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the State of Washington together with harmed buyers (the protected parties). If a dealer commits fraud, fails to deliver clear title, or otherwise violates dealer law, a harmed party can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. A dealer must maintain a bond for each business location, and if the bond is exhausted or canceled, the license is automatically canceled until a new bond is on file.
You need this bond if you're
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit check. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Washington bonds.
The Department of Licensing is waiting on one document.
$300 flat, short application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.