WA private investigative agency bonds.
$100 flat.
Washington requires every private investigative agency to file a fixed $10,000 bond with the Department of Licensing before an agency license issues. Ours is $100 flat, issued instantly — the same for every agency. The bond issues the moment you pay — no credit review of any kind, not even a soft pull.
Trusted by industry leaders
Three steps. One sitting.
License bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That's the application — no financials, no credit section, no follow-up scavenger hunt.
Pay & e-sign
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.
File with the DOL
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with your Department of Licensing agency license application or renewal. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Washington licenses private investigators through the Department of Licensing under chapter 18.165 RCW, and conditions an agency license on a $10,000 surety bond (an agency may file a certificate of insurance instead). The bond is a public-protection guarantee against wrongful or illegal acts in conducting the licensed business.
It's a three-party arrangement: the agency (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of Washington (the obligee). Anyone injured by the agency or its officers, agents, or employees may sue directly on the bond in their own name — and the bond is subject to successive suits until the $10,000 face amount is exhausted.
The agency must keep the bond on file in full force at all times. If a valid claim is paid, the agency repays the surety — it is not insurance for the agency. We track the bond and notify you 60 and 30 days out, keeping your filing continuous.
You need this bond if you're
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — no credit section, because this bond doesn’t have one.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Washington bonds.
Finish your agency license checklist today.
$100 flat, no credit review, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.