Learn how to take the bail bond agent exam or see if you qualify to opt out.
To get licensed as a bail bond agent or qualified agent, you must either:
- Pass an exam to show your knowledge of the training requirements, or
- Have 12 hours of pre-license training or experience
About the exam
The exam has 70 multiple-choice questions. You must correctly answer 85% of the questions to pass.
Exam fee
There's no cost to take your first exam. If you don't pass the exam, you must pay a fee each time you retake it.
How to take the exam
- Apply for a bail bond agent license or qualified agent license.
- After you apply, we'll contact you to schedule your exam.
- On your scheduled date, we'll email you a link to take the exam online.
- After you take the exam, we'll contact you and let you know if you passed.
Retake the exam
If you don't pass the exam, you can schedule a new exam 7 days after the previous one. You must pay a fee to retake the exam.
Study guide
The bail bond agent exam covers these subjects:
Federal laws
State laws
- Courts of record (RCW 2)
- Firearms and dangerous weapons (RCW 9.41)
- Washington criminal code (RCW 9A)
- Bail and appearance bonds (RCW 10.19)
- Warrants and arrests (RCW 10.31)
- Uniform criminal extradition act (RCW 10.88)
- Power of attorney (RCW 11.94)
- Bail bond agents (RCW 18.185)
- Notaries public (RCW 42.44)
- Insurance (RCW 48)
State rules
Business and professional information
- Audits and recordkeeping
- Contracts
- General insurance practices
- Business licensing requirements (for qualified agents only)
- Visit the Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service for more information
Opt out of the exam
You don't need to take the exam if you meet the qualifications below.
Bail bond agent training requirements
If you're applying for a bail bond agent license, you can opt out of the exam if you have 12 hours of legal pre-license training.
Qualified agent training and experience requirements
If you're applying for a qualified agent license, you can opt out of the exam if you have 12 hours of pre-license training or experience described by these laws: