How to get your motorcycle endorsement in Washington.
To ride a motorcycle legally in Washington, you need a motorcycle endorsement on your driver license. You earn it in two stages: first get your permit, then get your endorsement, and each stage has its own tests you have to pass. WMST does the training and gives the official DOL tests on the same range, so there is no separate trip to a licensing office. Here is exactly what is required, from wherever you are starting today.
Permit first, then endorsement, then the DOL. Three stages.
The most common mix-up is thinking the permit and the endorsement are the same thing. They are not. The permit comes first and lets you practice riding; the endorsement is what actually goes on your license and lets you ride on your own. These three stages are the required path to an endorsement, and here is exactly what each one requires.
Get your motorcycle permit
What you need- Pass the permit knowledge test (50 questions)
- Pass the permit skills test
A WMST permit course teaches you to ride and includes both tests, given right on the range.
Result: you hold a Washington motorcycle permit.
Get your endorsement
What you need- A valid motorcycle permit, already in hand
- Pass the endorsement riding skills test
The WMST 2-Wheel Endorsement course sharpens your street skills and includes that DOL skills test the same day.
Result: you have met the state's endorsement requirement.
Add the endorsement to your license
What you need- WMST reports your scores to the DOL, within 3 business days
- Add the endorsement on DOL LicenseExpress
- Pay the DOL fee
Passing the test alone does not put the endorsement on your license.
Result: you are legal to ride. See exactly how →
The courses you take
This is what you sign up for and attend, the WMST courses. Every path below ends the same way: endorsed and legal to ride. Which courses you need depends on where you are right now, so find the line that matches and complete the steps in order. Prices shown are subsidized rates for riders with a Washington driver-license number.
If you've never ridden a motorcycle Start from zero, all the way to endorsed.
- 01
KickStart · $159 Suggested
- 3-hour intro, no test
- Find the friction zone before your permit course
- Bike provided
- 02
Beginner Permit Qualifying · $369 Required
- 2 classroom + 2 range sessions
- Both DOL permit tests included
- Yamaha Champ U included
- You leave with your permit
- 03
2-Wheel Endorsement Qualifying · $269 Required
- One-day course, permit required
- DOL endorsement skills test included
- Ride home endorsed when you pass
- 04
Add it at DOL Required
- WMST reports your scores, within 3 business days
- You add it on DOL LicenseExpress and pay the fee
If you've ridden a bit but have no permit Same outcome, faster pace.
- 01
Intermediate Permit Qualifying · $269 Required
- Accelerated one-day course
- For riders with some prior seat time
- Both DOL permit tests included
- You leave with your permit
- 02
2-Wheel Endorsement Qualifying · $269 Required
- One day on the range
- DOL endorsement skills test included
- 03
Add it at DOL Required
- WMST reports your scores, within 3 business days
- You add it on DOL LicenseExpress and pay the fee
If you already hold a Washington motorcycle permit You're one course away.
- 01
2-Wheel Endorsement Qualifying · $269 Required
- One-day, five-hour range course
- DOL endorsement skills test included
- Bring your valid permit
- 02
Add it at DOL Required
- WMST reports your scores, within 3 business days
- You add it on DOL LicenseExpress and pay the fee
If you ride a trike, Spyder, or reverse-trike You need the 3-wheel path.
Three-wheel machines (trikes, Spyders, reverse-trikes) take a separate endorsement, but the path is the same shape. Not sure which you need? Compare 2-wheel vs 3-wheel →
- 01
3-Wheel Endorsement Qualifying · $579 Required
- Classroom plus range
- 3-wheel DOL skills test included
- 02
Add it at DOL Required
- WMST reports your scores, within 3 business days
- You add it on DOL LicenseExpress and pay the fee
If you're already endorsed Keep getting better.
Suggested You're already endorsed and legal to ride, so nothing here is required. If you want to ride sharper, the Advanced Motorcycle Course covers hazard awareness, lane positioning, wet-weather technique, and real-world street tactics. No test, just better riding. View the Advanced Motorcycle Course →
Prices are subsidized rates and require a Washington driver-license (WDL) number; unsubsidized add $90. Active-duty military & dependents qualify automatically. Riders under 18 must complete an approved 2-wheel course with parent consent. Prices current as of 2025.
The four DOL tests
These are the four DOL tests behind your endorsement, two for your permit and two for your endorsement. You don't book these separately, the courses above administer them for you as a DOL-approved examiner. You may already have some done, so mark Yes or No for each and we'll show you exactly what's left and what to do next.
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01
Permit knowledge test
50 questions on Washington motorcycle law and safe-riding fundamentals.
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02
Permit skills test
Basic motor controls and slow-speed maneuvers on the range. Pass both and you have your permit.
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03
Endorsement knowledge test
25 questions on advanced street-riding scenarios.
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04
Endorsement skills test
Cornering, braking, and avoidance under speed. Pass and you've met the endorsement requirement.
Tap Yes or No on each test, we'll explain anything you still need and what to do next.
Passing the skills test isn't the finish line.
This is where most of the confusion happens. Passing your endorsement skills test means you've met the requirement, but it does not automatically put the endorsement on your license. WMST reports your scores to the DOL within 3 business days. After that, you add the endorsement and pay the DOL fee, either online through LicenseExpress or at a DOL appointment. Your scores are good for one year.
Answer a few questions, get your plan.
Our quick guide maps your exact path and the courses to get there, or talk to the motorcycle team directly. We walk riders through this every day.
"I walked in not knowing the difference between a permit and an endorsement. They laid out the whole path in five minutes and I knew exactly what to book." Permit course graduate