Nonresident vessel permit. (Effective September 1, 2025, until January 1, 2029.)
RCW 88.02.620
in effect(1) A vessel owner who is a nonresident person must obtain a nonresident vessel permit on or before the 61st day of use in Washington state if the vessel: (a) Is currently registered or numbered under the laws of the state or country of principal operation, has been issued a valid number under federal law, or has a valid United States customs service cruising license issued under 19 C.F.R. Sec. 4.94; and (b) Has been brought into Washington state for not more than six months in any continuous 12-month period, and is used: (i) For personal use; or (ii) For the purposes of chartering a vessel with a captain or crew, as long as individual charters are for at least three or more consecutive days in duration. The permit also applies for the purposes of necessary transit to or from the start or end point of such a charter, but that transit time is not counted toward the duration of the charter. (2) In addition to the requirements in subsection (1) of this section, a nonresident vessel owner that is not a natural person, or a nonresident vessel owner who is a natural person who intends to charter the vessel with a captain or crew as provided in subsection (1)(b)(ii) of this section, may only obtain a nonresident vessel permit if: (a) The vessel is at least 30 feet in length, but no more than 300 feet in length; (b) No Washington state resident owns the vessel or is a principal, as defined in RCW 82.32.865 , of the nonresident person which owns the vessel; and (c) The department of revenue has provided the nonresident vessel owner written approval authorizing the permit as provided in RCW 82.32.865 . (3) A nonresident vessel permit: (a) May be obtained from the department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by the director; (b) Must show the date the vessel first came into Washington state; and (c) Is valid for two months. (4) The department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by the director must collect the fee required in RCW 88.02.640 (1)(i) when issuing nonresident vessel permits. (5) A nonresident vessel permit is not required under this section if the vessel is used in conducting temporary business activity within Washington state. (6) For any permits issued under this section to a nonresident vessel owner that is not a natural person, or for any permits issued to a natural person who intends to charter the vessel with a captain or crew as provided in subsection (1)(b)(ii) of this section, the department must maintain a record of the following information and provide it to the department of revenue quarterly or as otherwise mutually agreed to by the department and department of revenue: (a) The name of the record owner of the vessel; (b) The vessel's hull identification number; (c) The amount of the fee paid under RCW 88.02.640 (5); (d) The date the vessel first entered the waters of this state; (e) The expiration date for the permit; and (f) Any other information mutually agreed to by the department and department of revenue. (7) A vessel operating under a nonresident vessel permit must be operated in compliance with the quiet sound program and the department of fish and wildlife's safe whale distance guidelines. (8) The department must adopt rules to implement this section, including rules on issuing and displaying the nonresident vessel permit. Until May 1, 2026, the department must process the application for a nonresident vessel permit, with respect to a vessel that exceeds 200 feet in length, as if the vessel were 200 feet in length.
(1) A vessel owner who is a nonresident person must obtain a nonresident vessel permit on or before the 61st day of use in Washington state if the vessel:
(a) Is currently registered or numbered under the laws of the state or country of principal operation, has been issued a valid number under federal law, or has a valid United States customs service cruising license issued under 19 C.F.R. Sec. 4.94; and
(b) Has been brought into Washington state for not more than six months in any continuous 12-month period, and is used:
(i) For personal use; or
(ii) For the purposes of chartering a vessel with a captain or crew, as long as individual charters are for at least three or more consecutive days in duration. The permit also applies for the purposes of necessary transit to or from the start or end point of such a charter, but that transit time is not counted toward the duration of the charter.
(2) In addition to the requirements in subsection (1) of this section, a nonresident vessel owner that is not a natural person, or a nonresident vessel owner who is a natural person who intends to charter the vessel with a captain or crew as provided in subsection (1)(b)(ii) of this section, may only obtain a nonresident vessel permit if:
(a) The vessel is at least 30 feet in length, but no more than 300 feet in length;
(b) No Washington state resident owns the vessel or is a principal, as defined in RCW 82.32.865 , of the nonresident person which owns the vessel; and
(c) The department of revenue has provided the nonresident vessel owner written approval authorizing the permit as provided in RCW 82.32.865 .
(3) A nonresident vessel permit:
(a) May be obtained from the department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by the director;
(b) Must show the date the vessel first came into Washington state; and
(c) Is valid for two months.
(4) The department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by the director must collect the fee required in RCW 88.02.640 (1)(i) when issuing nonresident vessel permits.
(5) A nonresident vessel permit is not required under this section if the vessel is used in conducting temporary business activity within Washington state.
(6) For any permits issued under this section to a nonresident vessel owner that is not a natural person, or for any permits issued to a natural person who intends to charter the vessel with a captain or crew as provided in subsection (1)(b)(ii) of this section, the department must maintain a record of the following information and provide it to the department of revenue quarterly or as otherwise mutually agreed to by the department and department of revenue:
(a) The name of the record owner of the vessel;
(b) The vessel's hull identification number;
(c) The amount of the fee paid under RCW 88.02.640 (5);
(d) The date the vessel first entered the waters of this state;
(e) The expiration date for the permit; and
(f) Any other information mutually agreed to by the department and department of revenue.
(7) A vessel operating under a nonresident vessel permit must be operated in compliance with the quiet sound program and the department of fish and wildlife's safe whale distance guidelines.
(8) The department must adopt rules to implement this section, including rules on issuing and displaying the nonresident vessel permit. Until May 1, 2026, the department must process the application for a nonresident vessel permit, with respect to a vessel that exceeds 200 feet in length, as if the vessel were 200 feet in length.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=88.02&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026