Foreign-trained lawyers in Washington

Washington lets you sit its bar exam with a degree from another country if you complete an LL.M. that meets the requirements of its Rule APR 3, or without an LL.M. if you were educated and are admitted in a common-law jurisdiction and have 3 of the last 5 years of practice. Without the exam, you can apply for a Foreign Law Consultant license, with 5 of the last 7 years of practice, or for a limited license as in-house counsel (house counsel) if a company employs you as a lawyer in Washington. And if you are already licensed in another state, admission without examination requires 1 of the last 3 years of practice and no degree from an ABA-approved law school.

The five routes in Washington

For a lawyer admitted only in another country. Each route has its own section below, with the official rule. What each one is

Bar exam with a foreign degree: With conditions
Foreign Law Consultant: Yes
In-house counsel: Yes, with a license
Temporary practice: Only in part
Pro hac vice in a single case: No

Admission without exam from another state: Yes
Last reviewed: November 8, 2026

The Washington route

The path a lawyer trained in another country takes to a full Washington license.

Check which route you qualify under
With a law degree from another country you have two routes to the exam (Rule APR 3(b)). The LL.M. route: your degree would qualify you to practice as a lawyer in your country and you complete an LL.M. that meets the rule. The common-law route: you were educated in a jurisdiction whose law is based on the common law of England, you are admitted in one of them and you have actively practiced 3 of the last 5 years.
Complete an LL.M. that meets Rule APR 3
At an approved law school, with at least 18,200 minutes of instruction, 12,000 of them on domestic U.S. law: among them, 2,080 in constitutional law, 2,080 in state and federal civil procedure, 1,400 on the U.S. legal profession and its rules, and 1,400 in legal analysis, research and communication. If your LL.M. from an approved law school did not complete them, you can add courses at one or more approved law schools.
Apply for the exam with the WSBA
You apply online with the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA). For the July exam, the first deadline is March 5 and the late deadline April 5; for the February exam, October 5 and November 5. Under the LL.M. route it costs US$740, plus NCBE's character and fitness investigation fee.
Pass the NextGen exam and the MPRE
Since July 2026, Washington gives the NextGen UBE, in February and July, and you pass with 610. On the MPRE, the professional responsibility exam, you need 85, according to NCBE.
Pass the Washington Law Component and take the oath
It is a 60-question online test on Washington's own law, taken with the materials at hand, and you pass with 80%. You have 40 months from the exam to complete it, pay the license fee and take the Oath of Attorney (Rule APR 5).

Without the full license, Washington offers you two more routes: Foreign Law Consultant, to advise on foreign law, and the limited in-house counsel license (house counsel), to work as a company's lawyer. We explain them below.

Foreign Law Consultant

Rule APR 14 of the Washington Supreme Court (Limited Practice Rule for Foreign Law Consultants) authorizes lawyers from another country to advise and consult on foreign law in Washington, without examination, under a limited license. In Washington the title is "Foreign Law Consultant." You file your application with the WSBA, which approves or disapproves it; the Supreme Court licenses by order the applicants it deems qualified, and at its discretion: it may revoke the license at any time, with or without cause.

Requirements

Be admitted to practice law in a foreign jurisdiction and be in good standing there.
Have active legal experience as a lawyer, or the equivalent, in a foreign jurisdiction for at least 5 of the 7 years immediately before your application. To be confirmed: whether years practicing your country's law from the United States count.
The good moral character and fitness to practice law defined in Rule APR 20. Every applicant goes through a character and fitness review, and NCBE conducts the investigation: after the WSBA reviews your application, NCBE contacts you for payment and the authorization forms.
An application under oath, filed online with the WSBA, with a signed and notarized Authorization and Release form, unaltered, and any other evidence the WSBA asks for.
A certificate of admission and good standing from the authority in your country with final jurisdiction over the discipline of lawyers. According to the WSBA, one from every jurisdiction where you are admitted, dated within the last six months.
A letter of recommendation from a member of that authority's executive body or from a judge of the highest court or of the courts of original jurisdiction of your country. According to the WSBA, one from each foreign jurisdiction where you are admitted, also within the last six months.
An authenticated English translation of the certificate and of the letter, if they are not in English. If strict compliance with those two requirements would cause you unnecessary hardship, the WSBA may, at its discretion, waive or vary them and accept other evidence (Rule APR 14(b)(2)).
Reciprocity: you must show that your country does not impose on members of the Washington bar, to become foreign law consultants there, requirements or limits significantly more restrictive than this rule's. If it does, the Supreme Court may deny you the license or impose similar limits on you (Rule APR 14(h)). The WSBA asks for reciprocity documentation with the application.
The fee: US$970, plus NCBE's investigation fee, according to the WSBA fee table (viewed November 8, 2026). NCBE's fee for applicants whose first law degree is from outside the United States, or who were ever authorized to practice abroad, is US$975 plus Washington sales tax (US$500 if NCBE prepared that report for you in the last four years), effective October 1, 2026.
Once approved: you take the Oath of Attorney (Rule APR 5); each year you pay the license fee and mandatory assessments in the maximum amount required of active lawyers (in 2027, the highest fee for an active lawyer is US$475; the WSBA does not publish a separate figure for this license); you file a Washington address or a registered agent (Rule APR 13), and you state in writing that you have read and will abide by Washington's Rules of Professional Conduct and Rules for Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct.
The rule does not mention an office in Washington, insurance or a minimum age.

What a Foreign Law Consultant cannot do

Appear for another person as a lawyer before a Washington court, magistrate or other judicial officer, or prepare pleadings or issue subpoenas in those proceedings, except with permission for a particular case under Rule APR 8(b); and that permission is open only to U.S. lawyers.
Prepare deeds, mortgages, assignments, leases or other instruments affecting title to real estate located in the United States.
Prepare wills or trusts disposing of property located in the United States and owned by a U.S. resident, or instruments for administering a decedent's estate in the United States.
Prepare instruments on the marital relations, rights or duties of a U.S. resident, or on the custody or care of their children.
Advise on the law of Washington, of any other U.S. state or territory, of the District of Columbia or of the United States, except to the extent you are admitted before the highest court of that jurisdiction.
Hold yourself out as a member of the Washington bar, or use any title other than "Foreign Law Consultant," your firm name or the authorized title you use in the country where you are admitted, always together with the name of that country.

Costs and fees

To apply: US$970, according to the WSBA fee table, plus NCBE's investigation: US$975 plus Washington sales tax (US$500 if NCBE prepared that report for you in the last four years).
To keep it: Every year, the license fee and assessments of an active lawyer, in the maximum amount (Rule APR 14). In 2027, the highest fee for an active lawyer is US$475.
Paid to: The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA), on its online admissions portal; the investigation, to NCBE.

Compare with other states

Read the official rule

With NAFA: we go through each requirement with you and your documents and, if you choose one-on-one guidance, we prepare the application together.

The bar exam

Rule APR 3(b) of the Washington Supreme Court lets you sit the bar exam with a law degree from another country by two routes: with an LL.M. that meets the rule's requirements (the "LL.M. degree for the practice of law"), or without one, if you were educated in a common-law jurisdiction, are admitted in one and have actively practiced 3 of the last 5 years. The LL.M. route, with today's requirements, has been in force since September 1, 2025.

Requirements for a foreign degree

LL.M. route (Rule APR 3(b)(4)(B)): have graduated from a university or law school outside the United States with a degree that would qualify you to practice as a lawyer, or the equivalent, in that country. The rule does not require you to be admitted there.
The LL.M.: at a law school approved by the WSBA Board of Governors, with at least 18,200 minutes of total instruction, of which 12,000 must be on domestic U.S. law, with a minimum of 2,080 minutes in constitutional law (including separation of powers and federalism); 2,080 in the civil procedure of state and federal courts; 1,400 on the history, goals, structure, values, rules and responsibilities of the U.S. legal profession; and 1,400 in legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem solving and oral and written communication.
If your LL.M. from an approved law school did not include all of that instruction, you can sit the exam if you prove you completed it with supplemental coursework at one or more approved law schools.
To be confirmed: whether an online LL.M. qualifies, which the rule does not mention, and whether one from a law school approved by another state but not by the ABA qualifies. The definition of an approved law school in the WSBA's Admissions Policies (amended September 24, 2026, I.B) and on its page of August 26, 2026 includes schools approved by a state whose J.D. that state accepts for its exam, and it names the LL.M.; but the WSBA bar exam page (October 2, 2026) asks for an LL.M. "from an ABA-approved law school." Ask the WSBA before you enroll.
Common-law route (Rule APR 3(b)(3)): a degree from a university or law school in a jurisdiction whose law is based on the common law of England, that would qualify you to practice there; admission in that or another common-law jurisdiction; current good standing; and active legal experience for at least 3 of the 5 years before your application. If your country's system is not based on the common law of England, this route does not work for you: the LL.M. route remains.
Not qualify for admission without examination or for a UBE score transfer: Rule APR 3(b) requires the exam only of those who cannot use those routes.
Prove your good moral character and fitness to practice. Under the LL.M. route you also pay NCBE's investigation fee.
Every document that is not in English, with its certified English translation (WSBA Admissions Policies). The rule does not require a credential evaluator's report. How you prove that your degree would qualify you to practice in your country: to be confirmed with the WSBA.

Good to know

The exam has been the NextGen UBE since July 2026, in February and July, and you pass with 610. The last legacy UBE in Washington was in February 2026, with a passing score of 260. On the MPRE you need 85, according to NCBE.
Advantage: according to NCBE, in Washington an LL.M. from an ABA-approved law school is enough to sit the exam with a foreign degree, with no years of practice. But the LL.M. must meet the minutes in Rule APR 3.
Fees, according to the WSBA table (viewed November 8, 2026): under the LL.M. route, US$740 (US$595 to the WSBA and US$145 plus tax to NCBE for the exam), plus NCBE's investigation fee; if you are already a lawyer (Attorney Applicant), US$790 (US$645 and US$145 plus tax), also plus NCBE's fee. After the first deadline, US$300 more. To be confirmed: which of the two applies to you if you are admitted only in your country.
Deadlines, according to the WSBA: for the February exam, applications are accepted from September 1, with a first deadline of October 5 and a late deadline of November 5; for the July exam, from February 1, with March 5 and April 5. After the late deadline, only applicants who failed the immediately preceding exam may file (until December 5 or May 5). For February 2027, the late deadline has passed.
After the exam, the Washington Law Component: a 60-question multiple-choice online test on Washington's own law, which you take yourself, with the materials at hand, and pass with 80%. You must complete it, with the other pre-admission requirements, within 40 months of the exam.
In 2025, according to NCBE, 186 people trained outside the United States sat the exam in Washington, and 41 passed (22%).

Read the official rule

The exam, in figures

Verified on November 8, 2026. Dates and fees change every year: confirm them on the official site before you apply.

The exam: The NextGen UBE, NCBE's new uniform exam. Then the Washington Law Component: 60 online questions on Washington's own law, with 80% to pass.
NextGen: Since July 2026. The last legacy UBE was in February 2026.
Filing deadline: For February, applications open September 1, with a first deadline of October 5 and a late deadline of November 5; for July, from February 1, with March 5 and April 5. After that, only applicants who failed the previous exam.
Exam fee: On the LL.M. route, US$740 (US$595 to the WSBA and US$145 plus tax to NCBE for the exam); if you are already a lawyer, US$790. US$300 more after the first deadline. NCBE's character investigation is paid separately.
Passing score: 610 on the NextGen. On the legacy UBE, 260.
MPRE: Yes, with 85 or higher, according to NCBE.
Educated abroad, 2025: 186 people educated outside the U.S. took the exam; 41 passed (22%).

WSBA fees and deadlines

Sources: WSBA: qualifications to take the bar exam (October 2, 2026) · WSBA: admissions fees and deadlines · WSBA: Washington Law Component · NCBE: Washington admission requirements · NCBE: Washington to administer the NextGen bar exam (March 15, 2024) · NCBE: Persons Taking and Passing the 2025 Bar Examination by Source of Legal Education

With NAFA: we guide you through each step of the route, and our courses prepare you in U.S. law and legal English. They do not replace the LL.M., which only counts if it is from an approved law school and meets Rule APR 3.

Admission without exam for lawyers from other states

This is the route for a lawyer already licensed in another U.S. state (admission on motion). A license from another country or a Foreign Legal Consultant certification does not count.

Rule APR 3(c)(1) admits without examination a person admitted in another U.S. state or territory or the District of Columbia, in good standing there, who proves active legal experience in at least 1 of the 3 years before applying; this has been the rule since September 1, 2025. According to NCBE, it requires no degree from an ABA-approved law school and no reciprocity.

Years of practice: 1 of the last 3
Requires a degree from an ABA-approved law school: No
Only with reciprocity: No

Requirements

Be admitted to practice in another U.S. state or territory or in the District of Columbia, and be in good standing there. Your license from your country does not count.
Active legal experience in at least 1 of the 3 years before your application. Under Rule APR 1, this means active practice as a lawyer, teaching at an approved law school, or serving as a judge of a court of general or appellate jurisdiction.
The fee: US$970, plus NCBE's investigation fee, according to the WSBA. You can apply at any time; if you withdraw your application, the WSBA keeps US$400.
Pass the Washington Law Component and complete the pre-admission requirements within 12 months of your application.
The character and fitness review, like every applicant.

Good to know

Advantage: this is a route without examination that can work for you with a foreign degree. If you are licensed in another state, New York for example, and have actively practiced for at least 1 of the last 3 years, you can apply.
Under the text of Rule APR 1(e)(1)(A), active legal experience is practice in the United States or in a jurisdiction whose law is based on the common law of England. A year of practice in a civil-law country does not count.
Transferring your score is different: Washington accepts NextGen scores of 610 or higher since July 2026, and legacy UBE scores of 260 or higher, no more than 40 months old. The WSBA's score-transfer fees: US$595 with a foreign law degree (General) or US$645 if you are already a lawyer (Attorney), plus NCBE's investigation fee; which one applies if you are admitted only outside the United States is to be confirmed. To be confirmed: what education the score transfer rule, APR 3(d), requires of a foreign degree.

See the official source

How it works in the rest of the country

In-house counsel

Rule APR 8(f) lets a lawyer admitted to practice law in any jurisdiction apply to the WSBA for a limited license to practice in Washington as in-house counsel (house counsel), if a company employs them in Washington as a lawyer. The WSBA confirms it: lawyers licensed in a foreign jurisdiction who want to practice as house counsel must become licensed in Washington. The Supreme Court grants the license by order, on the WSBA's recommendation.

Requirements

Be admitted to practice law in some jurisdiction, and be in good standing there.
Be employed in Washington as a lawyer, exclusively for a for-profit or not-for-profit corporation, including its subsidiaries and affiliates, an association or another business entity, that is not a government entity and whose business is not the practice of law or the provision of legal services.
An Affidavit of Employer from an officer, director or general counsel of your employer in Washington, confirming that it employs you as a lawyer and that your employment meets the rule.
Prove your good moral character and fitness. NCBE conducts the investigation and charges its fee separately.
The fee: the same paid by lawyer applicants for admission; according to the WSBA, US$970, plus NCBE's investigation fee.

What in-house counsel cannot do

Work for anyone other than your employer, including its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Appear before a court as a person admitted to practice law in Washington.
Offer legal services or advice to the public, or hold yourself out as authorized to do so.
Provide free services through a legal services organization: Rule APR 8(f)(8) allows that only for lawyers admitted in another U.S. jurisdiction.

How to apply

Online, through the WSBA admissions portal, at any time: there is no deadline. You upload, dated within the previous six months, a signed and notarized authorization form, two signed Good Moral Character Certificates, the Certification of Applicant, your employer's affidavit and a certificate of good standing from every jurisdiction where you are or have ever been admitted.
After reviewing your application, the WSBA refers your case to NCBE, which contacts you for payment and the forms. If the WSBA approves the application, it sends its recommendation to the Supreme Court. You have one year to complete the process; after that, you must file a new application and pay again.
While you wait, according to the WSBA, you may continue to work on a temporary basis under Rule of Professional Conduct 5.5 (below, under "Temporary practice").

Once you are certified or registered

Take the Oath of Attorney and pay each year the license fee and mandatory assessments in the maximum amount required of active lawyers (Rule APR 8(f)(4)). In 2027, the highest fee for an active lawyer is US$475; the WSBA does not publish a separate figure for this license.
Your business cards and your employer's letterhead must state clearly that you are licensed to practice in Washington as in-house counsel.
Promptly report to the WSBA any change of employment, any change in your admission in any jurisdiction or the start of any formal disciplinary proceeding.
Abide by Washington's Rules of Professional Conduct and Rules for Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct. Rule APR 8(f)(5) also subjects you to the other laws and rules governing lawyers admitted in Washington. Whether that includes continuing legal education: to be confirmed with the WSBA.
The license ends automatically if your employment with that employer ends, if you are admitted by another route, if you fail to comply with the rule, if you stop being in good standing in at least one other jurisdiction where you are admitted, or if you are suspended or disbarred in any of them. If, within three months of your last day of employment, another employer that files the required affidavit hires you, the license is reinstated (Rule APR 8(f)(7)).

Costs and fees

To apply: US$970, according to the WSBA fee table, plus NCBE's investigation: US$975 plus Washington sales tax (US$500 if NCBE prepared that report for you in the last four years).
To keep it: Every year, the license fee and assessments of an active lawyer, in the maximum amount (Rule APR 8(f)(4)). In 2027, the highest fee for an active lawyer is US$475.
Paid to: The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA), on its online admissions portal; the investigation, to NCBE.

Compare with other states

Read the official rule · How it works in other states

Appearing in a single case (pro hac vice)

Rule APR 8(b) lets a Washington court allow a lawyer in good standing with the bar of another U.S. state or territory or the District of Columbia, or a lawyer providing free services through a legal services organization under Rule APR 8(f), which also requires U.S. admission, to act in a particular case. It does not cover a lawyer admitted only in another country.

Requirements

Be in good standing with the bar of another U.S. state or territory or of the District of Columbia, and be permitted to practice there.
The court's permission in each case, requested by motion.
Act together with an active WSBA lawyer, who is the lawyer of record in the case, is responsible for it and must attend proceedings unless excused by the court.
A non-refundable fee per case, equal to the license fee required of active lawyers.

Read the official rule

Temporary practice, without a state license

Handling a matter in the state on a temporary basis, without a license or registration there, as some rules allow a lawyer from another country to do: usually matters tied to the law of their own country or to international law.

Rule 5.5(c) of the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct, the temporary practice rule, is only for lawyers admitted in another U.S. jurisdiction. But Rule 5.5(d)(1) lets a lawyer admitted in another country, who is not disbarred or suspended in any jurisdiction, provide legal services in Washington, on a temporary basis, to their employer and its organizational affiliates.

Conditions

Be a member in good standing of a recognized legal profession in your country, whose members are admitted as lawyers or the equivalent and are subject to effective regulation and discipline by a professional body or a public authority (Rule 5.5(e)).
Not be disbarred or suspended in any jurisdiction.
Work only for your employer or its affiliates, on a temporary basis, in services that do not require pro hac vice admission.
If a matter requires advice on the law of Washington, of another jurisdiction or of the United States, your advice must be based on that of a lawyer licensed and authorized to give it.

What it does not allow

Serve clients other than your employer: temporary practice for clients is only for U.S. lawyers (Rule 5.5(c)).
Appear before Washington courts: pro hac vice is not open to you.
Hold yourself out to the public as admitted in Washington (Rule 5.5(b)(2)).
Permanent work as in-house counsel: for that you need the license under Rule APR 8(f).

Read the official rule

Other routes

Services authorized by federal law or other law or rule (Rule of Professional Conduct 5.5(d)(2)): a lawyer admitted in another country, who is not disbarred or suspended in any jurisdiction, may provide them in Washington. Which services those are is decided by each statute or each agency's rule.
Admission by Portfolio Evaluation, in preparation: an alternative to the bar exam that the Supreme Court approved in concept on March 15, 2024 (Order 25700-B-711). According to the WSBA (page of April 7, 2026), the Court has not yet adopted its rules and there is no application. To be confirmed: whether it will be open to lawyers trained abroad.
Careful: the licenses for free legal services (indigent representation, Rule APR 8(c), and pro bono services under Rule APR 8(f)(8)) are only for lawyers admitted in another U.S. jurisdiction.

After Washington

What a Washington license opens for you in other states, or doesn't, if your degree is from another country.

Your NextGen score travels, your license doesn't: other NextGen jurisdictions may accept the score you earned in Washington, each with its own minimum score, from its own date and with its own requirements. Careful: Florida and New York will not accept NextGen scores from exams before July 2028, according to NCBE.
Careful: admission without examination almost never works for you. According to NCBE, 31 jurisdictions require a degree from an ABA-approved law school for it, and a foreign degree with an LL.M. is not one.
District of Columbia: with a Washington license and 3 of the last 5 years of active practice as a member in good standing of the bar of a court of general jurisdiction in the United States (Washington's or another), you can apply for admission without examination even with a foreign degree (Rule 46(e)(3)).
Indiana: with a Washington license and 3 of the last 5 years of active practice, you can apply for admission without examination, which since August 1, 2026 no longer requires a degree from an ABA-approved law school (Rule 6, Section 1).

Good to know

In Washington, the Supreme Court has exclusive responsibility for setting the qualifications to practice law and issues the admission rules (Admission and Practice Rules, APR). The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) receives and reviews applications and gives the exam, and every applicant goes through a character and fitness review; the Supreme Court admits by order. The bar is mandatory: with the license you are a member of the WSBA.

In the character and fitness review, good moral character is, under Rule APR 20, a record of conduct showing honesty, fairness, candor, trustworthiness, observance of fiduciary responsibilities and of the law, and respect for the rights of others and for the judicial process. If you apply as a Foreign Law Consultant or as in-house counsel, or for the exam under the LL.M. route, NCBE conducts the investigation and charges its fee separately. Every document that is not in English goes with its certified translation.

To keep a lawyer's license, Washington requires continuing legal education: 45 credits in each three-year period, with at least 15 in law and legal procedure and 6 in ethics and professional responsibility; of these, at least 1 on equity, inclusion and the mitigation of bias in the profession. You are exempt for the year of your admission. A Foreign Law Consultant does not have to meet it (Rule APR 14(e)).

In July 2026, the exam in Yakima, Washington's first NextGen exam, was canceled for most applicants because of technological failures. The Supreme Court gave those who could not sit it, if they had not failed a bar exam before, the option of an exam waiver and admission by court order, including those who applied under the LL.M. and common-law routes (Order 25700-B-753, of August 6, 2026). It was a measure for that exam only: the deadline to choose it passed on August 14, 2026.

According to NCBE, from 2021 to 2025 Washington granted 12 new Foreign Law Consultant licenses: 2, 3, 1, 3 and 3 per year.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change: always check the official source before you make a decision. Last reviewed: November 8, 2026.

Sources

How we choose and check these sources: How we verify.

Does your degree qualify in Washington?

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Other states

See the table of all states

Foreign-trained lawyers in Washington

The five routes in Washington

The Washington route

Check which route you qualify under

Complete an LL.M. that meets Rule APR 3

Apply for the exam with the WSBA

Pass the NextGen exam and the MPRE

Pass the Washington Law Component and take the oath

Foreign Law Consultant

Requirements

What a Foreign Law Consultant cannot do

Costs and fees

The bar exam

Requirements for a foreign degree

Good to know

The exam, in figures

Admission without exam for lawyers from other states

Requirements

Good to know

In-house counsel

Requirements

What in-house counsel cannot do

How to apply

Once you are certified or registered

Costs and fees

Appearing in a single case (pro hac vice)

Requirements

Temporary practice, without a state license

Conditions

What it does not allow

Other routes

After Washington

Good to know

Sources

Does your degree qualify in Washington?

Other states

Guides by country of origin