Establishing Bona Fide Domicile

Individuals must provide documentation showing they meet the following guidelines to establish WA domicile:

1. Physically reside in the state for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of the quarter students are seeking residency.
2. A legal resident must also relinquish all valid legal ties with their former state/country of residence and affirmatively create legal ties and relationships in the state of Washington in accordance with state and local legislation.
   • Driver’s License/State ID: One must obtain a Washington State Driver’s License within 30 days of their arrival if they have a valid out-of-state driver’s license, including an international driver’s license. If an individual does not drive or possess a driver’s license from any state or country, they should obtain a Washington State Identification Card within 30 days of arrival.
   • Vehicle Registration: Individuals who own or operate a vehicle in Washington must have their vehicle registered in Washington within 30 days of their arrival.
   • Voter Registration: Individuals who have previously registered to vote in their former state of residence must register to vote in Washington. If one has registered to vote in another state and does not register to vote in Washington, this means they may still vote absentee in the prior state of residency. Permanent Resident cardholders or any other status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) are exempt from registering to vote.
   • Establish a bank account in Washington: Existing bank account(s) prior to arriving in Washington is sufficient as long as one’s name and Washington address are associated with the account and documented.
   • Lease/home agreement

Students who are establishing bona fide domicile, as a financially independent student, must complete the following requirements in addition to the previously listed guidelines:

3. Students must demonstrate they are financially independent for the current calendar year for which they are applying for residency and the previous calendar year. This means they have and will be paying for the majority of their expenses (cost of attendance and room/board) with their own independent income and resources, that they are not and have not received significant financial assistance in any form, directly or indirectly, from parents, legal guardians, relatives, or others during that time period, and that they were not and will not be claimed as a dependent on anyone’s tax returns for the previous and current calendar years.
4. Students who are enrolled for 7 credits or more in any term during the period in which they are establishing bona fide legal domicile are presumed by law to be in Washington State for purposes of education. Students cannot qualify for resident tuition unless they can demonstrate conclusively that they have resided in Washington primarily for purposes other than education for a consecutive 12 month period. All domicile must be established prior to the start of this consecutive 12 month period. Examples of situations that can demonstrate a primarily non-educational purpose for residing in Washington include a student residing in the state due to full-time employment for themselves or a spouse/partner, or to take care of a family member. The burden of proof lies on the student to demonstrate they have conclusively overcome this presumption.

Examples of other factors that may help students establish proof of domicile include the disposition of property in the former state of residence, relocation of household members, and generally becoming involved in activities that will help prove their intent to make Washington their official state of residence.

All domicile must be established at least one year immediately prior to the first day of the quarter the student is seeking residency. Once the individual is in full compliance with all of Washington State’s requirements for residency for tuition purposes, then they, as of that final date of compliance, have established a domicile and are eligible to apply for residency for tuition purposes. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for a change in residency status once all requirements have been met.

Residency by Campus

Residency review is campus-specific. If you are a student at UW Bothell or UW Tacoma, please review your campus’ residency websites.

Residence Questionnaire

Complete the Residence Questionnaire and the University of Washington Seattle documentation checklist PDF form appropriate for your situation (financially independent student or financially dependent student) and provide all requested supporting documentation verifying you have met the residency requirements. Submit the completed questionnaire, documentation checklist, and all necessary supporting documentation via the submission portal for the quarter you are applying for. If the submission portal for that quarter is not yet open, you will need to wait until it is to submit your material. We do not accept documents by email, postal mail, or any other method.

Residence Questionnaire – Financially Dependent [PDF]
Residence Questionnaire – Financially Independent [PDF]

Residency Affidavit

Complete the Residency Affidavit and submit it via the submission portal for the quarter you are applying for. You do not need to submit any supporting paperwork with the Residency Affidavit. However, we may request additional information if University records contain information that indicates you might not meet the requirements of the affidavit.

Washington Higher Education Residency Affidavit [PDF]

Deadlines & Process

All residency and tuition reduction forms are due by the thirtieth (30th) day after the quarter of application begins.

For Winter, Spring, and Summer quarters, the UW Residence Classification Office submission portal will be open no earlier than 30 calendar days before the start of the quarter. For Autumn quarter, the portal will open no earlier than 60 calendar days before the start of the quarter.

The residency review for a quarter begins approximately four weeks prior to the start of the quarter. Residency applications are reviewed in the order received and may take four to six weeks to process.

Students will receive an email receipt confirmation once the residency application has been received by the Residence Classification Office.

Incomplete Applications

Residency applications submitted without all required documentation, or in the event the Residence Classification Office must request additional documentation due to unclear or ambiguous situation, all paperwork must be received by the Residence Classification Office no later than the deadline stated in the request. If documentation is received after that day, the application is considered “incomplete” and will not be reviewed further.

Additional Information

Processing Time: Contacting the Residence Classification Office to inquire about an application status decreases the time available for staff to process applications. Please help residency staff process applications in a timely manner by waiting six weeks before inquiring about application status. Everyone’s patience is greatly appreciated.

Other Application Forms

• American Indian Students: Resident Tuition for American Indian Students [PDF]
• Refugee/Asylee Students: Tuition Reduction for Non-Resident Refugees/Asylees [PDF]

Washington Higher Education Residency Affidavit

Residency Affidavit requirements

Students may qualify for residency, using the affidavit, if ALL the following conditions are met:

1. Student received a high school diploma (or equivalent).
2. Student maintained their primary residence in Washington for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before their first term at the college determining residency. The Washington residence must be for purposes other than college.
3. Students who take any courses at another Washington college during the prior 12 months cannot have taken more than six credits in any given term. Students who exceed that limit must prove that they have a Washington residence for non-college reasons.
4. Student will affirm they are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or that they will file an application to become a permanent resident of the United States as soon as they are eligible to apply.

Students who meet all the stated requirements can use the updated Washington Higher Education Residency Affidavit [PDF] to request a change in residency status.

Students do not need to submit any supporting paperwork with the Residency Affidavit. The determination for the affidavit is based off of information provided on one’s application to the University of Washington. However, we may request additional information if University records contain information that indicates a student might not meet the requirements of the affidavit.

Submit the Residency Affidavit

• Residency Affidavits are only submitted through the portal based on the specific quarter of application.
• Residency Affidavits may only be submitted during the corresponding Application period.
• Residency Affidavits may not be submitted via email, fax, postal mail, in-person, or other method.