Washington Residents Absent From State

Absence due to military/civil service

Washington residents who enter military/civil service while domiciled in Washington, or persons who establish a domicile while stationed here for a period of at least one year, will remain residents while stationed outside of Washington if they return within one year of discharge/end of service with the intent to be domiciled in Washington. Please see our military personnel page for information.

Absence for educational purposes only

Students who are Washington residents and have been out of Washington to attend an out-of-state college or university, need to submit a completed Residence Questionnaire to our office along with the following additional documentation.

• Verification that they resided in Washington for a minimum of one year prior to leaving the state to attend school.
• Verification from the out-of-state college or university that they were enrolled as a nonresident and paid nonresident tuition. (If you were enrolled in a private school, provide verification of enrollment.)
• Proof that they maintained all ties with Washington (such as driver's license, vehicle registration, bank accounts, voter's registration, property, etc.) and did not take steps to establish a domicile in another state.