How to find my food handlers card

To obtain an additional copy of the certificate or wallet card, submit the certificate reprint request form and purchase the item from the online store. Each reprint costs $20 for standard shipping.

Before you submit a reprint request…

Contact Customer Service at or 1-800-446-0257 to verify that you are certified by National Registry and receive your certificate number.

ORDER A MANAGER CERTIFICATE REPRINT

Food Handler Card Reprints

If you took the First Principles for Food Handlers certificate program online through USFoodHandler.com and need a new certificate, click here and submit the form.

Did you take your exam through the Diversys online portal? Log in for your reprint. Did you take it through a custom company portal, like Starbucks? Ask your administrator to log in and reprint your certificate or email with your name and company for assistance.

If you took the First Principles for Food Handlers certificate program in person in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, or Texas, call Customer Service at 800-446-0257.

The cost for reprints for either course is $3.95. Your new certificate will be delivered within 5-7 days. Unfortunately, reprinted certificates are not available if you took the in-person course in any state besides California, Illinois, or Arizona.

Washington State requires that all food workers have food safety training before handling food served to the public. Food workers who take a food safety training class and pass the State of Washington exam on food safety basics are issued a Food Worker Card (also called a Food Handler Permit).

Am I a food worker?

You are a food worker if you work with unpackaged food, food equipment or utensils, or with any surface where people put unwrapped food.

Do I need to get a food worker card?

Yes. All food workers are required (Chapter 246-217 WAC) to have a valid food worker card to work in Washington. It's important that your card, or a copy of it, is with you at work and available for the health department to check during a food inspection.

Can I start work before I get my card?

Yes, you can work for up to 14 days before you get your card – if you get food safety training from your employer.

Where can I get a food worker card?

Local health departments offer the food worker training, test, and card. Your card is valid throughout the state.

Can I get my food worker card online?

Yes, all local health departments offer the food worker training, test, and card online. The only authorized online training program is www.foodworkercard.wa.gov. Other websites that appear to offer a similar card online are not valid in Washington.

Trouble with the online training, test, or printing of the card? See the online food worker card frequently asked questions or contact the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department at or 1-800-204-4418.

What does a card cost?

A food worker card cost $10. Once you have a food worker card, we recommend that you keep the original and provide a copy to your employer.

Can I work anywhere in Washington with my card?

Yes. You can use your valid Washington State food worker card anywhere in Washington. If you move or get another job in a different county, your food worker card goes with you.

Can I use a card I got in another state?

No. You must have a Washington State food worker card to be employed as a food worker in our state.

Is there a study guide for the food safety exam?

Yes. Food and Beverage Workers' Manual is a study guide to help prepare you for the food safety training class and exam. The manual is available in seven languages, including Braille upon request.

I lost my card. Can I get a replacement?

Yes. If you got your card online, sign back in to www.foodworkercard.wa.gov. After you select your language and follow the prompts, select “Returning User.” You will need to enter your registration information and answer your security question exactly as you entered it when you were a new user. Choose “Replace My Valid Food Worker Card.” A payment may be required.

If you got your card at an in-person class, contact your local health department to see how to get a replacement.

How often must I renew my card?

Your first food worker card is valid for 2 years. Before the card expires, you must take the food safety training class and pass the exam again. Renewal cards after that are valid for 3 or 5 years.

Can I get a renewal card if I have a current valid card?

Yes, you may apply for a renewal card if your current card is less than 2 years old (a current card that will not expire until 1 to 60 days after you get your renewal card.) You must show your current valid card when you apply for a renewal.

Do renewal cards last longer than my first card?

Yes, renewal cards are valid for 3 years from the issue date. You can get a renewal card if you take a food worker training class and pass the Washington State exam.

Is there a renewal card for people who have extra training?

Yes. You can receive a 5-year renewal food worker card, if you have a current card and can show that you have had "additional food safety training" within the past 2 years.

Can I get a 5-year card online?

Yes. Send proof you successfully completed “additional food safety training” within 2 years prior to renewing your food worker card to . For questions, call 1-800-204-4418.

What do I need to qualify for a 5-year card?

• Successfully complete the requirements for a food worker card renewal (attend the food safety training and pass the exam).
• Have proof of successfully completing "additional food safety training" within 2 years prior to the food worker card renewal. (For example, if the renewal card is issued on 3/1/2020, then the "additional food safety training" must have been completed on or after 3/1/2018.)

More questions?

Contact your local health department, food safety program with other questions about food worker cards and food safety training classes.

Content Source: Food Safety Program

Why does it cost $10?

The $10 fee is a state regulation, Washington Administrative Code 246-217-025. The fee is used by local health departments to defray the costs of food worker training and education, administration of the program, and testing.

Have you lost your food handler's card or certificate and don't know how to get it back ? Well, this sometimes happens and the most important thing is that you do remember the name of the training company you used to get your certificate.

From there, if you did it with a training company, you should not have any more problems. Normally, you only have to contact the company , report the problem you have had and request a duplicate. This operation may or may not have a charge. For example, in Coformacion not only do we not charge for it, but we also send you a link to the email from the beginning so that you can download a copy of the certificate, diploma and card at any time, free of charge.

However, this is not the norm in the sector, so you will have to inform the respective training company to see if they charge for the procedure.

On the other hand, if you did it with the administration or some public entity, the thing is very different and it can be a slow and heavy process. Anyway, all entities will have -or should have- a procedure established for this type of situation. Therefore, it is best to contact the entity, report the problem and follow the steps indicated to you to receive a duplicate of the certification.

The real problem is when you don't remember with which company or entity you did the course. In these cases, if you did it online, then better, since you will surely have some copy in your email with some kind of information sent to you about it. So, you can search your email for the term "food handler" to rescue any messages you have about it.

Alternatively, you may want to check your browser's history for the same term in the hope of finding the link to the website you took the course with. This, of course, will only be valid if you use the same browser you used for the course, if you have deleted our browsing history and if it was not a long time ago. Otherwise, you will not find any reference in your history.

In the latter case, it is important to evaluate whether or not the date you took the course exceeds 4 years. If so, it will be more advisable to renew the card/certificate than to request a copy of one that may be considered obsolete by the authorities. Therefore, it would be more convenient to pass the exam again, with a more updated agenda in Food Hygiene.

Continuing with the previous case, the regulations do not establish a specific expiration date of the certificates, as was the case before, but this does not imply that they should not be renewed. In fact, it indicates that the training must be correctly updated. Therefore, although it does not expressly state that they must be renewed, in practice an 'old' certificate may be considered invalid as obsolete.

But, what is considered an old card or certificate? Despite the absence of a specific date, in the sector, the 4 years is usually taken as a reference, which is the term previously set by law, unless there has been a significant change in the Regulations (in the case of Allergens) that implies that the validity of the certificate is questionable.

In these cases, we in Coformacion, we inform all students promptly of the changes that may occur and whether they are affected or not. However, this is not the usual practice, as each training institution has its own procedures and this type of information is not required by law.

It is usual for the certificates / cards themselves to indicate the period of time after which it is advisable to renew the certificate / card. Thus, and although the reference time period is usually the 4 years as mentioned above, there is some variability depending on the sector. This, in any case, is only a reference and, if you want to be sure, the 4-year term is the tightest.

That said, in bars and restaurants the card is usually renewed every 4 years. In other businesses, such as hotels, which can serve more than 200 meals per day, the time is reduced to 3 years.

On the other hand, in the school canteens or geriatrics, the same certificate can be maintained for 5 years. In other sectors, such as horticultural, the renewal should take place within 7 years.

However, we insist that these deadlines are invalidated when there is a change in the regulations that is important enough to justify a renewal, as in the case of the Food Information Act / Allergens. Therefore, it is important that the training company itself has within its procedures to inform all students in such cases, as we do in Coformacion.

On the other hand, if the company you work for is responsible for food safety training, then each company's health documentation will include a renewal of the certificate every so often. It usually appears in the Training Plan and varies depending on the activity of each company.

To carry out this renewal it is necessary to refresh the knowledge. In this sector, new regulations often appear from time to time, so it is also important to be up to date with changes. Failure to do so may result in violations of food safety regulations that may result in sanctions.

The best way to renew your certificate / card is to go to the Internet, as there are companies that offer these courses and that will make it easier for those interested to obtain the new card.

This is not to say that any one company is good enough for you, as they do not all offer the same confidence and there are many cases in which these companies are not even training companies, which can, at the very least, compromise the validity of the certificate for the authorities.

The main advice here is to check that the training company is reliable, that they have experience in teaching these courses and that they offer a customer service that can answer your questions quickly. It is also a good idea to make sure that the agenda is up to date with the latest changes.