Effective December 3, 2009, ESSSB 5688 provides that for all purposes under Washington State law, state registered domestic partners shall be treated the same as married spouses and that provisions of the act shall be liberally construed to achieve equal treatment, to the extent not in  conflict with federal law. To register a domestic partnership, a couple will need to complete the Declaration of Domestic Partnership form, sign the declaration form in the presence of a notary public, and submit the form and the filing fee to the Washington Secretary of State Corporations Division for filing.