Is Hawaii a nursing compact state?

What Hawaii’s compact status means

Because Hawaii has not joined the compact, there is no Hawaii multistate license. Hawaii residents hold a single-state license that is valid only in Hawaii.

To work in Hawaii with an out-of-state license, you generally apply for licensure by endorsement directly with the Hawaii Board of Nursing. A compact license from another state does not cover you in Hawaii.

If you move your primary residence to a compact state later, you may then become eligible for a multistate license through that state.

What Hawaii residents should know

If you live in Hawaii, your license is single-state — valid in Hawaii only. Hawaii residents can’t get a multistate license unless Hawaii joins the compact. To work in another state, you’d apply there.

What nurses coming to Hawaii should know

You’ll need a Hawaii license — usually by endorsement — even if you hold a compact license elsewhere. Compact privilege doesn’t reach Hawaii.

Why Hawaii has no compact adoption date

There is no date to give, because Hawaii has never enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact. This is not a delay or a pending implementation — no Hawaii license has ever carried compact privilege, and none does today.

For context on what it has not joined: the original compact dates from 2000, and the rewritten enhanced NLC took effect on January 19, 2018. 40 jurisdictions are now issuing and honouring multistate licenses. Hawaii is not among them, and a nurse practicing here needs a Hawaii license regardless of what they hold elsewhere.

See the full NLC adoption timeline for when every other jurisdiction enacted and implemented, each with its source — or the jurisdictions still outside the compact for who else is in the same position.

The law behind Hawaii’s status

Compact status is not an opinion or a listing — it is a statute. These are the primary sources that actually govern licensure in Hawaii, so you can check our answer against the law rather than taking our word for it.

Compact statute

None in force.

Hawaii has not enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact, which is precisely why a multistate license issued elsewhere does not authorize practice here, and why Hawaii residents cannot obtain one. Bills are introduced in some sessions; introduction is not enactment, and we only record a statute once it is law.

Nurse practice act

HRS ch. 457 (Nurses) ↗

Hawaii’s own license lookup

Hawaii PVL license search (MyPVL) ↗

Checking a Hawaii license is free. Sending a verification TO another state’s board carries a fee — and unusually, that fee is fixed in the nurse practice act itself (HRS ch. 457) rather than set by board policy, so it is not something the board can waive on request. Hawaii licenses nurses through the DCCA’s Professional and Vocational Licensing division rather than a standalone board agency.

Board of nursing

Hawaii Board of Nursing ↗

Statutory citations reviewed 2026-07-31. Citations change far more slowly than fees or processing times — which is why we publish these and not those.

RN, LPN/LVN, and APRN coverage in Hawaii

The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses. It does not, on its own, cover APRN roles — nurse practitioners, CRNAs, CNSs, and CNMs generally need separate APRN authorization in each state, including Hawaii. See the APRN and the compact guide, and confirm specifics with the Hawaii Board of Nursing.

Coverage is the same for both credentials, so the state lists are the same: every RN compact state and every LPN/LVN compact state both exclude Hawaii, which is why neither credential carries privilege here.

By credential: Hawaii RN & the compact, Hawaii LPN, and Hawaii APRN.

Primary state of residence, moving, and endorsement

Your primary state of residence (PSOR) drives multistate eligibility — you can hold it in only one state at a time. Because Hawaii does not issue multistate licenses to its residents, making it your PSOR means holding a single-state Hawaii license; a compact license from your former state does not transfer to Hawaii. Coming from another state, you generally apply to the Hawaii Board of Nursing by endorsement. If you are relocating, the 60-day rule governs the timing.

Verifying a Hawaii nursing license

Look any Hawaii license up on Nursys QuickConfirm — it shows whether the license is single-state or multistate, its status, and its expiration. For anything Nursys does not show, use the Hawaii Board of Nursing. See the full Hawaii verification guide. CompactStates is an independent reference, not a verification service, and holds no license records.

Travel assignments and telehealth in Hawaii

Because Hawaii does not currently grant compact privilege, a Hawaii travel assignment — or telehealth to patients located in Hawaii — generally needs a Hawaii license by endorsement. Telehealth licensure generally follows the patient’s location. See the Hawaii travel and telehealth guides.

Renewal and continuing education

Renewal cycles, fees, and continuing-education requirements are set by the Hawaii Board of Nursing and change over time, so we link you to the official source rather than list figures that could go stale. Nursys shows your expiration date and license type. See the Hawaii renewal guide.